t running
before the beast was a little gray field mouse, and although he had no
heart he knew it was wrong for the Wildcat to try to kill such a
pretty, harmless creature.

So the Woodman raised his axe, and as the Wildcat ran by he gave it a
quick blow that cut the beast's head clean off from its body, and it
rolled over at his feet in two pieces.

The field mouse, now that it was freed from its enemy, stopped short;
and coming slowly up to the Woodman it said, in a squeaky little voice:

"Oh, thank you! Thank you ever so much for saving my life."

"Don't speak of it, I beg of you," replied the Woodman. "I have no
heart, you know, so I am careful to help all those who may need a
friend, even if it happens to be only a mouse."

"Only a mouse!" cried the little animal, indignantly. "Why, I am a
Queen--the Queen of all the Field Mice!"

"Oh, indeed," said the Woodman, making a bow.

"Therefore you have done a great deed, as well as a brave one, in
saving my life," added the Queen.

At that moment several mice were seen running up as fast as their
little legs could carry them, and when they saw their Queen they
exclaimed:

"Oh, your Majesty, we thought you would be killed! How did you manage
to escape the great Wildcat?" They all bowed so low to the little
Queen that they almost stood upon their heads.

"This funny tin man," she answered, "killed the Wildcat and saved my
life. So hereafter you must all serve him, and obey his slightest
wish."

"We will!" cried all the mice, in a shrill chorus. And then they
scampered in all directions, for Toto had awakened from his sleep, and
seeing all these mice around him he gave one bark of delight and jumped
right into the middle of the group. Toto had always loved to chase
mice when he lived in Kansas, and he saw no harm in it.

But the Tin Woodman caught the dog in his arms and held him tight,
while he called to the mice, "Come back! Come back! Toto shall not
hurt you."

At this the Queen of the Mice stuck her head out from underneath a
clump of grass and asked, in a timid voice, "Are you sure he will not
bite us?"

"I will not let him," said the Woodman; "so do not be afraid."

One by one the mice came creeping back, and Toto did not bark again,
although he tried to get out of the Woodman's arms, and would have
bitten him had he not known very well he was made of tin. Finally one
of the biggest mice spoke.

"Is there anything we can do," it asked,