Chapter Thirteen
Scraps and the Scarecrow
From here on the country improved and the desert
places began to give way to fertile spots; still
no houses were yet to be seen near the road. There
were some hills, with valleys between them, and on
reaching the top of one of these hills the
travelers found before them a high wall, running
to the right and the left as far as their eyes
could reach. Immediately in front of them, where
the wall crossed the roadway, stood a gate having
stout iron bars that extended from top to bottom.
They found, on coming nearer, that this gate was
locked with a great padlock, rusty through lack of
use.
"Well," said Scraps, "I guess we'll stop here."
"It's a good guess," replied Ojo. "Our way is
barred by this great wall and gate. It looks as if
no one had passed through in many years."
"Looks are deceiving," declared the Shaggy Man,
laughing at their disappointed faces, "and this
barrier is the most deceiving thing in all Oz."
"It prevents our going any farther, anyhow,"
said Scraps. "There is no one to mind the gate
and let people through, and we've no key to
the padlock."
"True," replied Ojo, going a little nearer to
peep through the bars of the gate.
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