Ozma and Dorothy were quite pleased with Woot theWanderer, whom they found modest and intelligent andvery well mannered. The boy was truly grateful for hisrelease from the cruel enchantment, and he promised tolove, revere and defend the girl Ruler of Oz foreverafterward, as a faithful subject.

"You may visit me at my palace, if you wish," saidOzma, "where I will be glad to introduce you to twoother nice boys, Ojo the Munchkin and Button-Bright."

"Thank your Majesty," replied Woot, and then heturned to the Tin Woodman and inquired: "What are yourfurther plans, Mr. Emperor? Will you still seek NimmieAmee and marry her, or will you abandon the quest andreturn to the Emerald City and your own castle?"

The Tin Woodman, now as highly polished and well-oiled as ever, reflected a while on this question andthen answered:

"Well, I see no reason why I should not find NimmieAmee. We are now in the Munchkin Country, where we areperfectly safe, and if it was right for me, before ourenchantment, to marry Nimmie Amee and make her Empressof the Winkies, it must be right now, when theenchantment has been broken and I am once more myself.Am I correct, friend Scarecrow?"

"You are, indeed," answered the Scarecrow. "No onecan oppose such logic."

"But I'm afraid you don't love Nimmie Amee,"suggested Dorothy.

"That is just because I can't love anyone," repliedthe Tin Woodman. "But, if I cannot love my wife, I canat least be kind to her, and all husbands are not ableto do that."

"Do you s'pose Nimmie Amee still loves you, after allthese years?" asked Dorothy

"I'm quite sure of it, and that is why I am going toher to make her happy. Woot the Wanderer thinks I oughtto reward her for being faithful to me after my meatbody was chopped to pieces and I became tin. What doyou think, Ozma?"

Ozma smiled as she said:

"I do not know your Nimmie Amee, and so I cannot tellwhat she most needs to make her happy. But there is noharm in your going to her and asking her if she stillwishes to marry you. If she does, we will give you agrand wedding at the Emerald City and, afterward, asEmpress of the Winkies, Nimmie Amee would become oneof the most important ladies in all Oz."

So it was decided that the Tin Woodman would continuehis journey, and that the Scarecrow and Woot theWanderer should accompany him, as before. Polychromealso decided to join their party, somewhat to thesurprise of all.

"I hate to be cooped up in a palace," she said toOzma, "and of course the first time I meet my Rainbow Ishall return to my own dear home in the skies, where myfairy sisters are even now awaiting me and my father iscross because I get lost so often. But I can find myRainbow just as quickly while traveling in the MunchkinCountry as I could if living in the Emerald City -- orany other place in Oz -- so I shall go with the TinWoodman and help him woo Nimmie Amee."

Dorothy wanted to go, too, but as the Tin Woodman didnot invite her to join his party, she felt she might beintruding if she asked to be taken. she hinted, but shefound he didn't take the hint. It is quite a delicatematter for one to ask a girl to marry him, however muchshe loves him, and perhaps the Tin Woodman did notdesire to have too many looking on when he found hisold sweetheart, Nimmie Amee. So Dorothy contentedherself with the thought that she would help Ozmaprepare a splendid wedding feast, to be followed by around of parties and festivities when the Emperor ofthe Winkies reached the Emerald City with his bride.

Ozma offered to take them all in the Red Wagon to aplace as near to the great Munchkin forest as a wagoncould get. The Red Wagon was big enough to seat themall, and so, bidding good-bye to Jinjur, who gave Woota basket of ripe cream-puffs and caramels to take withhim, Ozma commanded the Wooden Sawhorse to start, andthe strange creature moved swiftly over the lanes andpresently came to the Road of Yellow Bricks. This roadled straight to a dense forest, where the path was toonarrow for the Red Wagon to proceed farther, so herethe party separated.

Ozma and Dorothy and Toto returned to the EmeraldCity, after wishing their friends a safe and successfuljourney, while the Tin Woodman, the Scarecrow, Woot theWanderer and Polychrome, the Rainbow's Daughter,prepared to push their way through the thick forest.However, these forest paths were well known to the TinMan and the Scarecrow, who felt quite at home among thetrees.

"I was born in this grand forest," said Nick Chopper,the tin Emperor, speaking proudly, "and it was herethat the Witch enchanted my axe and I lost differentparts of my meat body until I became all tin. Here,also -- for it is a big forest -- Nimmie Amee livedwith the Wicked Witch, and at the other edge of thetrees stands the cottage of my friend Ku-Klip, thefamous tinsmith who made my present beautiful form."

"He must be a clever workman," declared Woot,admiringly.

"He is simply wonderful," declared the Tin Woodman.

