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asked Dorothy.

They found the ladder so heavy they could not pull it up, so

the Scarecrow fell off the wall and the others jumped down upon him

so that the hard floor would not hurt their feet. Of course they

took pains not to light on his head and get the pins in their feet.

When all were safely down they picked up the Scarecrow, whose body

was quite flattened out, and patted his straw into shape again.

"We must cross this strange place in order to get to the other side,"

said Dorothy, "for it would be unwise for us to go any other way except

due South."

They began walking through the country of the china people,

and the first thing they came to was a china milkmaid milking a

china cow. As they drew near, the cow suddenly gave a kick and

kicked over the stool, the pail, and even the milkmaid herself,

and all fell on the china ground with a great clatter.

Dorothy was shocked to see that the cow had broken her leg

off, and that the pail was lying in several small pieces, while

the poor milkmaid had a nick in her left elbow.

"There!" cried the milkmaid angrily. "See what you have done!

My cow has broken her leg, and I must take her to the mender's

shop and have it glued on again. What do you mean by coming here

and frightening my cow?"

"I'm very sorry," returned Dorothy. "Please forgive us."

But the pretty milkmaid was much too vexed to make any answer.

She picked up the leg sulkily and led her cow away, the poor

animal limping on three legs. As she left them the milkmaid cast

many reproachful glances over her shoulder at the clumsy strangers,

holding her nicked elbow close to her side.

Dorothy was quite grieved at this mishap.

"We must be very careful here," said the kind-hearted Woodman,

"or we may hurt these pretty little people so they will never get over it."

A little farther on Dorothy met a most beautifully dressed

young Princess, who stopped short as she saw the strangers and

started to run away.

Dorothy wanted to see more of the Princess, so she ran after her.

But the china girl cried out:

"Don't chase me! Don't chase me!"

She had such a frightened little voice that Dorothy stopped

and said, "Why not?"

"Because," answered the Princess, also stopping, a safe

distance away, "if I run I may fall down and break myself."

"But could you not be mended?" asked the girl.

"Oh, yes; but one is never so pretty after being mended, you know,"

replied the Princess.

"I suppose not," said Dorothy.

"Now there is Mr. Joker, one of our clowns," continued the

china lady, "who is always trying to stand upon his head. He has

broken himself so often that he is mended in a hundred places, and

doesn't look at all pretty. Here he comes now, so you can see for

yourself."

Indeed, a jolly little clown came walking toward them, and

Dorothy could see that in spite of his pretty clothes of red and

yellow and green he was completely covered with cracks, running

every which way and showing plainly that he had been mended in

many places.

The Clown put his hands in his pockets, and after puffing out

his cheeks and nodding his head at them saucily, he said:

"My lady fair,

Why do you stare

At poor old Mr. Joker?

You're quite as stiff

And prim as if

You'd eaten up a poker!"

"Be quiet, sir!"