The Tin Woodman sat on his glittering tin throne in thehandsome tin hall of his splendid tin castle in theWinkie Country of the Land of Oz. Beside him, in achair of woven straw, sat his best friend, theScarecrow of Oz. At times they spoke to one another ofcurious things they had seen and strange adventuresthey had known since first they two had met and becomecomrades. But at times they were silent, for thesethings had been talked over many times between them,and they found themselves contented in merely beingtogether, speaking now and then a brief sentence toprove they were wide awake and attentive. But then,these two quaint persons never slept. Why should theysleep, when they never tired?

And now, as the brilliant sun sank low over the WinkieCountry of Oz, tinting the glistening tin towers andtin minarets of the tin castle with glorious sunsethues, there approached along a winding pathway Woot theWanderer, who met at the castle entrance a Winkieservant.

The servants of the Tin Woodman all wore tin helmetsand tin breastplates and uniforms covered with tiny tindiscs sewed closely together on silver cloth, so thattheir bodies sparkled as beautifully as did the tincastle -- and almost as beautifully as did the TinWoodman himself.

Woot the Wanderer looked at the man servant --allbright and glittering -- and at the magnificent castle-- all bright and glittering -- and as he looked hiseyes grew big with wonder. For Woot was not very bigand not very old and, wanderer though he was, thisproved the most gorgeous sight that had ever met hisboyish gaze.

"Who lives here?" he asked.

"The Emperor of the Winkies, who is the famous TinWoodman of Oz," replied the servant, who had beentrained to treat all strangers with courtesy.

"A Tin Woodman? How queer!" exclaimed the littlewanderer.

"Well, perhaps our Emperor is queer," admitted theservant; "but he is a kind master and as honest andtrue as good tin can make him; so we, who gladly servehim, are apt to forget that he is not like otherpeople."

"May I see him?" asked Woot the Wanderer, after amoment's thought.

"If it please you to wait a moment, I will go and askhim," said the servant, and then he went into the hallwhere the Tin Woodman sat with his friend theScarecrow. Both were glad to learn that a stranger hadarrived at the castle, for this would give themsomething new to talk about, so the servant was askedto admit the boy at once.

By the time Woot the Wanderer had passed through thegrand corridors -- all lined with ornamental tin -- andunder stately tin archways and through the many tinrooms all set with beautiful tin furniture, his eyeshad grown bigger than ever and his whole little bodythrilled with amazement. But, astonished though he was,he was able to make a polite bow before the throne andto say in a respectful voice: "I salute yourIllustrious Majesty and offer you my humble services."

"Very good!" answered the Tin Woodman in hisaccustomed cheerful manner. "Tell me who you are, andwhence you come."

"I am known as Woot the Wanderer," answered the boy,"and I have come, through many travels and byroundabout ways, from my former home in a far corner ofthe Gillikin Country of Oz."

"To wander from one's home," remarked the Scarecrow,"is to encounter dangers and hardships, especially ifone is made of meat and bone. Had you no friends inthat corner of the Gillikin Country? Was it nothomelike and comfortable?"

To hear a man stuffed with straw speak, and speak sowell, quite startled Woot, and perhaps he stared a bitrudely at the Scarecrow. But after a moment he replied:

"I had home and friends, your Honorable Strawness,but they were so quiet and happy and comfortable that Ifound them dismally stupid. Nothing in that corner ofOz interested me, but I believed that in other parts ofthe country I would find strange people and see newsights, and so I set out upon my wandering journey. Ihave been a wanderer for nearly a full year, and now mywanderings have brought me to this splendid castle."

"I suppose," said the Tin Woodman, "that in this yearyou have seen so much that you have become very wise."

"No," replied Woot, thoughtfully, "I am not at allwise, I beg to assure your Majesty. The more I wanderthe less I find that I know, for in the Land of Oz muchwisdom and many things may be learned."

"To learn is simple. Don't you ask questions?"inquired the Scarecrow.

"Yes; I ask as many questions as I dare; but somepeople refuse to answer questions."

"That is not kind of them," declared the Tin Woodman."If one does not ask for information he seldom receivesit; so I, for my part, make it a rule to answer anycivil question that is asked me."

"So do I," added the Scarecrow, nodding.

"I am glad to hear this," said the Wanderer, "for itmakes me bold to ask for something to eat."

