Chapter Chapter 4 · The Magic Tent

. The Magic Tent

"Well," said Dorothy with a laugh, "that was easier than I expected.

It's worth while, sometimes, to be a real fairy. But I wouldn't like to

be that kind, and live in a dreadful fog all the time."

They now climbed the bank and found before them a delightful plain that

spread for miles in all directions. Fragrant wild flowers were

scattered throughout the grass; there were bushes bearing lovely

blossoms and luscious fruits; now and then a group of stately trees

added to the beauty of the landscape. But there were no dwellings or

signs of life.

The farther side of the plain was bordered by a row of palms, and just

in front of the palms rose a queerly shaped hill that towered above the

plain like a mountain. The sides of this hill were straight up and

down; it was oblong in shape and the top seemed flat and level.

"Oh, ho!" cried Dorothy; "I'll bet that's the mountain Glinda told us

of, where the Flatheads live."

"If it is," replied Ozma, "the Lake of the Skeezers must be just beyond

the line of palm trees. Can you walk that far, Dorothy?"

"Of course, in time," was the prompt answer. "I'm sorry we had to leave

the Sawhorse and the Red Wagon behind us, for they'd come in handy just

now; but with the end of our journey in sight a tramp across these

pretty green fields won't tire us a bit."

It was a longer tramp than they suspected, however, and night overtook

them before they could reach the flat mountain. So Ozma proposed they

camp for the night and Dorothy was quite ready to approve. She didn't

like to admit to her friend she was tired, but she told herself that

her legs "had prickers in 'em," meaning they had begun to ache.

Usually when Dorothy started on a journey of exploration or adventure,

she carried with her a basket of food, and other things that a traveler

in a strange country might require, but to go away with Ozma was quite

a different thing, as experience had taught her. The fairy Ruler of Oz

only needed her silver wand--tipped at one end with a great sparkling

emerald--to provide through its magic all that they might need.

Therefore Ozma, having halted with her companion and selected a smooth,

grassy spot on the plain, waved her wand in graceful curves and chanted

some mystic words in her sweet voice, and in an instant a handsome tent

appeared before them. The canvas was striped purple and white, and from

the center pole fluttered the royal banner of Oz.

"Come, dear," said Ozma, taking Dorothy's hand, "I am hungry and I'm

sure you must be also; so let us go in and have our feast."

On entering the tent they found a table set for two, with snowy linen,

bright silver and sparkling glassware, a vase of roses in the center

and many dishes of delicious food, some smoking hot, waiting to satisfy

their hunger. Also, on either side of the tent were beds, with satin

sheets, warm blankets and pillows filled with swansdown. There were

chairs, too, and tall lamps that lighted the interior of the tent with

a soft, rosy glow.

Dorothy, resting herself at her fairy friend's command, and eating her

dinner with unusual enjoyment, thought of the wonders of magic. If one

were a fairy and knew the secret laws of nature and the mystic words

and ceremonies that commanded those laws, then a simple wave of a

silver wand would produce instantly all that men work hard and

anxiously for through weary years. And Dorothy wished in her kindly,

innocent heart, that all men and women could be fairies with silver

wands, and satisfy all their needs without so much work and worry, for

then, she imagined, they would have all their working hours to be happy

in. But Ozma, looking into her friend's face and reading those

thoughts, gave a laugh and said:

"No, no, Dorothy, that wouldn't do at all. Instead of happiness your

plan would bring weariness to the world. If every one could wave a wand

and have his wants fulfilled there would be little to wish for. There

would be no eager striving to obtain the difficult, for nothing would

then be difficult, and the pleasure of earning something longed for,

and only to be secured by hard work and careful thought, would be

utterly lost. There would be nothing to do you see, and no interest in

life and in our fellow creatures. That is all that makes life worth our

while--to do good deeds and to help those less fortunate than

ourselves."

"Well, you're a fairy, Ozma. Aren't you happy?" asked Dorothy.

"Yes, dear, because I can use my fairy powers to make others happy. Had

I no kingdom to rule, and no subjects to look after, I would be

miserable. Also, you must realize that while I am a more powerful fairy

than any other inhabitant of Oz, I am not as powerful as Glinda the

Sorceress, who has studied many arts of magic that I know nothing of.

Even the little Wizard of Oz can do some things I am unable to

accomplish, while I can accomplish things unknown to the Wizard. This

is to explain that I'm not all-powerful, by any means. My magic is

simply fairy magic, and not sorcery or wizardry."

"All the same," said Dorothy, "I'm mighty glad you could make this tent

appear, with our dinners and beds all ready for us."

Ozma smiled.

"Yes, it is indeed wonderful," she agreed. "Not all fairies know that

sort of magic, but some fairies can do magic that fills me with

astonishment. I think that is what makes us modest and unassuming--the

fact that our magic arts are divided, some being given each of us. I'm

glad I don't know everything, Dorothy, and that there still are things

in both nature and in wit for me to marvel at."

Dorothy couldn't quite understand this, so she said nothing more on the

subject and presently had a new reason to marvel. For when they had

quite finished their meal table and contents disappeared in a flash.

"No dishes to wash, Ozma!" she said with a laugh. "I guess you'd make a

lot of folks happy if you could teach 'em just that one trick."

For an hour Ozma told stories, and talked with Dorothy about various

people in whom they were interested. And then it was bedtime, and they

undressed and crept into their soft beds and fell asleep almost as soon

as their heads touched their pillows.