The neat yellow houses of the Winkies were now to be seen standinghere and there along the roadway, giving the country a more cheerfuland civilized look. They were farm-houses, though, and set far apart;for in the Land of Oz there were no towns or villages except themagnificent Emerald City in its center.

Hedges of evergreen or of yellow roses bordered the broad highway andthe farms showed the care of their industrious inhabitants. Thenearer the travelers came to the great city the more prosperous thecountry became, and they crossed many bridges over the sparklingstreams and rivulets that watered the lands.

As they walked leisurely along the shaggy man said to the Tin Woodman:

"What sort of a Magic Powder was it that made your friend thePumpkinhead live?"

"It was called the Powder of Life," was the answer; "and it wasinvented by a crooked Sorcerer who lived in the mountains of the NorthCountry. A Witch named Mombi got some of this powder from the crookedSorcerer and took it home with her. Ozma lived with the Witch then,for it was before she became our Princess, while Mombi had transformedher into the shape of a boy. Well, while Mombi was gone to thecrooked Sorcerer's, the boy made this pumpkin-headed man to amusehimself, and also with the hope of frightening the Witch with it whenshe returned. But Mombi was not scared, and she sprinkled thePumpkinhead with her Magic Powder of Life, to see if the Powder wouldwork. Ozma was watching, and saw the Pumpkinhead come to life; so thatnight she took the pepper-box containing the Powder and ran away withit and with Jack, in search of adventures.

"Next day they found a wooden Saw-Horse standing by the roadside, andsprinkled it with the Powder. It came to life at once, and JackPumpkinhead rode the Saw-Horse to the Emerald City."

"What became of the Saw-Horse, afterward?" asked the shaggy man, muchinterested in this story.

"Oh, it's alive yet, and you will probably meet it presently in theEmerald City. Afterward, Ozma used the last of the Powder to bringthe Flying Gump to life; but as soon as it had carried her away fromher enemies the Gump was taken apart, so it doesn't exist any more."

"It's too bad the Powder of Life was all used up," remarked the shaggyman; "it would be a handy thing to have around."

"I am not so sure of that, sir," answered the Tin Woodman. "A whileago the crooked Sorcerer who invented the Magic Powder fell down aprecipice and was killed. All his possessions went to a relative--anold woman named Dyna, who lives in the Emerald City. She went to themountains where the Sorcerer had lived and brought away everything shethought of value. Among them was a small bottle of the Powder ofLife; but of course Dyna didn't know it was a Magic Powder, at all. Ithappened she had once had a big blue bear for a pet; but the bearchoked to death on a fishbone one day, and she loved it so dearlythat Dyna made a rug of its skin, leaving the head and four paws onthe hide. She kept the rug on the floor of her front parlor."

"I've seen rugs like that," said the shaggy man, nodding, "but neverone made from a blue bear."

"Well," continued the Tin Woodman, "the old woman had an idea that thePowder in the bottle must be moth-powder, because it smelled somethinglike moth-powder; so one day she sprinkled it on her bear rug to keepthe moths out of it. She said, looking lovingly at the skin: 'I wishmy dear bear were alive again!' To her horror, the bear rug at oncecame to life, having been sprinkled with the Magic Powder; and now thislive bear rug is a great trial to her, and makes her a lot of trouble."

"Why?" asked the shaggy man.

"Well, it stands up on its four feet and walks all around, and gets inthe way; and that spoils it for a rug. It can't speak, although it isalive; for, while its head might say words, it has no breath in a solidbody to push the words out of its mouth. It's a very slimpsy affairaltogether, that bear rug, and the old woman is sorry it came to life.Every day she has to scold it, and make it lie down flat on the parlorfloor to be walked upon; but sometimes when she goes to market therug will hump up its back skin, and stand on its four feet, and trotalong after her."

"I should think Dyna would like that," said Dorothy.

"Well, she doesn't; because every one knows it isn't a real bear, butjust a hollow skin, and so of no actual use in the world except for arug," answered the Tin Woodman. "Therefore I believe it is a goodthing that all the Magic Powder of Life is now used up, as it can notcause any more trouble."

