"After I had delivered the magic medicine to the old
woman, I returned and tried to find the witch, or
fairy, or whatever she was, who had given me the
unlucky wish, so she could take it away again. I've
been searching for her ever since, but never can I find
her," continued poor Tommy Kwikstep, sadly "I suppose,
said the Tin Owl, blinking at him, "you can travel
very fast, with those twenty legs."
"At first I was able to," was the reply; "but I
traveled so much, searching for the fairy, or witch, or
whatever she was, that I soon got corns on my toes.
Now, a corn on one toe is not so bad, but when you have
a hundred toes -- as I have -- and get corns on most of
them, it is far from pleasant. Instead of running, I
now painfully crawl, and although I try not to be
discouraged I do hope I shall find that witch or fairy,
or whatever she was, before long."
"I hope so, too," said the Scarecrow. "But, after
all, you have the pleasure of knowing you are unusual,
and therefore remarkable among the people of Oz. To be
just like other persons is small credit to one, while
to be unlike others is a mark of distinction."
"That sounds very pretty," returned Tommy Kwikstep,
"but if you had to put on ten pair of trousers every
morning, and tie up twenty shoes, you would prefer not
to be so distinguished."
"Was the witch, or fairy, or whatever she was, an old
person, with wrinkled skin and half her teeth gone?"
inquired the Tin Owl.
Pages:
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95