"Bless the boy!" cried the Emperor of the Winkies;"how careless of me not to remember that wanderers areusually hungry. I will have food brought you at once."

Saying this he blew upon a tin whistle that wassuspended from his tin neck, and at the summons aservant appeared and bowed low. The Tin Woodmanordered food for the stranger, and in a few minutes theservant brought in a tin tray heaped with a choicearray of good things to eat, all neatly displayed ontin dishes that were polished till they shone likemirrors. The tray was set upon a tin table drawnbefore the throne, and the servant placed a tin chairbefore the table for the boy to seat himself.

"Eat, friend Wanderer," said the Emperor cordially,"and I trust the feast will be to your liking. I,myself, do not eat, being made in such manner that Irequire no food to keep me alive. Neither does myfriend the Scarecrow. But all my Winkie people eat,being formed of flesh, as you are, and so my tincupboard is never bare, and strangers are alwayswelcome to whatever it contains."

The boy ate in silence for a time, being reallyhungry, but after his appetite was somewhat satisfied,he said:

"How happened your Majesty to be made of tin, andstill be alive?"

"That," replied the tin man, "is a long story."

"The longer the better," said the boy. "Won't youplease tell me the story?"

"If you desire it," promised the Tin Woodman, leaningback in his tin throne and crossing his tin legs. "Ihaven't related my history in a long while, becauseeveryone here knows it nearly as well as I do. But you,being a stranger, are no doubt curious to learn how Ibecame so beautiful and prosperous, so I will recitefor your benefit my strange adventures."

"Thank you," said Woot the Wanderer, still eating.

"I was not always made of tin," began the Emperor,"for in the beginning I was a man of flesh and bone andblood and lived in the Munchkin Country of Oz. There Iwas, by trade, a woodchopper, and contributed my shareto the comfort of the Oz people by chopping up thetrees of the forest to make firewood, with which thewomen would cook their meals while the children warmedthemselves about the fires. For my home I had a littlehut by the edge of the forest, and my life was one ofmuch content until I fell in love with a beautifulMunchkin girl who lived not far away."

"What was the Munchkin girl's name?" asked Woot.

"Nimmie Amee. This girl, so fair that the sunsetsblushed when their rays fell upon her, lived with apowerful witch who wore silver shoes and who had madethe poor child her slave. Nimmie Amee was obliged towork from morning till night for the old Witch of theEast, scrubbing and sweeping her hut and cooking hermeals and washing her dishes. She had to cut firewood,too, until I found her one day in the forest and fellin love with her. After that, I always brought plentyof firewood to Nimmie Amee and we became very friendly.Finally I asked her to marry me, and she agreed to doso, but the Witch happened to overhear our conversationand it made her very angry, for she did not wish herslave to be taken away from her. The Witch commanded menever to come near Nimmie Amee again, but I told her Iwas my own master and would do as I pleased, notrealizing that this was a careless way to speak to aWitch.

"The next day, as I was cutting wood in the forest,the cruel Witch enchanted my axe, so that it slippedand cut off my right leg."

"How dreadful!" cried Woot the Wanderer.

"Yes, it was a seeming misfortune," agreed the TinMan, "for a one-legged woodchopper is of little use inhis trade. But I would not allow the Witch to conquerme so easily. I knew a very skillful mechanic at theother side of the forest, who was my friend, so Ihopped on one leg to him and asked him to help me. Hesoon made me a new leg out of tin and fastened itcleverly to my meat body. It had joints at the knee andat the ankle and was almost as comfortable as the leg Ihad lost."

"Your friend must have been a wonderful workman!"exclaimed Woot.

"He was, indeed," admitted the Emperor. "He was atinsmith by trade and could make anything out of tin.When I returned to Nimmie Amee, the girl was delightedand threw her arms around my neck and kissed me,declaring she was proud of me. The Witch saw the kissand was more angry than before. When I went to work inthe forest, next day, my axe, being still enchanted,slipped and cut off my other leg. Again I hopped -- onmy tin leg -- to my friend the tinsmith, who kindlymade me another tin leg and fastened it to my body. SoI returned joyfully to Nimmie Amee, who was muchpleased with my glittering legs and promised that whenwe were wed she would always keep them oiled andpolished. But the Witch was more furious than ever, andas soon as I raised my axe to chop, it twisted aroundand cut off one of my arms. The tinsmith made me a tinarm and I was not much worried, because Nimmie Ameedeclared she still loved me."