The Wonderful City of Oz
EVEN WITH EYES protected by the greeacles, Dorothy and her friends were at first dazzled by the brilliancy of the wonderful City. The streets were lined with beautiful houses all built of green marble and studded everywhere with sparkling emeralds. They walked over a pavement of the same green marble, and where the blocks were joiogether were rows of emeralds, set closely, and glittering in the brightness of the sun. The window panes were of green glass; even the sky above the City had a green tint, and the rays of the sun were green.
There were many people, men, women, and children, walk- ing about, and these were all dressed in green clothes and had greenish skins. They looked at Dorothy arangely as- sorted pany with w eyes, and the children all ran away and hid behind their mothers when they saw the Lion; but no one spoke to them. Many shops stood ireet, and Dorothy saw that everything in them was green. Green dy and green pop were offered for sale, as well as green shoes, green hats, and green clothes of all sorts. At one place a man was selling green lemonade, and when the children bought it Dorothy could see that they paid for it with green pennies.
There seemed to be no horses nor animals of any kind; the men carried things around in little green carts, which they pushed before them. Everyone seemed happy and tented and prosperous.
The Guardian of the Gates led them through the streets un- til they came to a big buildily in the middle of the City, which was the Palace of Oz, the Great Wizard. There was a soldier before the door, dressed in a green uniform and wearing a long green beard.
"Here are strangers," said the Guardian of the Gates to him, "and they demand to see the Great Oz.」
"Step inside," answered the soldier, "and I will carry your message to him.」
So they passed through the Palace Gates and were led into a big room with a green carpet and lovely green furniture set with emeralds. The soldier made them all wipe their feet upon a green mat before entering this room, and when they were seated he said politely:
"Please make yourselves fortable while I go to the door of the Throne Room and tell Oz you are here.」
They had to wait a long time before the soldier returned.
When, at last, he came back, Dorothy asked:
"Have you seen Oz?」
"Oh, no," returhe soldier; "I have never seen him. But I spoke to him as he sat behind his s and gave him your message. He said he will grant you an audience, if you so de- sire; but eae of you must enter his presence alone, and he will admit but one each day. Therefore, as you must re- main in the Palace for several days, I will have you shown to rooms where you may rest in fort after your journey.」
"Thank you," replied the girl; "that is very kind of Oz.」
The soldier now blew upon a green whistle, and at once a young girl, dressed in a pretty green silk gowered the room. She had lovely green hair and green eyes, and she bowed low before Dorothy as she said, "Follow me and I will show you your room.」
So Dorothy said good-bye to all her friends except Toto, and taking the dog in her arms followed the green girl through seven passages and up three flights of stairs until they came to a room at the front of the Palace. It was the sweetest little room in the world, with a soft fortable bed that had sheets of green silk and a gree terpahere was a tiny fountain in the middle of t