strong did not change as years passed them
by; the children remained children always, 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 reading, 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 spoil