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"That was one of my tricks," answered Oz. "Step this way,

please, and I will tell you all about it."

He led the way to a small chamber in the rear of the Throne

Room, and they all followed him. He pointed to one corner, in

which lay the great Head, made out of many thicknesses of paper,

and with a carefully painted face.

"This I hung from the ceiling by a wire," said Oz. "I stood

behind the screen and pulled a thread, to make the eyes move and

the mouth open."

"But how about the voice?" she inquired.

"Oh, I am a ventriloquist," said the little man. "I can throw

the sound of my voice wherever I wish, so that you thought it was

coming out of the Head. Here are the other things I used to

deceive you." He showed the Scarecrow the dress and the mask he

had worn when he seemed to be the lovely Lady. And the Tin

Woodman saw that his terrible Beast was nothing but a lot of

skins, sewn together, with slats to keep their sides out. As for

the Ball of Fire, the false Wizard had hung that also from the

ceiling. It was really a ball of cotton, but when oil was poured

upon it the ball burned fiercely.

"Really," said the Scarecrow, "you ought to be ashamed of

yourself for being such a humbug."

"I am--I certainly am," answered the little man sorrowfully;

"but it was the only thing I could do. Sit down, please, there

are plenty of chairs; and I will tell you my story."

So they sat down and listened while he told the following tale.

"I was born in Omaha--"

"Why, that isn't very far from Kansas!" cried Dorothy.

"No, but it's farther from here," he said, shaking his head at

her sadly. "When I grew up I became a ventriloquist, and at that

I was very well trained by a great master. I can imitate any kind

of a bird or beast." Here he mewed so like a kitten that Toto

pricked up his ears and looked everywhere to see where she was.

"After a time," continued Oz, "I tired of that, and became a

balloonist."

"What is that?" asked Dorothy.

"A man who goes up in a balloon on circus day, so as to draw a

crowd of people together and get them to pay to see the circus,"

he explained.

"Oh," she said, "I know."

"Well, one day I went up in a balloon and the ropes got

twisted, so that I couldn't come down again. It went way up above

the clouds, so far that a current of air struck it and carried it

many, many miles away. For a day and a night I traveled through

the air, and on the morning of the second day I awoke and found

the balloon floating over a strange and beautiful country.

"It came down gradually, and I was not hurt a bit. But I

found myself in the midst of a strange people, who, seeing me come

from the clouds, thought I was a great Wizard. Of course I let

them think so, because they were afraid of me, and promised to do

anything I wished them to.

"Just to amuse myself, and keep the good people busy, I

ordered them to build this City, and my Palace; and they did it

all willingly and well. Then I thought, as the country was so

green and beautiful, I would call it the Emerald City; and to make

the name fit better I put green spectacles on all the people, so

that everything they saw was green."

"But isn't everything here green?" asked Dorothy.

"No more than in any other city," replied Oz; "but when you

wear green spectacles, why of course everything you see looks

green to you. The Emerald City was built a great many years ago,

for I was a young man when the balloon brought me here, and I am a

very old man now. But my people have worn green glasses on their

eyes so long that most of them think it really is an Emerald City,

and it certainly is a beautiful place, abounding in jewels and

precious metals, and every good thing that is needed to make

one happy. I have been good to the people, and they like me;

but ever since this Palace was built, I have shut myself up

and would not see any of them.

"One of my greatest fears was the Witches, for while I had no

magical powers at all I soon found out that the Witches were

really able to do wonderful things. There were four of them in

this country, and they ruled the people who live in the North and

South and East and West. Fortunately, the Witches of the North

and South were good, and I knew they would do me no harm; but the

Witches of the East and West were terribly wicked, and had they

not thought I was more powerful than they themselves, they would

surely have destroyed me. As it was, I lived in deadly fear of

them for many years; so you can imagine how pleased I was when

I heard your house had fallen on the Wicked Witch of the East.

When you came to me, I was willing to promise anything if you

would only do away with the other Witch; but, now that you have

melted her, I am ashamed to say that I cannot keep my promises."

"I think you are a very bad man," said Dorothy.

"Oh, no, my dear; I'm really a very good man, but I'm a very

bad Wizard, I must admit."

"Can't you give me brains?"