"I shall be glad to make his acquaintance," saidWoot.

"If you wish to meet with real cleverness," remarkedthe Scarecrow, "you should visit the Munchkin farmerwho first made me. I won't say that my friend theEmperor isn't all right for a tin man, but any judge ofbeauty can understand that a Scarecrow is far moreartistic and refined."

"You are too soft and flimsy," said the Tin Woodman.

"You are too hard and stiff," said the Scarecrow, andthis was as near to quarreling as the two friends evercame. Polychrome laughed at them both, as well shemight, and Woot hastened to change the subject.

At night they all camped underneath the trees. Theboy ate cream-puffs for supper and offered Polychromesome, but she preferred other food and at daybreaksipped the dew that was clustered thick on the forestflowers. Then they tramped onward again, and presentlythe Scarecrow paused and said:

"It was on this very spot that Dorothy and I firstmet the Tin Woodman, who was rusted so badly that noneof his joints would move. But after we had oiled himup, he was as good as new and accompanied us to theEmerald City."

"Ah, that was a sad experience," asserted the TinWoodman soberly. "I was caught in a rainstorm whilechopping down a tree for exercise, and before Irealized it, I was firmly rusted in every joint. ThereI stood, axe in hand, but unable to move, for days andweeks and months! Indeed, I have never known exactlyhow long the time was; but finally along came Dorothyand I was saved. See! This is the very tree I waschopping at the time I rusted."

"You cannot be far from your old home, in that case,"said Woot.

"No; my little cabin stands not a great way off, butthere is no occasion for us to visit it. Our errand iswith Nimmie Amee, and her house is somewhat fartheraway, to the left of us."

"Didn't you say she lives with a Wicked Witch, whomakes her a slave?" asked the boy.

"She did, but she doesn't," was the reply. "I am toldthe Witch was destroyed when Dorothy's house fell onher, so now Nimmie Amee must live all alone. I haven'tseen her, of course, since the Witch was crushed, forat that time I was standing rusted in the forest andhad been there a long time, but the poor girl must havefelt very happy to be free from her cruel mistress."

"Well," said the Scarecrow, "let's travel on and findNimmie Amee. Lead on, your Majesty, since you know theway, and we will follow."

So the Tin Woodman took a path that led through thethickest part of the forest, and they followed it forsome time. The light was dim here, because vines andbushes and leafy foliage were all about them, and oftenthe Tin Man had to push aside the branches thatobstructed their way, or cut them off with his axe.After they had proceeded some distance, the Emperorsuddenly stopped short and exclaimed: "Good gracious!"

The Scarecrow, who was next, first bumped into hisfriend and then peered around his tin body, and said ina tone of wonder:

"Well, I declare!"

Woot the Wanderer pushed forward to see what was thematter, and cried out in astonishment: "For goodness'sake!"

Then the three stood motionless, staring hard, untilPolychrome's merry laughter rang out behind them andaroused them from their stupor.

In the path before them stood a tin man who was theexact duplicate of the Tin Woodman. He was of the samesize, he was jointed in the same manner, and he wasmade of shining tin from top to toe. But he stoodimmovable, with his tin jaws half parted and his tineyes turned upward. In one of his hands was held along, gleaming sword. Yes, there was the difference,the only thing that distinguished him from the Emperorof the Winkies. This tin man bore a sword, while theTin Woodman bore an axe.

"It's a dream; it must be a dream!" gasped Woot.

"That's it, of course," said the Scarecrow; "therecouldn't be two Tin Woodmen."

"No," agreed Polychrome, dancing nearer to thestranger, "this one is a Tin Soldier. Don't you see hissword?"

The Tin Woodman cautiously put out one tin hand andfelt of his double's arm. Then he said in a voice thattrembled with emotion:

"Who are you, friend?"

There was no reply

"Can't you see he's rusted, just as you were once?"asked Polychrome, laughing again. "Here, Nick Chopper,lend me your oil-can a minute!"

The Tin Woodman silently handed her his oil-can,without which he never traveled, and Polychromefirst oiled the stranger's tin jaws and then workedthem gently to and fro until the Tin Soldier said:

"That's enough. Thank you. I can now talk. But pleaseoil my other joints."

Woot seized the oil-can and did this, but all theothers helped wiggle the soldier's joints as soon asthey were oiled, until they moved freely.

The Tin Soldier seemed highly pleased at his release.He strutted up and down the path, saying in a high,thin voice:

"The Soldier is a splendid manWhen marching on parade,And when he meets the enemyHe never is afraid.

He rights the wrongs of nations,His country's flag defends,The foe he'll fight with great delight,But seldom fights his friends."