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3. Letters in the Sand
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"Thenhowdidyougetawayfromthereagain?"askedBillina.
"Ihadapairofsilvershoes,thatcarriedmethroughtheair;butIlostthem,"saidDorothy.
"Ah,indeed,"remarkedtheyellowhen,inatoneofunbelief.
"Anyhow,"resumedthegirl,"thereisnoseashoreneartheLandofOz,sothismustsurelybesomeotherfairycountry."
Whileshewasspeakingsheselectedabrightandprettydinner-pailthatseemedtohaveastouthandle,andpickeditfromitsbranch.Then,accompaniedbytheyellowhen,shewalkedoutoftheshadowofthetreestowardthesea-shore.
TheywerepartwayacrossthesandswhenBillinasuddenlycried,inavoiceofterror:
"What’sthat?"
Dorothyturnedquicklyaround,andsawcomingoutofapaththatledfrombetweenthetreesthemostpeculiarpersonhereyeshadeverbeheld.
Ithadtheformofaman,exceptthatitwalked,orratherrolled,uponallfours,anditslegswerethesamelengthasitsarms,givingthemtheappearanceofthefourlegsofabeast.YetitwasnobeastthatDorothyhaddiscovered,forthepersonwasclothedmostgorgeouslyinembroideredgarmentsofmanycolors,andworeastrawhatperchedjauntilyuponthesideofitshead.Butitdifferedfromhumanbeingsinthisrespect,thatinsteadofhandsandfeettheregrewattheendofitsarmsandlegsroundwheels,andbymeansofthesewheelsitrolledveryswiftlyoverthelevelground.AfterwardDorothyfoundthattheseoddwheelswereofthesamehardsubstancethatourfinger-nailsandtoe-nailsarecomposedof,andshealsolearnedthatcreaturesofthisstrangeracewereborninthisqueerfashion.
