The Rescue of the Scarecrow

After the Wicked Witch of the West had been melted by a bucket of water, Dorothy and her companions were reunited in the Yellow Castle, but the Scarecrow was still missing. The Winged Monkeys had pulled all the straw out of his clothes and head, then bundled his hat, boots, and garments into a small package and thrown it into the top branches of a very tall tree. Dorothy, now free and determined to recover her friend, called the Winkies to help her, and they walked all that day and part of the next until they reached the tree where the Scarecrow's clothes had been tossed.

The Tree and the Axe

The tree was extremely tall, and its trunk was so smooth that no one could climb it. The Tin Woodman, however, declared at once that he would chop it down, and then they could get the Scarecrow's clothes. While the tinsmiths had been at work mending the Woodman himself, another of the Winkies, who was a goldsmith, had made an axe-handle of solid gold and fitted it to the Woodman's axe, replacing the old broken handle. Others had polished the blade until all the rust was removed and it glistened like burnished silver. As soon as he had spoken, the Tin Woodman began to chop, and in a short time the tree fell over with a crash, whereupon the Scarecrow's clothes fell out of the branches and rolled off on the ground.

Restuffing and Restoration

Dorothy picked up the clothes and had the Winkies carry them back to the castle. There, the clothes were stuffed with nice, clean straw, and behold! here was the Scarecrow, as good as ever, thanking them over and over again for saving him. The rescue completed the reunion of the four travelers, and they spent a few happy days at the Yellow Castle, where they found everything they needed to make them comfortable. The Scarecrow's restoration was the final act of recovery after the Witch's defeat, allowing the group to turn their thoughts toward returning to the Emerald City to claim the promises Oz had made to each of them.