"Perhaps you're right," said the shaggy man, thoughtfully.

At noon they stopped at a farmhouse, where it delighted the farmer andhis wife to be able to give them a good luncheon. The farm peopleknew Dorothy, having seen her when she was in the country before, andthey treated the little girl with as much respect as they did theEmperor, because she was a friend of the powerful Princess Ozma.

They had not proceeded far after leaving this farm-house before comingto a high bridge over a broad river. This river, the Tin Woodmaninformed them, was the boundary between the Country of the Winkies andthe territory of the Emerald City. The city itself was still a longway off, but all around it was a green meadow as pretty as a well-keptlawn, and in this were neither houses nor farms to spoil the beauty ofthe scene.

From the top of the high bridge they could see far away themagnificent spires and splendid domes of the superb city, sparklinglike brilliant jewels as they towered above the emerald walls. Theshaggy man drew a deep breath of awe and amazement, for never had hedreamed that such a grand and beautiful place could exist--even in thefairyland of Oz.

Polly was so pleased that her violet eyes sparkled like amethysts, andshe danced away from her companions across the bridge and into a groupof feathery trees lining both the roadsides. These trees she stoppedto look at with pleasure and surprise, for their leaves were shapedlike ostrich plumes, their feather edges beautifully curled; and allthe plumes were tinted in the same dainty rainbow hues that appearedin Polychrome's own pretty gauze gown.

"Father ought to see these trees," she murmured; "they are almost aslovely as his own rainbows."

Then she gave a start of terror, for beneath the trees came stalkingtwo great beasts, either one big enough to crush the little Daughterof the Rainbow with one blow of his paws, or to eat her up with onesnap of his enormous jaws. One was a tawny lion, as tall as a horse,nearly; the other a striped tiger almost the same size.

Polly was too frightened to scream or to stir; she stood still with awildly beating heart until Dorothy rushed past her and with a glad crythrew her arms around the huge lion's neck, hugging and kissing thebeast with evident joy.

"Oh, I'm SO glad to see you again!" cried the little Kansas girl."And the Hungry Tiger, too! How fine you're both looking. Are youwell and happy?"

"We certainly are, Dorothy," answered the Lion, in a deep voice thatsounded pleasant and kind; "and we are greatly pleased that you havecome to Ozma's party. It's going to be a grand affair, I promise you."

"There will be lots of fat babies at the celebration, I hear,"remarked the Hungry Tiger, yawning so that his mouth opened dreadfullywide and showed all his big, sharp teeth; "but of course I can't eatany of 'em."

"Is your Conscience still in good order?" asked Dorothy, anxiously.

"Yes; it rules me like a tyrant," answered the Tiger, sorrowfully. "Ican imagine nothing more unpleasant than to own a Conscience," and hewinked slyly at his friend the Lion.

"You're fooling me!" said Dorothy, with a laugh. "I don't b'lieveyou'd eat a baby if you lost your Conscience. Come here, Polly," shecalled, "and be introduced to my friends."

Polly advanced rather shyly.

"You have some queer friends, Dorothy," she said.

"The queerness doesn't matter so long as they're friends," was theanswer. "This is the Cowardly Lion, who isn't a coward at all, butjust thinks he is. The Wizard gave him some courage once, and he haspart of it left."

The Lion bowed with great dignity to Polly.

"You are very lovely, my dear," said he. "I hope we shall be friendswhen we are better acquainted."

"And this is the Hungry Tiger," continued Dorothy. "He says he longsto eat fat babies; but the truth is he is never hungry at all, 'causehe gets plenty to eat; and I don't s'pose he'd hurt anybody even if heWAS hungry."

"Hush, Dorothy," whispered the Tiger; "you'll ruin my reputation ifyou are not more discreet. It isn't what we are, but what folks thinkwe are, that counts in this world. And come to think of it MissPolly would make a fine variegated breakfast, I'm sure."