L.Frank Baum. The marvelous land of Oz -
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experience of his brief life.
His Majesty the Scarecrow was dressed in a suit of faded blue
clothes, and his head was merely a small sack stuffed with straw, upon
which eyes, ears, a nose and a mouth had been rudely painted to represent
a face. The clothes were also stuffed with straw, and that so unevenly or
carelessly that his Majesty's legs and arms seemed more bumpy than was
necessary. Upon his hands were gloves with long fingers, and these were
padded with cotton. Wisps of straw stuck out from the monarch's coat and
also from his neck and boot-tops. Upon his head he wore a heavy golden
crown set thick with sparkling jewels, and the weight of this crown caused
his brow to sag in wrinkles, giving a thoughtful expression to the painted
face. Indeed, the crown alone betokened majesty; in all else the,
Scarecrow King was but a simple scarecrow - flimsy, awkward, and
unsubstantial.
But if the strange appearance of his Majesty the Scarecrow seemed
startling to Jack, no less wonderful was the form of the Pumpkinhead to
the Scarecrow. The purple trousers and pink waistcoat and red shirt hung
loosely over the wooden joints Tip had manufactured, and the carved face
on the pumpkin grinned perpetually, as if its wearer considered life the
jolliest thing imaginable.
At first, indeed, His Majesty thought his queer visitor was laughing
at him, and was inclined to resent such a liberty; but it was not without
reason that the Scarecrow had attained the reputation of being the wisest
personage in the Land of Oz. He made a more careful examination of his
visitor, and soon discovered that Jack's features were carved into a smile
and that he could not look grave if he wished to.
The King was the first to speak. After regarding