Chapter Four. The Magic Tent

Glinda of Oz

by L. Frank Baum

"Well," said Dorothy with a laugh, "that was easier than I
expected. It's worth while, sometimes, to be a real fairy. But I
wouldn't like to be that kind, and live in a dreadful fog all the
time."

They now climbed the bank and found before them a delightful
plain that spread for miles in all directions. Fragrant wild flowers
were scattered throughout the grass; there were bushes bearing lovely
blossoms and luscious fruits; now and then a group of stately trees
added to the beauty of the landscape. But there were no dwellings or
signs of life.

The farther side of the plain was bordered by a row of palms,
and just in front of the palms rose a queerly shaped hill that
towered above the plain like a mountain. The sides of this hill were
straight up and down; it was oblong in shape and the top seemed flat
and level.

"Oh, ho!" cried Dorothy; "I'll bet that's the mountain Glinda
told us of, where the Flatheads live."

"If it is," replied Ozma, "the Lake of the Skeezers must be just
beyond the line of palm trees. Can you walk that far, Dorothy?"

"Of course, in time," was the prompt answer. "I'm sorry we had
to leave the Sawhorse and the Red Wagon behind us, for they'd come in
handy just now; but with the end of our journey in sight a tramp
across these pretty green fields won't tire us a bit."

It was a longer tramp than they suspected, however, and night
overtook them before they could reach the flat mountain. So Ozma
proposed they camp for the night and Dorothy was quite ready to
approve. She didn't like to admit to her friend she was tired, but
she told herself that her legs "had prickers in 'em," meaning they
had begun to ache.

Usually when Dorothy started on a journey of exploration or
adventure, she carried with her a basket of food, and other things
that a traveler in a strange country might require, but to go away
with Ozma was quite a different thing, as experience had taught her.
The fairy Ruler of Oz only needed her silver wand -- tipped at one
end with a great sparkling emerald -- to provide through its magic
all that they might need. Therefore Ozma, having halted with her
companion and selected a smooth, grassy spot on the plain, waved her
wand in graceful curves and chanted some mystic words in her sweet
voice, and in an instant a handsome tent appeared before them. The
canvas was striped purple and white, and from the center pole
fluttered the royal banner of Oz.

"Come, dear," said Ozma, taking Dorothy's hand, "I am hungry and
I'm sure you must be also; so let us go in and have our feast."

On entering the tent they found a table set for two, with snowy
linen, bright silver and sparkling glassware, a vase of roses in the
center and many dishes of delicious food, some smoking hot, waiting
to satisfy their hunger. Also, on either side of the tent were beds,
with satin sheets, warm blankets and pillows filled with swansdown.
There were chairs, too, and tall lamps that lighted the interior of
the tent with a soft, rosy glow.

Dorothy, resting herself at her fairy friend's command, and
eating her dinner with unusual enjoyment, thought of the wonders of
magic. If one were a fairy and knew the secret laws of nature and the
mystic words and ceremonies that commanded those laws, then a simple
wave of a silver wand would produce instantly all that men work hard
and anxiously for through weary years. And Dorothy wished in her
kindly, innocent heart, that all men and women could be fairies with
silver wands, and satisfy all their needs without so much work and
worry, for then, she imagined, they would have all their working
hours to be happy in. But Ozma, looking into her friend's face and
reading those thoughts, gave a laugh and said:

"No, no, Dorothy, that wouldn't do at all. Instead of happiness
your plan would bring weariness to the world. If every one could wave
a wand and have his wants fulfilled there would be little to wish
for. There would be no eager striving to obtain the difficult, for
nothing would then be difficult, and the pleasure of earning
something longed for, and only to be secured by hard work and careful
thought, would be utterly lost. There would be nothing to do you see,
and no interest in life and in our fellow creatures. That is all that
makes life worth our while -- to do good deeds and to help those less
fortunate than ourselves."

"Well, you're a fairy, Ozma. Aren't you happy?" asked Dorothy

"Yes, dear, because I can use my fairy powers to make others
happy. Had I no kingdom to rule, and no subjects to look after, I
would be miserable. Also, you must realize that while I am a more
powerful fairy than any other inhabitant of Oz, I am not as powerful
as Glinda the Sorceress, who has studied many arts of magic that I
know nothing of. Even the little Wizard of Oz can do some things I am
unable to accomplish, while I can accomplish things unknown to the
Wizard. This is to explain that I'm not all-powerful, by any means.
My magic is simply fairy magic, and not sorcery or wizardry."

"All the same," said Dorothy, "I'm mighty glad you could make
this tent appear, with our dinners and beds all ready for us."

Ozma smiled.

"Yes, it is indeed wonderful," she agreed. "Not all fairies know
that sort of magic, but some fairies can do magic that fills me with
astonishment. I think that is what makes us modest and unassuming --
the fact that our magic arts are divided, some being given each of
us. I'm glad I don't know everything, Dorothy, and that there still
are things in both nature and in wit for me to marvel at."

Dorothy couldn't quite understand this, so she said nothing more
on the subject and presently had a new reason to marvel. For when
they had quite finished their meal table and contents disappeared in
a flash.

"No dishes to wash, Ozma!" she said with a laugh. "I guess you'd
make a lot of folks happy if you could teach 'em just that one
trick."

For an hour Ozma told stories, and talked with Dorothy about
various people in whom they were interested. And then it was bedtime,
and they undressed and crept into their soft beds and fell asleep
almost as soon as their heads touched their pillows.