tin trees and sang songs that sounded like the notes
of tin whistles. All these wonders had been made
by the clever Winkie tinsmiths, who wound the birds
up every morning so that they would move about
and sing.

After breakfast the boy went into the throne room,
where the Emperor was having his tin joints care-
fully oiled by a servant, while other servants were
stuffing sweet, fresh straw into the body of the
Scarecrow.

Woot watched this operation with much interest,
for the Scarecrow's body was only a suit of clothes
filled with straw. The coat was buttoned tight to
keep the packed straw from falling out and a rope
was tied around the waist to hold it in shape and
prevent the straw from sagging down. The Scare-
crow's head was a gunnysack filled with bran, on
which the eyes, nose and mouth had been painted.
His hands were white cotton gloves stuffed with fine
straw. Woot noticed that even when carefully stuffed
and patted into shape, the straw man was awkward
in his movements and decidedly wobbly on his feet,
so the boy wondered if the Scarecrow would be able
to travel with them all the way to the forests of the
Munchkin Country of Oz.

-36-