"Our best plan," said the Scarecrow Bear, when theGreen Monkey had related the story of his adventurewith the Dragons, "is to get out of this GillikinCountry as soon as we can and try to find our way tothe castle of Glinda, the Good Sorceress. There are toomany dangers lurking here to suit me, and Glinda may beable to restore us to our proper forms."

"If we turn south now," the Tin Owl replied, "wemight go straight into the Emerald City. That's a placeI wish to avoid, for I'd hate to have my friends see mein this sad plight," and he blinked his eyes andfluttered his tin wings mournfully.

"But I am certain we have passed beyond EmeraldCity," the Canary assured him, sailing lightly aroundtheir heads. "So, should we turn south from here, wewould pass into the Munchkin Country, and continuingsouth we would reach the Quadling Country whereGlinda's castle is located."

"Well, since you're sure of that, let's start rightaway," proposed the Bear. "It's a long journey, at thebest, and I'm getting tired of walking on four legs."

"I thought you never tired, being stuffed withstraw," said Woot.

"I mean that it annoys me, to be obliged to go on allfours, when two legs are my proper walking equipment,"replied the Scarecrow. "I consider it beneath mydignity. In other words, my remarkable brains can tire,through humiliation, although my body cannot tire."

"That is one of the penalties of having brains,"remarked the Tin Owl with a sigh. "I have had no brainssince I was a man of meat, and so I never worry.Nevertheless, I prefer my former manly form to thisowl's shape and would be glad to break Mrs. Yoop'senchantment as soon as possible. I am so noisy, justnow, that I disturb myself," and he fluttered his wingswith a clatter that echoed throughout the forest.

So, being all of one mind, they turned southward,traveling steadily on until the woods were left behindand the landscape turned from purple tints to bluetints, which assured them they had entered the Countryof the Munchkins.

"Now I feel myself more safe," said the ScarecrowBear. "I know this country pretty well, having beenmade here by a Munchkin farmer and having wandered overthese lovely blue lands many times. Seems to me,indeed, that I even remember that group of three talltrees ahead of us; and, if I do, we are not far fromthe home of my friend Jinjur."

"Who is Jinjur?" asked Woot, the Green Monkey.

"Haven't you heard of Jinjur?" exclaimed theScarecrow, in surprise.

"No," said Woot. "Is Jinjur a man, a woman, a beastor a bird?"

"Jinjur is a girl," explained the Scarecrow Bear."She's a fine girl, too, although a bit restless andliable to get excited. Once, a long time ago, sheraised an army of girls and called herself 'GeneralJinjur.' With her army she captured the Emerald City,and drove me out of it, because I insisted that an armyin Oz was highly improper. But Ozma punished the rashgirl, and afterward Jinjur and I became fast friends.Now Jinjur lives peacefully on a farm, near here, andraises fields of cream-puffs, chocolate-caramels andmacaroons. They say she's a pretty good farmer, and inaddition to that she's an artist, and paints picturesso perfect that one can scarcely tell them from nature.She often repaints my face for me, when it gets worn ormussy, and the lovely expression I wore when theGiantess transformed me was painted by Jinjur only amonth or so ago."

"It was certainly a pleasant expression," agreedWoot.

"Jinjur can paint anything," continued the ScarecrowBear, with enthusiasm, as they walked along together."Once, when I came to her house, my straw was old andcrumpled, so that my body sagged dreadfully. I needednew straw to replace the old, but Jinjur had no strawon all her ranch and I was really unable to travelfarther until I had been restuffed. When I explainedthis to Jinjur, the girl at once painted a straw-stackwhich was so natural that I went to it and securedenough straw to fill all my body. It was a good qualityof straw, too, and lasted me a long time."

This seemed very wonderful to Woot, who knew thatsuch a thing could never happen in any place but afairy country like Oz.

The Munchkin Country was much nicer than the GillikinCountry, and all the fields were separated by bluefences, with grassy lanes and paths of blue ground, andthe land seemed well cultivated. They were on a littlehill looking down upon this favored country, but hadnot quite reached the settled parts, when on turning abend in the path they were halted by a form that barredtheir way

A more curious creature they had seldom seen, even inthe Land of Oz, where curious creatures abound. It hadthe head of a young man -- evidently a Munchkin -- witha pleasant face and hair neatly combed. But the bodywas very long, for it had twenty legs -- ten legs oneach side -- and this caused the body to stretch outand lie in a horizontal position, so that all the legscould touch the ground and stand firm. From theshoulders extended two small arms; at least, theyseemed small beside so many legs.

This odd creature was dressed in the regulationclothing of the Munchkin people, a dark blue coat neatlyfitting the long body and each pair of legs having apair of sky-blue trousers, with blue-tinted stockingsand blue leather shoes turned up at the pointed toes.

"I wonder who you are?" said Polychrome the Canary,fluttering above the strange creature, who had probablybeen asleep on the path.

