It wz sm tîm bfr ɖ Cawdli Layn awecnd, fr h hd lein amñ ɖ popiz a loñ ẃl, briɖñ in ɖer dedli fregṛns; bt ẃn h dd opn hiz îz n rol of ɖ truc h wz vri glad t fînd himslf stl alîv.
“I ran az fast az I cd,” h sd, sitñ dǎn n yōnñ, “bt ɖ flǎrz wr tù stroñ fr m. Hǎ dd y gt m ǎt?”
Ɖen ɖe tld him v ɖ fīldmîs, n hǎ ɖe hd jenṛsli sevd him fṛm deʈ; n ɖ Cawdli Layn laft, n sd:
“I hv olwz ʈt mslf vri big n teribl; yt sć litl ʈñz az flǎrz cem nir t cilñ m, n sć smōl animlz az mîs hv sevd mî lîf. Hǎ strenj it ol z! Bt, comredz, ẃt śl w d nǎ?”
“W mst jrni on untl w fînd ɖ rod v yelo bric agn,” sd Doṛʈi, “n ɖen w cn cīp on t ɖ Emṛld Siti.”
So, ɖ Layn biyñ fŭli rfreśt, n fīlñ qt himslf agn, ɖe ol startd upn ɖ jrni, gretli injoyñ ɖ wōc ʈru ɖ soft, freś gras; n it wz nt loñ bfr ɖe rīćt ɖ rod v yelo bric n trnd agn twd ɖ Emṛld Siti ẃr ɖ Gret Óz dwelt.
Ɖ rod wz smuɖ n wel pevd, nǎ, n ɖ cuntri abt wz bytifl, so ɖt ɖ travlrz rjôst in līvñ ɖ forist far bhnd, n wɖ it ɖ mni denjrz ɖe hd met in its glūmi śêdz. Wns mor ɖe cd si fnsz bilt bsd ɖ rod; bt ɖz wr pentd grīn, n ẃn ɖe cem t a smōl hǎs, in ẃć a farmr evidntli livd, ɖt olso wz pentd grīn. Ɖe pást bî sevṛl v ɖz hǎzz jrñ ɖ afṭnun, n smtmz ppl cem t ɖ dorz n lct at ɖm az f ɖe wd lîc t asc qsćnz; bt nwn cem nir ɖm nr spouc t ɖm bcz v ɖ gret Layn, v ẃć ɖe wr vri mć afreid. Ɖ ppl wr ol drest in cloɖñ v a luvli emṛld-grīn culr n wòr pīct hats lîc ɖoz v ɖ Munćcinz.
“Ɖs mst b ɖ Land v Óz,” sd Doṛʈi, “n w r śrli gtñ nir ɖ Emṛld Siti.”
“Yes,” ansrd ɖ Scercro. “Evrʈñ z grīn hir, ẃl in ɖ cuntri v ɖ Munćcinz blu wz ɖ feṿrit culr. Bt ɖ ppl d nt sīm t b az frendli az ɖ Munćcinz, n I’m afreid w śl b unebl t fînd a ples t pas ɖ nît.”
“I śd lîc smʈñ t īt bsdz frūt,” sd ɖ grl, “n I’m śr Toto z nirli starvd. Let s stop at ɖ nxt hǎs n tōc t ɖ ppl.”
So, ẃn ɖe cem t a gd-sîzd farmhǎs, Doṛʈi wōct boldli p t ɖ dor n noct.
A wmn opnd it jst far inuf t lc ǎt, n sd, “Ẃt d y wont, ćîld, n ẃ z ɖt gret Layn wɖ y?”
“W wś t pas ɖ nît wɖ y, f y wl alǎ s,” ansrd Doṛʈi; “n ɖ Layn z mî frend n comred, n wd nt hrt y fr ɖ wrld.”
“Z h tem?” asct ɖ wmn, oṗnñ ɖ dor a litl wîdr.
“Ǒ, yes,” sd ɖ grl, “n h z a gret cawd, tù. H wl b mor afreid v y ɖn y r v him.”
“Wel,” sd ɖ wmn, aftr ʈncñ it ovr n tecñ anɖr pīp at ɖ Layn, “f ɖt z ɖ ces y me cm in, n I wl gv y sm supr n a ples t slīp.”
