The Patchwork Girl of Oz

by

L Frank Baum

10 - Shaggy Man to the Rescue

They had not gone very far before Bungle, who had

run on ahead, came bounding back to say that the

road of yellow bricks was just before them. At

once they hurried forward to see what this famous

road looked like.

It was a broad road, but not straight, for it

wandered over hill and dale and picked out the

easiest places to go. All its length and breadth

was paved with smooth bricks of a bright yellow

color, so it was smooth and level except in a few

places where the bricks had crumbled or been

removed, leaving holes that might cause the unwary

to stumble.

"I wonder," said Ojo, looking up and down the

road, "which way to go."

"Where are you bound for?" asked the Woozy.

"The Emerald City," he replied.

"Then go west," said the Woozy. "I know this

road pretty well, for I've chased many a honey-bee

over it."

"Have you ever been to the Emerald City?"

asked Scraps.

"No. I am very shy by nature, as you may have

noticed, so I haven't mingled much in society."

"Are you afraid of men?" inquired the Patchwork

Girl.

"Me? With my heart-rending growl-my horrible,

shudderful growl? I should say not. I am not

afraid of anything," declared the Woozy.

"I wish I could say the same," sighed Ojo. "I

don't think we need be afraid when we get to the

Emerald City, for Unc Nunkie has told me that

Ozma, our girl Ruler, is very lovely and kind, and

tries to help everyone who is in trouble. But they

say there are many dangers lurking on the road to

the great Fairy City, and so we must be very

careful."

"I hope nothing will break me," said the

Glass Cat, in a nervous voice. "I'm a little brittle,

you know, and can't stand many hard knocks."

"If anything should fade the colors of my lovely

patches it would break my heart," said the

Patchwork Girl.

"I'm not sure you have a heart," Ojo reminded

her.

"Then it would break my cotton," persisted

Scraps. "Do you think they are all fast colors,

Ojo?" she asked anxiously.

"They seem fast enough when you run," he

replied; and then, looking ahead of them, he

exclaimed: "Oh, what lovely trees!"

They were certainly pretty to look upon and

the travelers hurried forward to observe them

more closely.

"Why, they are not trees at all," said Scraps;

"they are just monstrous plants."

That is what they really were: masses of great

broad leaves which rose from the ground far into

the air, until they towered twice as high as the

top of the Patchwork Girl's head, who was a little

taller than Ojo. The plants formed rows on both

sides of the road and from each plant rose a dozen

or more of the big broad leaves, which swayed

continually from side to side, although no wind

was blowing. But the most curious thing about the

swaying leaves was their color. They seemed to

have a general groundwork of blue, but here and

there other colors glinted at times through the

blue--gorgeous yellows, turning to pink, purple,

orange and scarlet, mingled with more sober browns

and grays--each appearing as a blotch or stripe

anywhere on a leaf and then disappearing, to be

replaced by some other color of a different shape.

The changeful coloring of the great leaves was

very beautiful, but it was bewildering, as well,

and the novelty of the scene drew our travelers

close to the line of plants, where they stood

watching them with rapt interest.

Suddenly a leaf bent lower than usual and

touched the Patchwork Girl. Swiftly it enveloped

her in its embrace, covering her completely in

its thick folds, and then it swayed back upon its

stem.

"Why, she's gone!" gasped Ojo, in amazement, and

listening carefully he thought he could hear the

muffled screams of Scraps coming from the center

of the folded leaf. But, before he could think

what he ought to do to save her, another leaf bent

down and captured the Glass Cat, rolling around

the little creature until she was completely

hidden, and then straightening up again upon its

stem.

"Look out," cried the Woozy. "Run! Run

fast, or you are lost."

Ojo turned and saw the Woozy running

swiftly up the road. But the last leaf of the row

of plants seized the beast even as he ran and

instantly he disappeared from sight.

The boy had no chance to escape. Half a dozen of

the great leaves were bending toward him from

different directions and as he stood hesitating

one of them clutched him in its embrace. In a

flash he was in the dark. Then he felt himself

gently lifted until he was swaying in the air,

with the folds of the leaf hugging him on all

sides.

At first he struggled hard to escape, crying

out in anger: "Let me go! Let me go!" But

neither struggles nor protests had any effect

whatever. The leaf held him firmly and he was

a prisoner."

Then Ojo quieted himself and tried to think.

Despair fell upon him when he remembered that all

his little party had been captured, even as he

was, and there was none to save them.

"I might have expected it," he sobbed,

miserably. "I'm Ojo the Unlucky, and something

dreadful was sure to happen to me."

He pushed against the leaf that held him and

found it to be soft, but thick and firm. It was

like a great bandage all around him and he

found it difficult to move his body or limbs in

order to change their position.

