Scraps, and behind them came the Woozy and
the Glass Cat. Ojo had lagged behind, for in spite of the warnings he
had received the boy's eyes were fastened on the clover that bordered
the road of yellow bricks and he was eager to discover if such a thing
as a six-leaved clover really existed.

Suddenly he stopped short and bent over to examine the ground more
closely. Yes; here at last was a clover with six spreading leaves. He
counted them carefully, to make sure. In an instant his heart leaped
with joy, for this was one of the important things he had come for--one
of the things that would restore dear Unc Nunkie to life.

[Illustration]

He glanced ahead and saw that none of his companions was looking back.
Neither were any other people about, for it was midway between two
houses. The temptation was too strong to be resisted.

"I might search for weeks and weeks, and never find another six-leaved
clover," he told himself, and quickly plucking the stem from the plant
he placed the prized clover in his basket, covering it with the other
things he carried there. Then, trying to look as if nothing had
happened, he hurried forward and overtook his comrades.

[Illustration]

The Emerald City, which is the most splendid as well as the most
beautiful city in any fairyland, is surrounded by a high, thick wall of
green marble, polished smooth and set with glistening emeralds. There
are four gates, one facing the Munchkin Country, one facing the Country
of the Winkies, one facing the Country of the Quadlings and one facing
the Country of the Gillikins. The Emerald City lies directly in the
center of these four important countries of Oz. The gates had bars of
pure gold, and on either side of each gateway were built high towers,
from which floated gay banners. Other towers were set at distances along
the walls, which were broad enough for four people to walk abreast upon.

This enclosure, all green and gold and glittering with precious gems,
was indeed a wonderful sight to greet our travelers, who first observed
it from the top of a little hill; but beyond the wall was the vast city
it surrounded, and hundreds of jeweled spires, domes and minarets,
flaunting flags and banners, reared their crests far above the towers of
the gateways. In the center of the city our friends could see the tops
of many magnificent trees, some nearly as tall as the spires of the
buildings, and the Shaggy Man told them that these trees were in the