16. Visiting the Pumpkin-Field

           DorothyletButton-Brightwinduptheclock-workinthecoppermanthismorning—histhinkingmachinefirst,thenhisspeech,andfinallyhisaction;sohewoulddoubtlessrunperfectlyuntiltheyhadreachedtheEmeraldCity.Thecoppermanandthetinmanweregoodfriends,andnotsomuchalikeasyoumightthink.Foronewasaliveandtheothermovedbymeansofmachinery;onewastallandangularandtheothershortandround.YoucouldlovetheTinWoodmanbecausehehadafinenature,kindlyandsimple;butthemachinemanyoucouldonlyadmirewithoutloving,sincetolovesuchathingashewasasimpossibleastoloveasewing-machineoranautomobile.YetTik-tokwaspopularwiththepeopleofOzbecausehewassotrustworthy,reliableandtrue;hewassuretodoexactlywhathewaswounduptodo,atalltimesandinallcircumstances.Perhapsitisbettertobeamachinethatdoesitsdutythanaflesh-and-bloodpersonwhowillnot,foradeadtruthisbetterthanalivefalsehood.

           Aboutnoonthetravelersreachedalargefieldofpumpkins—avegetablequiteappropriatetotheyellowcountryoftheWinkies—andsomeofthepumpkinswhichgrewtherewereofremarkablesize.Justbeforetheyentereduponthisfieldtheysawthreelittlemoundsthatlookedlikegraves,withaprettyheadstonetoeachoneofthem.

           "Whatisthis?"askedDorothy,inwonder.

           "It’sJackPumpkinhead’sprivategraveyard,"repliedtheTinWoodman.

           "ButIthoughtnobodyeverdiedinOz,"shesaid.

           "Nordothey;althoughifoneisbad,hemaybecondemnedandkilledbythegoodcitizens,"heanswered.