L Frank Baum

The Marvelous Land of Oz L Frank Baum

After considering the matter carefully, Tip decided that the best place to locate Jack would be atthe bend in the road, a little way from the house. So he started to carry his man there, but found himheavy and rather awkward to handle. After dragging the creature a short distance Tip stood him onhis feet, and by first bending the joints of one leg, and then those of the other, at the same timepushing from behind, the boy managed to induce Jack to walk to the bend in the road. It was notaccomplished without a few tumbles, and Tip really worked harder than he ever had in the fields orforest; but a love of mischief urged him on, and it pleased him to test the cleverness of hisworkmanship."Jack's all right, and works fine!" he said to himself, panting with the unusual exertion. But justthen he discovered the man's left arm had fallen off in the journey so he went back to find it, andafterward, by whittling a new and stouter pin for the shoulder-joint, he repaired the injury sosuccessfully that the arm was stronger than before. Tip also noticed that Jack's pumpkin head hadtwisted around until it faced his back; but this was easily remedied. When, at last, the man was set upfacing the turn in the path where old Mombi was to appear, he looked natural enough to be a fairimitation of a Gillikin farmer, -and unnatural enough to startle anyone that came on him unawares. As it was yet too early in the day to expect the old woman to return home, Tip went down intothe valley below the farm-house and began to gather nuts from the trees that grew there. However, old Mombi returned earlier than usual. She had met a crooked wizard who resided in alonely cave in the mountains, and had traded several important secrets of magic with him. Having inthis way secured three new recipes, four magical powders and a selection of herbs of wonderfulpower and potency, she hobbled home as fast as she could, in order to test her new sorceries