not, for a dead truth
is better than a live falsehood.

About noon the travelers reached a large field of pumpkins--a vegetable
quite appropriate to the yellow country of the Winkies--and some of the
pumpkins which grew there were of remarkable size. Just before they
entered upon this field they saw three little mounds that looked like
graves, with a pretty headstone to each one of them.

"What is this?" asked Dorothy, in wonder.

"It's Jack Pumpkinhead's private graveyard," replied the Tin Woodman.

"But I thought nobody ever died in Oz," she said.

"Nor do they; although if one is bad, he may be condemned and killed by
the good citizens," he answered.

Dorothy ran over to the little graves and read the words engraved upon
the tombstones. The first one said:

Here Lies the Mortal Part of
JACK PUMPKINHEAD
Which Spoiled April 9th.

She then went to the next stone, which read:

Here Lies the Mortal Part of
JACK PUMPKINHEAD
Which Spoiled October 2nd.

On the third stone were carved these words:

Here Lies the Mortal Part of
JACK PUMPKINHEAD
Which Spoiled January 24th.

"Poor Jack!" sighed Dorothy. "I'm sorry he had to die in three parts,
for I hoped to see him again."

"So you shall," declared the Tin Woodman, "since he is still alive.
Come with me to his house, for Jack is now a farmer and lives in this
very pumpkin field."

They walked over to a monstrous big, hollow pumpkin which had a door
and windows cut through the rind. There was a stovepipe running
through the stem, and six steps had been built leading up to the front
door.

They walked up to this door and looked in. Seated on a bench was a man
clothed in a spotted shirt, a red vest, and faded blue trousers, whose
body was merely sticks of wood, jointed clumsily together. On his neck
was set a round, yellow pumpkin, with a face carved on it such as a boy
often carves on a jack-lantern.

This queer man was engaged in snapping slippery pumpkin-seeds with his
wooden fingers, trying to hit a target on the other side of the room
with them. He did not know he had visitors until Dorothy exclaimed:

"Why, it's Jack Pumpkinhead himself!"

He turned and saw them, and at once came forward to greet the little
Kansas girl and Nick Chopper, and to be introduced to their new friends.

Button-Bright was at first rather shy with the quaint Pumpkinhead, but
Jack's face was so jolly and smiling--being carved tha