The Marvelous Land of Oz
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the marvelous Land of Oz by l frank baum Chapter One tip manufacturers a pumpkin head in the country of the Gilligan's, which is at the north of the Land of Oz lived a youth called Tip. There was more to his name than that, for old Mamby often declared that his whole name was tipo Tereus, but no one was expected to say such a long word when tip would do just as well. This boy remembered nothing of his parents, for he had been brought when quite young to be reared by the old woman known as Mamby, whose reputation, I'm sorry to say was none of the best for the Gilligan. People had reason to suspect her of indulging in magical arts, and therefore hesitated to associate with her. Mamby was not exactly a witch because the good witch who ruled that part of the Land of Oz had forbidden any other witch to exist in her dominions. So tips Guardian, however much she might aspire to working magic, realized it was unlawful to be more than a sorceress or at most a wizard. Isse tip was made to carry wood from the forest, that the old woman might boil her pot. He also worked in the corn fields, hoeing and husking, and he fed the pigs and milked the four horned cow that was mom bees a special pride. But you must not suppose he worked all the time, for he felt that would be bad for him when sent to the forest tip often climbed trees for birds, eggs, or amused himself chasing the fleet white rabbits, or fishing in the brooks with bent pins. Then he would hastily gather his armful of wood and carry it home, and when he was supposed to be working in the corn fields and the tall stalks hid him from zombies. View Tip would often dig in the gopher holes, or if the mood seized him, lie upon his back between the rows of corn and take a nap, so by taking care not to exhaust his strength. He grew as strong and rugged as a boy. Maybe mom bees, curious magic, often frightened her neighbors, and they treated her shyly yet respectfully because of her weird powers, but Tip frankly hated her and took no pains to hide his feelings. Indeed, he sometimes showed less respect for the old woman than he should have done, considering she was as guardian. There were pumpkins in Mommy's cornfields lying gold and red among the rows of green stalks, and these have been planted and carefully tended that the four horned cow might eat of them in the wintertime. But one day after the corn had all been cut and stacked, and tip was carrying the pumpkins to the stable. He took a notion to make a jack lantern and try to give the old woman a fright with it. So he selected a fine big pumpkin one with a lustrous, orange red color, and began carving it with a point of his knife. He made two round eyes, a three cornered nose and a mouth shaped like a new moon. The face, when completed could not have been considered strictly beautiful, but it wore a smile so big and broad and was so jolly in expression that even Tip laughed as he looked admiringly at his work. The child had no playmates, so he did not know that boys often dig out the inside of a pumpkin jack, and in the space thus made put a lighted candle to render the face more startling. But he conceived an idea of his own that promised to be quite as effective. He decided to manufacture the form of a man who would wear this pumpkin head and a standard in a place where old Mommy would meet it face to face, and then said, tip to himself with a laugh, she'll squeal louder than the brown pig does when I pull her tail and shiver with fright worse than I did last year. When I had to egg you, he had plenty of time to accomplish this task, for Mamby had gone to a village to buy groceries, she said, and it was a journey of at least two days. So he took his ax to the forest and selected some stout straight saplings, which he cut down and trimmed of all their twigs and leaves from these. He would make the arms and legs and feet of his man for the body. He stripped a sheet of thick bark from around a big tree, and with much labor fashioned it into a cylinder of about the right size, pinning the edges together with wooden pegs. Then, whistling happily as he worked, he carefully jointed the limbs and fastened them to the body with pegs, whittled into shape with his knife. By the time this feat have been accomplished it began to grow dark and tip remembered he must milk the cow and feed the pigs. So he picked up his wooden man and carried it back to the house with him during the evening by the light of the fire. In the kitchen tip carefully rounded all the edges of the joints and smooth the rough places in a neat and workmanlike manner. Then he stood the figure up against the wall and admired it. It seemed remarkably tall even for a full grown man, but that was a good point in a small boy's eyes and tip did not object at all to the size of his creation next morning. When he looked at his work again, tip saw he had forgotten to give the dummy a neck, by means of which he might fasten the pumpkin head to the body. So he went again to the forest, which was not far away and chopped from a tree, several pieces of wood with which to complete his work. When he returned he fastened across piece to the upper end of the body, making a hole through the center to hold upright the neck, the bit of wood which formed this neck was also sharpened at the upper end, and when all was ready tip put on the pumpkin head, pressing it well down onto the neck, and found that it fitted very well. The head could be turned to one side or the other as he pleased, and the hinges of the arms and legs allowed him to place the dummy in any position he desired. Now that declared tip proudly, is really a very fine man, and it ought to frighten several Screeches out of old Mamby, but it would be much more lifelike if it were properly dressed to find clothing, seemed no easy task, but tip boldly ransacked the great chest, in which Mamby kept all her keepsakes and treasures, and at the very bottom he discovered some purple trousers, a red shirt and a pink vest, which was dotted with white spots. These he carried away to his man, and succeeded, although the garments did not fit very well in dressing the creature in a jaunty fashion. Some knit stockings belonging to Mamby and a much worn pair of his own shoes, completed the man's apparel, and tip was so delighted that he danced up and down, and laughed aloud in boyish ecstasy. I must give him a name! He cried. So good a man as this must surely have a name, I believe he added after a moment's thought. I will name the fellow Jack, pumpkinhead