and well swept and dusted. But they found someone there
besides Nimmie Amee. A man dressed in the attractive Munchkin costume
was lazily reclining in an easy chair, and he sat up and turned his
eves on the visitors with a cold and indifferent stare that was almost
insolent. He did not even rise from his seat to greet the strangers,
but after glaring at them he looked away with a scowl, as if they were
of too little importance to interest him.

The tin men returned this man's stare with interest, but they did not
look away from him because neither of them seemed able to take his eyes
off this Munchkin, who was remarkable in having one tin arm quite like
their own tin arms.

"Seems to me," said Captain Fyter, in a voice that sounded harsh and
indignant, "that you, sir, are a vile impostor!"

"Gently--gently!" cautioned the Scarecrow; "don't be rude to strangers,
Captain."

"Rude?" shouted the Tin Soldier, now very much provoked; "why, he's a
scoundrel--a thief! The villain is wearing my own head!"

"Yes," added the Tin Woodman, "and he's wearing my right arm! I can
recognize it by the two warts on the little finger."

"Good gracious!" exclaimed Woot. "Then this must be the man whom old
Ku-Klip patched together and named Chopfyt."

The man now turned toward them, still scowling.

"Yes, that is my name," he said in a voice like a growl, "and it is
absurd for you tin creatures, or for anyone else, to claim my head, or
arm, or any part of me, for they are my personal property."

"You? You're a Nobody!" shouted Captain Fyter.

"You're just a mix-up," declared the Emperor.

"Now, now, gentlemen," interrupted Nimmie Amee, "I must ask you to be
more respectful to poor Chopfyt. For, being my guests, it is not polite
for you to insult my husband."

"Your husband!" the tin twins exclaimed in dismay.

"Yes," said she. "I married Chopfyt a long time ago, because my other
two sweethearts had deserted me."

This reproof embarrassed both Nick Chopper and Captain Fyter. They
looked down, shamefaced, for a moment, and then the Tin Woodman
explained in an earnest voice:

"I rusted."

"So did I," said the Tin Soldier.

"I could not know that, of course," asserted Nimmie Amee. "All I knew
was that neither of you came to marry me, as you had promised to do.
But men are not scarce in the Land of Oz. After I came here to live, I
met Mr. Chopfyt, and he was the more interesting because he reminded
me strongly of both of you