Chapter 13: The Truth Pond

They now made a more careful examination of the country around them.
All was fresh and beautiful after the sultriness of the desert, and
the sunshine and sweet, crisp air were delightful to the wanderers.
Little mounds of yellowish green were away at the right, while on the
left waved a group of tall leafy trees bearing yellow blossoms that
looked like tassels and pompoms.  Among the grasses carpeting the
ground were pretty buttercups and cowslips and marigolds.  After
looking at these a moment Dorothy said reflectively:
"We must be in the Country of the Winkies, for the color of that
country is yellow, and you will notice that 'most everything here is
yellow that has any color at all."
"But I thought this was the Land of Oz," replied the shaggy man,
as if greatly disappointed.
"So it is," she declared; "but there are four parts to the Land of Oz.
The North Country is purple, and it's the Country of the Gillikins.
The East Country is blue, and that's the Country of the Munchkins.
Down at the South is the red Country of the Quadlings, and here, in
the West, the yellow Country of the Winkies.  This is the part that is
ruled by the Tin Woodman, you know."
"Who's he?" asked Button-Bright.
"Why, he's the tin man I told you about.  His name is Nick Chopper,
and he has a lovely heart given him by the wonderful Wizard."
"Where does he live?" asked the boy.
"The Wizard?  Oh, he lives in the Emerald City, which is just in the
middle of Oz, where the corners of the four countries meet."
"Oh," said Button-Bright, puzzled by this explanation.
"We must be some distance from the Emerald City," remarked the shaggy man.
"That's true," she replied; "so we'd better start on and see if we can
find any of the Winkies.  They're nice people," she continued, as the
little party began walking toward the group of trees, "and I came here
once with my friends the Scarecrow, and the Tin Woodman, and the
Cowardly Lion, to fight a wicked witch who had made all the Winkies
her slaves."
"Did you conquer her?" asked Polly.
"Why, I melted her with a bucket of water, and that was the end of
her," replied Dorothy.  "After that the people were free, you know,
and they made Nick Chopper—that's the Tin Woodman—their Emp'ror."
"What's that?" asked Button-Bright.
"Emp'ror?  Oh, it's something like an alderman, I guess."
"Oh," said the boy.
"But I thought Princess Ozma ruled Oz," said the shaggy man.
"So she does; she rules the Emerald City and all the four countries
of Oz; but each country has another little ruler, not so big as Ozma.
It's like the officers of an army, you see; the little rulers are all
captains, and Ozma's the general."
By this time they had reached the trees, which stood in a perfect
circle and just far enough apart so that their thick branches
touched—or "shook hands," as Button-Bright remarked.  Under the shade
of the trees they found, in the center of the circle, a crystal pool,
its water as still as glass.  It must have been deep, too, for when
Polychrome bent over it she gave a little sigh of pleasure.
"Why, it's a mirror!" she cried; for she could see all her pretty
face and fluffy, rainbow-tinted gown reflected in the pool,
as natural as life.
Dorothy bent over, too, and began to arrange her hair, blown by the
desert wind into straggling tangles.  Button-Bright leaned over the
edge next, and then began to cry, for the sight of his fox head
frightened the poor little fellow.
"I guess I won't look," remarked the shaggy man, sadly, for he didn't
like his donkey head, either.  While Polly and Dorothy tried to
comfort Button-Bright, the shaggy man sat down near the edge of the
pool, where his image could not be reflected, and stared at the water
thoughtfully.  As he did this he noticed a silver plate fastened to a
rock just under the surface of the water, and on the silver plate was
engraved these words:

THE TRUTH POND

"Ah!" cried the shaggy man, springing to his feet with eager joy;
"we've found it at last."
"Found what?" asked Dorothy, running to him.
"The Truth Pond.  Now, at last, I may get rid of this frightful head;
for we were told, you remember, that only the Truth Pond could restore
to me my proper face."
"Me, too!" shouted Button-Bright, trotting up to them.
"Of course," said Dorothy.  "It will cure you both of your bad heads,
I guess.  Isn't it lucky we found it?"
"It is, indeed," replied the shaggy man.  "I hated dreadfully to go to
Princess Ozma looking like this; and she's to have a birthday
celebration, too."
Just then a splash startled them, for Button-Bright, in his anxiety
to see the pool that would "cure" him, had stepped too near the edge
and tumbled heels over head into the water.  Down he went, out of
sight entirely, so that only his sailor hat floated on the top of
the Truth Pond.
He soon bobbed up, and the shaggy man seized him by his sailor
collar and dragged him to the shore, dripping and gasping for breath.
They all looked upon the boy wonderingly, for the fox head with its
sharp nose and pointed ears was gone, and in its place appeared the
chubby round face and blue eyes and pretty curls that had belonged to
Button-Bright before King Dox of Foxville transformed him.
"Oh, what a darling!" cried Polly, and would have hugged the little
one had he not been so wet.
Their joyful exclamations made the child rub the water out of his eyes
and look at his friends questioningly.
"You're all right now, dear," said Dorothy.  "Come and look at yourself."
She led him to the pool, and although there were still a few ripples
on the surface of the water he could see his reflection plainly.
"It's me!" he said, in a pleased yet awed whisper.
"'Course it is," replied the girl, "and we're all as glad as
you are, Button-Bright."
"Well," announced the shaggy man, "it's my turn next."  He took off
his shaggy coat and laid it on the grass and dived head first into the
Truth Pond.
When he came up the donkey head had disappeared, and the shaggy man's
own shaggy head was in its place, with the water dripping in little
streams from his shaggy whiskers.  He scrambled ashore and shook
himself to get off some of the wet, and then leaned over the pool to
look admiringly at his reflected face.
"I may not be strictly beautiful, even now," he said to his
companions, who watched him with smiling faces; "but I'm so much
handsomer than any donkey that I feel as proud as I can be."
"You're all right, Shaggy Man," declared Dorothy.  "And Button-Bright
is all right, too.  So let's thank the Truth Pond for being so nice,
and start on our journey to the Emerald City."
"I hate to leave it," murmured the shaggy man, with a sigh.  "A truth
pond wouldn't be a bad thing to carry around with us."  But he put on
his coat and started with the others in search of some one to direct
them on their way.