The cyclone had set the house down very gently-for a cyclone-in the midst of a country 
of marvelous beauty. There were lovely patches of greensward all about, with stately 
trees bearing rich and luscious fruits. Banks of gorgeous flowers were on every hand, and 
birds with rare and brilliant plumage sang and fluttered in the trees and bushes. A 
little way off was a small brook, rushing and sparkling along between green banks, and 
murmuring in a voice very grateful to a little girl who had lived so long on the dry, 
gray prairies.
  While she stood looking eagerly at the strange and beautiful sights, she noticed coming 
toward her a group of the queerest people she had ever seen. They were not as big as the 
grown folk she had always been used to; but neither were they very small.
  In fact, they seemed about as tall as Dorothy, who was a well-grown child for her age, 
although they were, so far as looks go, many years older.
  Three were men and one a woman, and all were oddly dressed.
  They wore round hats that rose to a small point a foot above their heads, with little 
bells around the brims that tinkled sweetly as they moved. The hats of the men were blue; 
the little woman's hat was white, and she wore a white gown that hung in pleats from her 
shoulders. Over it were sprinkled little stars that glistened in the sun like diamonds. 
The men were dressed in blue, of the same shade as their hats, and wore well-polished 
boots with a deep roll of blue at the tops. The men, Dorothy thought, were about as old 
as Uncle Henry, for two of them had beards. But the little woman was doubtless much 
older. Her face was covered with wrinkles, her hair was nearly white, and she walked 
rather stiffly.
  When these people drew near the house where Dorothy was standing in the doorway, they 
paused and whispered among themselves, as if afraid to come farther. But the little old 
woman walked up to Dorothy, made a low bow and said, in a sweet voice: "You are welcome, 
most noble Sorceress, to the land of the Munchkins.
  We are so grateful to you for having killed the Wicked Witch of the East, and for 
setting our people free from bondage." Dorothy listened to this speech with wonder. What 
could the little woman possibly mean by calling her a sorceress, and saying she had 
killed the Wicked Witch of the East?Dorothy was an innocent, harmless little girl, who 
had been carried by a cyclone many miles from home; and she had never killed anything in 
all her life.
  But the little woman evidently expected her to answer; so Dorothy said, with 
hesitation, "You are very kind, but there must be some mistake. I have not killed 
anything."
  "Your house did, anyway," replied the little old woman, with a laugh, "and that is the 
same thing. See!" she continued, pointing to the corner of the house. "There are her two 
feet, still sticking out from under a block of wood." Dorothy looked, and gave a little 
cry of fright. There, indeed, just under the corner of the great beam the house rested 
on, two feet were sticking out, shod in silver shoes with pointed toes.
  "Oh, dear! Oh, dear!" cried Dorothy, clasping her hands together in dismay. "The house 
must have fallen on her. Whatever shall we do?"
  "There is nothing to be done," said the little woman calmly.
  "But who was she?" asked Dorothy.
  "She was the Wicked Witch of the East, as I said," answered the little woman. "She has 
held all the Munchkins in bondage for many years, making them slave for her night and 
day. Now they are all set free, and are grateful to you for the favor."
  "Who are the Munchkins?" inquired Dorothy.
  "They are the people who live in this land of the East where the Wicked Witch ruled."
  "Are you a Munchkin?" asked Dorothy.
  "No, but I am their friend, although I live in the land of the North. When they saw the 
Witch of the East was dead the Munchkins sent a swift messenger to me, and I came at 
once. I am the Witch of the North."
  "Oh, gracious!" cried Dorothy. "Are you a real witch?"
  "Yes, indeed," answered the little woman. "But I am a good witch, and the people love 
me. I am not as powerful as the Wicked Witch was who ruled here, or I should have set the 
people free myself."
  "But I thought all witches were wicked," said the girl, who was half frightened at 
facing a real witch. "Oh, no, that is a great mistake. There were only four witches in 
all the Land of Oz, and two of them, those who live in the North and the South, are good 
witches. I know this is true, for I am one of them myself, and cannot be mistaken. Those 
who dwelt in the East and the West were, indeed, wicked witches; but now that you have 
killed one of them, there is but one Wicked Witch in all the Land of Oz-the one who lives 
in the West."
  "But," said Dorothy, after a moment's thought, "Aunt Em has told me that the witches 
were all dead-years and years ago."
  "Who is Aunt Em?" inquired the little old woman.
  "She is my aunt who lives in Kansas, where I came from." The Witch of the North seemed 
to think for a time, with her head bowed and her eyes upon the ground. Then she looked up 
and said, "I do not know where Kansas is, for I have never heard that country mentioned 
before. But tell me, is it a civilized country?"
  "Oh, yes," replied Dorothy.
  "Then that accounts for it. In the civilized countries I believe there are no witches 
left, nor wizards, nor sorceresses, nor magicians. But, you see, the Land of Oz has never 
been civilized, for we are cut off from all the rest of the world.
  Therefore we still have witches and wizards amongst us."
  "Who are the wizards?" asked Dorothy.
  "Oz himself is the Great Wizard," answered the Witch, sinking her voice to a whisper. 
"He is more powerful than all the rest of us together. He lives in the City of Emeralds." 
Dorothy was going to ask another question, but just then the Munchkins, who had been 
standing silently by, gave a loud shout and pointed to the corner of the house where the 
Wicked Witch had been lying.
  "What is it?" asked the little old woman, and looked, and began to laugh. The feet of 
the dead Witch had disappeared entirely, and nothing was left but the silver shoes.
  "She was so old," explained the Witch of the North, that she dried up quickly in the 
sun. That is the end of her. But the silver shoes are yours, and you shall have them to 
wear." She reached down and picked up the shoes, and after shaking the dust out of them 
handed them to Dorothy.
  "The Witch of the East was proud of those silver shoes," said one of the Munchkins, 
"and there is some charm connected with them; but what it is we never knew." Dorothy 
carried the shoes into the house and placed them on the table. Then she came out again to 
the Munchkins and said: "I am anxious to get back to my aunt and uncle, for I am sure 
they will worry about me. Can you help me find my way?" The Munchkins and the Witch first 
looked at one another, and then at Dorothy, and then shook their heads.
  "At the East, not far from here," said one, "there is a great desert, and none could 
live to cross it."
  "It is the same at the South," said another, "for I have been there and seen it. The 
South is the country of the Quadlings."
  "I am told," said the third man, "that it is the same at the West.
  And that country, where the Winkies live, is ruled by the Wicked Witch of the West, who