So ɖe ol entrd ɖ hǎs, ẃr ɖr wr, bsdz ɖ wmn, tū ćildṛn n a man. Ɖ man hd hrt hiz leg, n wz layñ on ɖ cǎć in a cornr. Ɖe sīmd gretli s’prîzd t si so strenj a cumṗni, n ẃl ɖ wmn wz bizi leyñ ɖ tebl ɖ man asct:
“Ẃr r y ol gwñ?”
“T ɖ Emṛld Siti,” sd Doṛʈi, “t si ɖ Gret Óz.”
“Ǒ, indd!” xclemd ɖ man. “R y śr ɖt Óz wl si y?”
“Ẃ nt?” ś rplaid.
“Ẃ, it z sd ɖt h nvr lets enwn cm intu hiz prezns. I hv bn t ɖ Emṛld Siti mni tîmz, n it z a bytifl n wundrfl ples; bt I hv nvr bn pmitd t si ɖ Gret Óz, nr d I nǒ v eni livñ prsn hu hz sìn him.”
“Dz h nvr g ǎt?” asct ɖ Scercro.
“Nvr. H sits de aftr de in ɖ gret Ʈron Rūm v hiz Palis, n īvn ɖoz hu wêt upn him d nt si him fes t fes.”
“Ẃt z h lîc?” asct ɖ grl.
“Ɖt z hard t tel,” sd ɖ man ʈōtḟli. “Y si, Óz z a Gret Wiẓd, n cn tec on eni form h wiśz. So ɖt sm se h lcs lîc a brd; n sm se h lcs lîc an elifnt; n sm se h lcs lîc a cat. T uɖrz h apirz az a bytifl fẹri, or a brǎni, or in eni uɖr form ɖt plizz him. Bt hu ɖ riyl Óz z, ẃn h z in hiz ǒn form, no livñ prsn cn tel.”
“Ɖt z vri strenj,” sd Doṛʈi, “bt w mst trî, in sm we, t si him, or w śl hv md ǎr jrni fr nʈñ.”
“Ẃ d y wś t si ɖ teribl Óz?” asct ɖ man.
“I wont him t gv m sm brenz,” sd ɖ Scercro īgrli.
“Ǒ, Óz cd d ɖt īẓli inuf,” dclerd ɖ man. “H hz mor brenz ɖn h nīdz.”
“N I wont him t gv m a hart,” sd ɖ Tin Wŭdmn.
“Ɖt wl nt trubl him,” cntinyd ɖ man, “fr Óz hz a larj c’lex́n v harts, v ol sîzz n śeps.”
“N I wont him t gv m curij,” sd ɖ Cawdli Layn.
“Óz cīps a gret pot v curij in hiz Ʈron Rūm,” sd ɖ man, “ẃć h hz cuvrd wɖ a goldn plet, t cīp it fṛm runñ ovr. H wl b glad t gv y sm.”
“N I wont him t snd m bac t Canẓs,” sd Doṛʈi.
“Ẃr z Canẓs?” asct ɖ man, wɖ s’prîz.
“I d’nt nǒ,” rplaid Doṛʈi sorofli, “bt it z mî hom, n I’m śr it’s smẃr.”
“Vri lîcli. Wel, Óz cn d enʈñ; so I s’poz h wl fînd Canẓs fr y. Bt frst y mst gt t si him, n ɖt wl b a hard tasc; fr ɖ Gret Wiẓd dz nt lîc t si enwn, n h yẓ́li hz hiz ǒn we. Bt ẃt d Y wont?” h cntinyd, spīcñ t Toto. Toto onli wagd hiz teil; fr, strenj t se, h cd nt spīc.
Ɖ wmn nǎ cōld t ɖm ɖt supr wz redi, so ɖe gaɖrd arnd ɖ tebl n Doṛʈi ét sm dliśs porij n a diś v scrambld egz n a plet v nîs ẃît bred, n injoid hr mīl. Ɖ Layn ét sm v ɖ porij, bt dd nt cer fr it, seyñ it wz md fṛm ots n ots wr fūd fr horsz, nt fr laynz. Ɖ Scercro n ɖ Tin Wŭdmn ét nʈñ at ol. Toto ét a litl v evrʈñ, n wz glad t gt a gd supr agn.
Ɖ wmn nǎ gev Doṛʈi a bed t slīp in, n Toto le dǎn bsd hr, ẃl ɖ Layn gardd ɖ dor v hr rūm so ś mt nt b dstrbd. Ɖ Scercro n ɖ Tin Wŭdmn std p in a cornr n cept qayt ol nît, olɖo v cors ɖe cd nt slīp.
