The cil with the Muns
SHE WAS AWAKENED by a shock, so sudden and severe that if Dorothy had not been lying on the soft bed she might have been hurt. As it was, the jar made her catch her breath and wonder what had happened; and Toto put his cold little o her fad whined dismally. Dorothy sat up and noticed that the house was not moving; nor was it dark, for the bright sunshine came in at the window, flooding the little room. She sprang from her bed and with Toto at her heels ran and opehe door.
The little girl gave a azement and looked about her, her eyes growing bigger and bigger at the wonderful sights she saw.
The cye had set the house down very gently?afor a cy- e?ain the midst of a try of marvelous beauty. There were lovely patches of greensward all about, with stately trees bearing rid luscious fruits. Banks of geous flowers were on every hand, and birds with rare and brilliant plumage sang and fluttered irees and bushes. A little way off was a small brook, rushing and sparkling aloween green banks, and murmuring in a voice very grateful to a little girl who had lived so long on the dry, gray prairies.
While she stood looking eagerly at the strange ai- ful sights, she noticed ing toward her a group of the queerest people she had ever seen. They were not as big as the grown folk she had always beeo; but her were they very small. In fact, they seemed about as tall as Dorothy, who was a well-grown child for her age, although they were, so far as looks go, many years older.
Three were men and one a woman, and all were oddly dressed. They wore round hats that rose to a small point a foot above their heads, with little bells around the brims that tin- kled sweetly as they moved. The hats of the men were blue; the little womans hat was white, and she wore a white gown that hung is from her shoulders. Over it were sprinkled little stars that glistened in the sun like diamonds. The men were dressed in blue, of the same shade as their hats, and wore well-polished boots with a deep roll of blue at the tops. The men, Dorothy thought, were about as old as Uncle Henry, for two of them had beards. But the lit- tle woman was doubtless much older. Her face was covered with wrinkles, her hair was nearly white, and she walked rather stiffly.
When these people drew he house where Dorothy was standing in the doorway, they paused and whispered among themselves, as if afraid to e farther. But the little old woman walked up to Dorothy, made a low bow and said, in a sweet voice:
"You are wele, most noble Sorceress, to the land of the Muns. We are so grateful to you for having killed the Wicked Witch of the East, and for setting our people free from bondage.」
Dorothy listeo this speech with wonder. What could the little ossibly mean by calling her a sorceress, and saying she had killed the Wicked Witch of the East? Dorothy was an i, harmless little girl, who had been carried by a any miles from home; and she had never killed anything in all her life.
But the little woman evidently expected her to answer; so Dorothy said, with hesitation, "You are very kind, but there must be some mistake. I have not killed anything.」
"Your house did, anyway," replied the little old woman, with a laugh, "and that is the same thing. See!" she tinued, pointing to the er of the house. "There are her two feet, still stig out from under a block of wood.」
Dorothy looked, and gave a little cry ht. There, in-