Chapter: Chapter XVI. The Magic Art of the Great Humbug.


[Illustration]

[Illustration]

Next morning the Scarecrow said to his friends:

"Congratulate me. I am going to Oz to get my brains at last. When I
return I shall be as other men are."

"I have always liked you as you were," said Dorothy, simply.

"It is kind of you to like a Scarecrow," he replied. "But surely you
will think more of me when you hear the splendid thoughts my new brain
is going to turn out." Then he said good-bye to them all in a cheerful
voice and went to the Throne Room, where he rapped upon the door.

"Come in," said Oz.

The Scarecrow went in and found the little man sitting down by the
window, engaged in deep thought.

"I have come for my brains," remarked the Scarecrow, a little uneasily.

"Oh, yes; sit down in that chair, please," replied Oz. "You must
excuse me for taking your head off, but I shall have to do it in
order to put your brains in their proper place."

"That's all right," said the Scarecrow. "You are quite welcome to
take my head off, as long as it will be a better one when you put it
on again."

So the Wizard unfastened his head and emptied out the straw. Then he
entered the back room and took up a measure of bran, which he mixed
with a great many pins and needles. Having shaken them together
thoroughly, he filled the top of the Scarecrow's head with the mixture
and stuffed the rest of the space with straw, to hold it in place. When
he had fastened the Scarecrow's head on his body again he said to him,

"Hereafter you will be a great man, for I have given you a lot of
bran-new brains."

The Scarecrow was both pleased and proud at the fulfillment of his
greatest wish, and having thanked Oz warmly he went back to his friends.

Dorothy looked at him curiously. His head was quite bulging out at
the top with brains.

"How do you feel?" she asked.

[Illustration: "_'I feel wise, indeed,' said the Scarecrow._"]

"I feel wise, indeed," he answered, earnestly. "When I get used to my
brains I shall know everything."

"Why are those needles and pins sticking out of your head?" asked the
Tin Woodman.

"That is proof that he is sharp," remarked the Lion.

"Well, I must go to Oz and get my heart," said the Woodman. So he
walked to the Throne Room and knocked at the door.

"Come in," called Oz, and the Woodman entered and said,

"I have come for my heart."

"Very well," answered the little man. "But I shall have to cut a hole
in your breast, so I can put your heart in the right place. I hope it
won't hurt you."

"Oh, no;" answered the Woodman. "I shall not feel it at all."

[Illustration]

So Oz brought a pair of tinners' shears and cut a small, square hole
in the left side of the Tin Woodman's breast. Then, going to a chest
of drawers, he took out a pretty heart, made entirely of silk and
stuffed with sawdust.

"Isn't it a beauty?" he asked.

"It is, indeed!" replied the Woodman, who was greatly pleased. "But
is it a kind heart?"

"Oh, very!" answered Oz. He put the heart in the Woodman's breast and
then replaced the square of tin, soldering it neatly together where
it had been cut.

"There," said he; "now you have a heart that any man might be proud
of. I'm sorry I had to put a patch on your breast, but it really
couldn't be helped."

"Never mind the patch," exclaimed the happy Woodman. "I am very
grateful to you, and shall never forget your kindness."

[Illustration]

"Don't speak of it," replied Oz.

Then the Tin Woodman went back to his friends, who wished him every
joy on account of his good fortune.

The Lion now walked to the Throne Room and knocked at the door.

"Come in," said Oz.

"I have come for my courage," announced the Lion, entering the room.

"Very well," answered the little man; "I will get it for you."

He went to a cupboard and reaching up to a high shelf took down
a square green bottle, the contents of which he poured into a
green-gold dish, beautifully carved. Placing this before the Cowardly
Lion, who sniffed at it as if he did not like it, the Wizard said,

"Drink."

"What is it?" asked the Lion.

"Well," answered Oz, "if it were inside of you, it would be courage.
You know, of course, that courage is always inside one; so that
this really cannot be called courage until you have swallowed it.
Therefore I advise you to drink it as soon as possible."

The Lion hesitated no longer, but drank till the dish was empty.

"How do you feel now?" asked Oz.

"Full of courage," replied the Lion, who went joyfully back to his
friends to tell them of his good fortune.

Oz, left to himself, smiled to think of his success in giving the
Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman and the Lion exactly what they thought
they wanted. "How can I help being a humbug," he said, "when all
these people make me do things that everybody knows can't be done? It
was easy to make the Scarecrow and the Lion and the Woodman happy,
because they imagined I could do anything. But it will take more than
imagination to carry Dorothy back to Kansas, and I'm sure I don't
know how it can be done."

 It's morning and the Scarecrow is beside himself as he waits to go collect his new brain. Finally, it's time. Oz removes his head and stuffs it with bran, pins, and needles. Sounds like a breakfast cereal for robots, but guess what? Instant intelligence. The Scarecrow is thrilled. Time for the tin man to collect his heart. Oz cuts a whole in his chest and puts in a silk heart that's stuffed with sawdust. Next is the Lion. Oz gives him a dish filled with "courage" to drink. The Lion instantly feels very brave. After everyone has left the throne room, Oz wonders how on earth he's going to help Dorothy. He didn't do anything to actually help the rest of the gang; they just thought he did. Their belief was enough to make the trick work.

