"
"Well," continued the Tin Woodman, "after meeting the
Scarecrow and Dorothy, I went with them to the Emerald
City, where the Wizard of Oz gave me a heart. But the
Wizard's stock of hearts was low, and he gave me a Kind
Heart instead of a Loving Heart, so that I could not
love Nimmie Amee any more than I did when I was
heartless."
"Couldn't the Wizard give you a heart that was both
Kind and Loving?" asked the boy.
"No; that was what I asked for, but he said he was so
short on hearts, just then, that there was but one in
stock, and I could take that or none at all. So I
accepted it, and I must say that for its kind it is a
very good heart indeed."
"It seems to me," said Woot, musingly, "that the
Wizard fooled you. It can't be a very Kind Heart, you
know."
"Why not?" demanded the Emperor.
"Because it was unkind of you to desert the girl who
loved you, and who had been faithful and true to you
when you were in trouble. Had the heart the Wizard gave
you been a Kind Heart, you would have gone back home
and made the beautiful Munchkin girl your wife, and
then brought her here to be an Empress and live in your
splendid tin castle."
The Tin Woodman was so surprised at this frank speech
that for a time he did nothing but stare hard at the
boy Wanderer. But the Scarecrow wagged his stuffed head
and said in a positive tone:
"This boy is right. I've often wondered, myself, why
you didn't go back and find that poor Munchkin girl.
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