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Baum, L. Frank (Lyman Frank), 1856-1919

"The Patchwork Girl of Oz"

I suppose you strangers
thought their city more beautiful than ours,
because you judged from appearances and they have
handsome marble houses and marble streets; but if
you entered one of their stiff dwellings you would
find it bare and uncomfortable, as all their show
is on the outside. They have an idea that what is
not seen by others is not important, but with us
the rooms we live in are our chief delight and
care, and we pay no attention to outside show."
"Seems to me," said Scraps, musingly, "it
would be better to make it all pretty--inside
and out."
"Seems? Why, you're all seams, my girl!" said
the Chief; and then he laughed heartily at his
latest joke and a chorus of small voices echoed
the chorus with "tee-hee-hee! ha, ha!"
Scraps turned around and found a row of
girls seated in radium chairs ranged along one
wall of the room. There were nineteen of them,
by actual count, and they were of all sizes from
a tiny child to one almost a grown woman. All
were neatly dressed in spotless white robes and
had brown skins, horns on their foreheads and
three-colored hair.
"These," said the Chief, "are my sweet
daughters. My dears, I introduce to you Miss
Scraps Patchwork, a lady who is traveling in
foreign parts to increase her store of wisdom.


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