nd cut off my other leg. Again I hopped--on my tin
leg--to my friend the tinsmith, who kindly made me another tin leg and
fastened it to my body. So I returned joyfully to Nimmie Amee, who was
much pleased with my glittering legs and promised that when we were wed
she would always keep them oiled and polished. But the Witch was more
furious than ever, and as soon as I raised my axe to chop, it twisted
around and cut off one of my arms. The tinsmith made me a tin arm and I
was not much worried, because Nimmie Amee declared she still loved me."

[Illustration]

The Heart of the Tin Woodman

[Illustration]

CHAPTER 2

The Emperor of the Winkies paused in his story to reach for an oil-can,
with which he carefully oiled the joints in his tin throat, for his
voice had begun to squeak a little. Woot the Wanderer, having satisfied
his hunger, watched this oiling process with much curiosity, but begged
the Tin Man to go on with his tale.

"The Witch with the Silver Shoes hated me for having defied her,"
resumed the Emperor, his voice now sounding clear as a bell, "and she
insisted that Nimmie Amee should never marry me. Therefore she made the
enchanted axe cut off my other arm, and the tinsmith also replaced that
member with tin, including these finely-jointed hands that you see me
using. But, alas! after that, the axe, still enchanted by the cruel
Witch, cut my body in two, so that I fell to the ground. Then the Witch,
who was watching from a near-by bush, rushed up and seized the axe and
chopped my body into several small pieces, after which, thinking that at
last she had destroyed me, she ran away laughing in wicked glee.

"But Nimmie Amee found me. She picked up my arms and legs and head, and
made a bundle of them and carried them to the tinsmith, who set to work
and made me a fine body of pure tin. When he had joined the arms and
legs to the body, and set my head in the tin collar, I was a much better
man than ever, for my body could not ache or pain me, and I was so
beautiful and bright that I had no need of clothing. Clothing is always
a nuisance, because it soils and tears and has to be replaced; but my
tin body only needs to be oiled and polished.

[Illustration]

"Nimmie Amee still declared she would marry me, as she still loved me in
spite of the Witch's evil deeds. The girl declared I would make the
brightest husband in all the world, which was quite true. However, the
Wicked Witch was not yet defe