"

Jack turned, at this, to examine the Scarecrow critically, and his old
friend slyly winked one painted eye at him.

[Illustration]

"There is no accounting for tastes," remarked the Pumpkinhead, with a
sigh. "An old crow once told me I was very fascinating, but of course
the bird might have been mistaken. Yet I have noticed that the crows
usually avoid the Scarecrow, who is a very honest fellow, in his way,
but stuffed. I am not stuffed, you will observe; my body is good solid
hickory."

"I adore stuffing," said the Patchwork Girl.

"Well, as for that, my head is stuffed with pumpkin-seeds," declared
Jack. "I use them for brains, and when they are fresh I am intellectual.
Just now, I regret to say, my seeds are rattling a bit, so I must soon
get another head."

"Oh; do you change your head?" asked Ojo.

"To be sure. Pumpkins are not permanent, more's the pity, and in time
they spoil. That is why I grow such a great field of pumpkins--that I
may select a new head whenever necessary."

"Who carves the faces on them?" inquired the boy.

"I do that myself. I lift off my old head, place it on a table before
me, and use the face for a pattern to go by. Sometimes the faces I carve
are better than others--more expressive and cheerful, you know--but I
think they average very well."

Before she had started on the journey Dorothy had packed a knapsack with
the things she might need, and this knapsack the Scarecrow carried
strapped to his back. The little girl wore a plain gingham dress and a
checked sunbonnet, as she knew they were best fitted for travel. Ojo
also had brought along his basket, to which Ozma had added a bottle of
"Square Meal Tablets" and some fruit. But Jack Pumpkinhead grew a lot of
things in his garden besides pumpkins, so he cooked for them a fine
vegetable soup and gave Dorothy, Ojo and Toto, the only ones who found
it necessary to eat, a pumpkin pie and some green cheese. For beds they
must use the sweet dried grasses which Jack had strewn along one side of
the room, but that satisfied Dorothy and Ojo very well. Toto, of course,
slept beside his little mistress.

The Scarecrow, Scraps and the Pumpkinhead were tireless and had no need
to sleep, so they sat up and talked together all night; but they stayed
outside the house, under the bright stars, and talked in low tones so as
not to disturb the sleepers. During the conversation the Scarecrow
explained their quest for a dark well, and asked Ja