"I sometimes wonder, myself, who I am," replied themany-legged young man; "but, in reality, I am TommyKwikstep, and I live in a hollow tree that fell to theground with age. I have polished the inside of it, andmade a door at each end, and that's a very comfortableresidence for me because it just fits my shape."

"How did you happen to have such a shape?" asked theScarecrow Bear, sitting on his haunches and regardingTommy Kwikstep with a serious look. "Is the shapenatural?"

"No; it was wished on me," replied Tommy, with asigh. "I used to be very active and loved to runerrands for anyone who needed my services. That was howI got my name of Tommy Kwikstep. I could run an errandmore quickly than any other boy, and so I was veryproud of myself. One day, however, I met an old ladywho was a fairy, or a witch, or something of the sort,and she said if I would run an errand for her -- tocarry some magic medicine to another old woman -- shewould grant me just one Wish, whatever the Wishhappened to be. Of course I consented and, taking themedicine, I hurried away. It was a long distance,mostly up hill, and my legs began to grow weary.Without thinking what I was doing I said aloud: 'Dearme; I wish I had twenty legs!' and in an instant Ibecame the unusual creature you see beside you. Twentylegs! Twenty on one man! You may count them, if youdoubt my word."

"You've got 'em, all right," said Woot the Monkey,who had already counted them.

"After I had delivered the magic medicine to the oldwoman, I returned and tried to find the witch, orfairy, or whatever she was, who had given me theunlucky wish, so she could take it away again. I'vebeen searching for her ever since, but never can I findher," continued poor Tommy Kwikstep, sadly "I suppose,said the Tin Owl, blinking at him, "you can travelvery fast, with those twenty legs."

"At first I was able to," was the reply; "but Itraveled so much, searching for the fairy, or witch, orwhatever she was, that I soon got corns on my toes.Now, a corn on one toe is not so bad, but when you havea hundred toes -- as I have -- and get corns on most ofthem, it is far from pleasant. Instead of running, Inow painfully crawl, and although I try not to bediscouraged I do hope I shall find that witch or fairy,or whatever she was, before long."

"I hope so, too," said the Scarecrow. "But, afterall, you have the pleasure of knowing you are unusual,and therefore remarkable among the people of Oz. To bejust like other persons is small credit to one, whileto be unlike others is a mark of distinction."

"That sounds very pretty," returned Tommy Kwikstep,"but if you had to put on ten pair of trousers everymorning, and tie up twenty shoes, you would prefer notto be so distinguished."

"Was the witch, or fairy, or whatever she was, an oldperson, with wrinkled skin and half her teeth gone?"inquired the Tin Owl.

"No," said Tommy Kwikstep.

"Then she wasn't Old Mombi," remarked the transformedEmperor.

"I'm not interested in who it wasn't, so much as I amin who it was," said the twenty-legged young man. "And,whatever or whomsoever she was, she has managed to keepout of my way."

"If you found her, do you suppose she'd change youback into a two-legged boy?" asked Woot.

"Perhaps so, if I could run another errand for herand so earn another wish."

"Would you really like to be as you were before?"asked Polychrome the Canary, perching upon the GreenMonkey's shoulder to observe Tommy Kwikstep moreattentively.

"I would, indeed," was the earnest reply.

"Then I will see what I can do for you," promised theRainbow's Daughter, and flying to the ground she took asmall twig in her bill and with it made several mysticfigures on each side of Tommy Kwikstep.

"Are you a witch, or fairy, or something of thesort?" he asked as he watched her wonderingly.

The Canary made no answer, for she was busy, but theScarecrow Bear replied: "Yes; she's something of thesort, and a bird of a magician."

The twenty-legged boy's transformation happened soqueerly that they were all surprised at its method.First, Tommy Kwikstep's last two legs disappeared; thenthe next two, and the next, and as each pair of legsvanished his body shortened. All this while Polychromewas running around him and chirping mystical words, andwhen all the young man's legs had disappeared but twohe noticed that the Canary was still busy and cried outin alarm:

"Stop -- stop! Leave me two of my legs, or I shall beworse off than before."

"I know," said the Canary. "I'm only removing with mymagic the corns from your last ten toes."

"Thank you for being so thoughtful," he saidgratefully, and now they noticed that Tommy Kwikstepwas quite a nice looking young fellow.

"What will you do now~" asked Woot the Monkey.

"First," he answered, "I must deliver a note whichI've carried in my pocket ever since the witch, orfairy, or whatever she was, granted my foolish wish.And I am resolved never to speak again without takingtime to think carefully on what I am going to say, forI realize that speech without thought is dangerous. Andafter I've delivered the note, I shall run errandsagain for anyone who needs my services."

So he thanked Polychrome again and started away in adifferent direction from their own, and that was thelast they saw of Tommy Kwikstep.