The minutes passed and became hours. Ojo

wondered how long one could live in such a

condition and if the leaf would gradually sap

his strength and even his life, in order to feed

itself. The little Munchkin boy had never heard

of any person dying in the Land of Oz, but he

knew one could suffer a great deal of pain. His

greatest fear at this time was that he would

always remain imprisoned in the beautiful leaf

and never see the light of day again.

No sound came to him through the leaf; all

around was intense silence. Ojo wondered if Scraps

had stopped screaming, or if the folds of the leaf

prevented his hearing her. By and by he thought he

heard a whistle, as of some one whistling a tune.

Yes; it really must be some one whistling, he

decided, for he could follow the strains of a

pretty Munchkin melody that Unc Nunkie used to

sing to him. The sounds were low and sweet and,

although they reached Ojo's ears very faintly,

they were clear and harmonious.

Could the leaf whistle, Ojo wondered? Nearer and

nearer came the sounds and then they seemed to be

just the other side of the leaf that was hugging

him.

Suddenly the whole leaf toppled and fell,

carrying the boy with it, and while he sprawled at

full length the folds slowly relaxed and set him

free. He scrambled quickly to his feet and found

that a strange man was standing before him--a man

so curious in appearance that the boy stared with

round eyes.

He was a big man, with shaggy whiskers, shaggy

eyebrows, shaggy hair--but kindly blue eyes that

were gentle as those of a cow. On his head was a

green velvet hat with a jeweled band, which was

all shaggy around the brim. Rich but shaggy laces

were at his throat; a coat with shaggy edges was

decorated with diamond buttons; the velvet

breeches had jeweled buckles at the knees and

shags all around the bottoms. On his breast hung a

medallion bearing a picture of Princess Dorothy of

Oz, and in his hand, as he stood looking at Ojo,

was a sharp knife shaped like a dagger.

"Oh!" exclaimed Ojo, greatly astonished at the

sight of this stranger; and then he added: "Who

has saved me, sir?"

"Can't you see?" replied the other, with a

smile; "I'm the Shaggy Man."

"Yes; I can see that," said the boy, nodding.

"Was it you who rescued me from the leaf?"

"None other, you may be sure. But take care,

or I shall have to rescue you again."

Ojo gave a jump, for he saw several broad

leaves leaning toward him; but the Shaggy Man

began to whistle again, and at the sound the

leaves all straightened up on their stems and

kept still.

The man now took Ojo's arm and led him

up the road, past the last of the great plants,

and not till he was safely beyond their reach did

he cease his whistling.

"You see, the music charms 'em," said he.

"Singing or whistling--it doesn't matter which--

makes 'em behave, and nothing else will. I always

whistle as I go by 'em and so they always let me

alone. Today as I went by, whistling, I saw a leaf

curled and knew there must be something inside it.

I cut down the leaf with my knife and--out you

popped. Lucky I passed by, wasn't it?"

"You were very kind," said Ojo, "and I thank

you. Will you please rescue my companions, also?"

"What companions?" asked the Shaggy Man.

"The leaves grabbed them all," said the boy.

"There's a Patchwork Girl and--"

"A what?"

"A girl made of patchwork, you know. She's

alive and her name is Scraps. And there's a

Glass Cat--"

"Glass?" asked the Shaggy Man.

"All glass."

"And alive?"

"Yes," said Ojo; "she has pink brains. And

there's a Woozy--"

"What's a Woozy?" inquired the Shaggy Man.

"Why, I--I--can't describe it," answered the

boy, greatly perplexed. "But it's a queer animal

with three hairs on the tip of its tail that won't

come out and--"

"What won't come out?" asked the Shaggy Man;

"the tail?"

"The hairs won't come out. But you'll see the

Woozy, if you'll please rescue it, and then you'll

know just what it is."

"Of course," said the Shaggy Man, nodding his

shaggy head. And then he walked back among the

plants, still whistling, and found the three

leaves which were curled around Ojo's traveling

companions. The first leaf he cut down released

Scraps, and on seeing her the Shaggy Man threw

back his shaggy head, opened wide his mouth and

laughed so shaggily and yet so merrily that Scraps

liked him at once. Then he took off his hat and

made her a low bow, saying:

"My dear, you're a wonder. I must introduce

you to my friend the Scarecrow."

When he cut down the second leaf he rescued the

Glass Cat, and Bungle was so frightened that she

scampered away like a streak and soon had joined

Ojo, when she sat beside him panting and

trembling. The last plant of all the row had

captured the Woozy, and a big bunch in the center

of the curled leaf showed plainly where he was.

With his sharp knife the Shaggy Man sliced off the

stem of the leaf and as it fell and unfolded out

trotted the Woozy and escaped beyond the reach of

any more of the dangerous plants.