, and played and romped
to their hearts' content, while all the babies lived in their cradles
and were tenderly cared for and never grew up. So people in Oz stopped
counting how old they were in years, for years made no difference in
their appearance and could not alter their station. They did not get
sick, so there were no doctors among them. Accidents might happen to
some, on rare occasions, it is true, and while no one could die
naturally, as other people do, it was possible that one might be
totally destroyed. Such incidents, however, were very unusual, and so
seldom was there anything to worry over that the Oz people were as
happy and contented as can be.

Another strange thing about this fairy Land of Oz was that whoever
managed to enter it from the outside world came under the magic spell
of the place and did not change in appearance as long as they lived
there. So Dorothy, who now lived with Ozma, seemed just the same sweet
little girl she had been when first she came to this delightful
fairyland.

Perhaps all parts of Oz might not be called truly delightful, but it
was surely delightful in the neighborhood of the Emerald City, where
Ozma reigned. Her loving influence was felt for many miles around, but
there were places in the mountains of the Gillikin Country, and the
forests of the Quadling Country, and perhaps in far-away parts of the
Munchkin and Winkie Countries, where the inhabitants were somewhat rude
and uncivilized and had not yet come under the spell of Ozma's wise and
kindly rule. Also, when Oz first became a fairyland, it harbored
several witches and magicians and sorcerers and necromancers, who were
scattered in various parts, but most of these had been deprived of
their magic powers, and Ozma had issued a royal edict forbidding anyone
in her dominions to work magic except Glinda the Good and the Wizard of
Oz. Ozma herself, being a real fairy, knew a lot of magic, but she only
used it to benefit her subjects.

This little explanation will help you to understand better the story
you are reaching, but most of it is already known to those who are
familiar with the Oz people whose adventures they have followed in
other Oz books.

Ozma and Dorothy were fast friends and were much together. Everyone in
Oz loved Dorothy almost as well as they did their lovely Ruler, for the
little Kansas girl's good fortune had not spoiled her or rendered her
at all vain. She was just the same brave and true and adven