Az ɖe wōct on, ɖ grīn glo bcem brîtr n brîtr, n it sīmd ɖt at last ɖe wr nirñ ɖ end v ɖer travlz. Yt it wz afṭnun bfr ɖe cem t ɖ gret wōl ɖt srǎndd ɖ Siti. It wz hî n ʈic n v a brît grīn culr.
In frunt v ɖm, n at ɖ end v ɖ rod v yelo bric, wz a big get, ol studd wɖ emṛldz ɖt glitrd so in ɖ sún ɖt īvn ɖ pentd îz v ɖ Scercro wr dazld bî ɖer briłnsi.
Ɖr wz a bel bsd ɖ get, n Doṛʈi pśt ɖ butn n hŕd a silṿri tncl sǎnd wɖn. Ɖen ɖ big get swuñ slǒli opn, n ɖe ol pást ʈru n faund ɖmslvz in a hî arćt rūm, ɖ wōlz v ẃć glisnd wɖ cǎntlis emṛldz.
Bfr ɖm std a litl man abt ɖ sem sîz az ɖ Munćcinz. H wz cloɖd ol in grīn, fṛm hiz hed t hiz fīt, n īvn hiz scin wz v a grīniś tint. At hiz sîd wz a larj grīn box.
Ẃn h sw Doṛʈi n hr cmpańnz ɖ man asct, “Ẃt d y wś in ɖ Emṛld Siti?”
“W cem hir t si ɖ Gret Óz,” sd Doṛʈi.
Ɖ man wz so s’prîzd at ɖs ansr ɖt h sat dǎn t ʈnc it ovr.
“It hz bn mni yirz sins enwn asct m t si Óz,” h sd, śecñ hiz hed in pplex̣ti. “H z pǎrfl n teribl, n f y cm on an îdl or fūliś eṛnd t boɖr ɖ wîz rflex́nz v ɖ Gret Wiẓd, h mt b angri n dstrô y ol in an instnt.”
“Bt it z nt a fūliś eṛnd, nr an îdl wn,” rplaid ɖ Scercro; “it z importnt. N w hv bn tld ɖt Óz z a gd Wiẓd.”
“So h z,” sd ɖ grīn man, “n h rūlz ɖ Emṛld Siti wîzli n wel. Bt t ɖoz hu r nt onist, or hu aproć him fṛm krioṣti, h z most teribl, n fy hv evr derd asc t si hiz fes. I am ɖ Gardịn v ɖ Gets, n sins y dmand t si ɖ Gret Óz I mst tec y t hiz Palis. Bt frst y mst pt on ɖ specṭclz.”
“Ẃ?” asct Doṛʈi.
“Bcz f y dd nt wer specṭclz ɖ brîtnis n glori v ɖ Emṛld Siti wd blînd y. Īvn ɖoz hu liv in ɖ Siti mst wer specṭclz nît n de. Ɖe r ol loct on, fr Óz so ordrd it ẃn ɖ Siti wz frst bilt, n I hv ɖ onli ci ɖt wl unloc ɖm.”
H opnd ɖ big box, n Doṛʈi sw ɖt it wz fild wɖ specṭclz v evri sîz n śep. Ol v ɖm hd grīn glasz in ɖm. Ɖ Gardịn v ɖ Gets faund a per ɖt wd jst fit Doṛʈi n pt ɖm ovr hr îz. Ɖr wr tū goldn bandz fasnd t ɖm ɖt pást arnd ɖ bac v hr hed, ẃr ɖe wr loct tgɖr bî a litl ci ɖt wz at ɖ end v a ćen ɖ Gardịn v ɖ Gets wòr arnd hiz nec. Ẃn ɖe wr on, Doṛʈi cd nt tec ɖm of hd ś wśt, bt v cors ś dd nt wś t b blîndd bî ɖ gler v ɖ Emṛld Siti, so ś sd nʈñ.
Ɖen ɖ grīn man fitd specṭclz fr ɖ Scercro n ɖ Tin Wŭdmn n ɖ Layn, n īvn on litl Toto; n ol wr loct fast wɖ ɖ ci.
Ɖen ɖ Gardịn v ɖ Gets pt on hiz ǒn glasz n tld ɖm h wz redi t śo ɖm t ɖ Palis. Tecñ a big goldn ci fṛm a peg on ɖ wōl, h opnd anɖr get, n ɖe ol foloud him ʈru ɖ portl intu ɖ strīts v ɖ Emṛld Siti.
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