So people in Oz stopped counting how old they
were in years, for years made no difference in their
appearance and could not alter their station. They did
not get sick, so there were no doctors among them.
Accidents might happen to some, on rare occasions, it
is true, and while no one could die naturally, as other
people do, it was possible that one might be totally
destroyed. Such incidents, however, were very unusual,
and so seldom was there anything to worry over that the
Oz people were as happy and contented as can be.
Another strange thing about this fairy Land of Oz was
that whoever managed to enter it from the outside world
came under the magic spell of the place and did not
change in appearance as long as they lived there. So
Dorothy, who now lived with Ozma, seemed just the same
sweet little girl she had been when first she came to
this delightful fairyland.
Perhaps all parts of Oz might not be called truly
delightful, but it was surely delightful in the
neighborhood of the Emerald City, where Ozma reigned.
Her loving influence was felt for many miles around,
but there were places in the mountains of the Gillikin
Country, and the forests of the Quadling Country, and
perhaps in far-away parts of the Munchkin and Winkie
Countries, where the inhabitants were somewhat rude and
uncivilized and had not yet come under the spell of
Ozma's wise and kindly rule. Also, when Oz first became
a fairyland, it harbored several witches and magicians
and sorcerers and necromancers, who were scattered in
various parts, but most of these had been deprived of
their magic powers, and Ozma had issued a royal edict
forbidding anyone in her dominions to work magic except
Glinda the Good and the Wizard of Oz.
Pages:
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105