"
Many were the doubtful looks cast upon the heap of miscellaneous material
that now cluttered the roof, and finally the Scarecrow shook his head and
remarked:
"Well, if friend Nick can manufacture, from this mess of rubbish, a Thing
that will fly through the air and carry us to safety, then I will
acknowledge him to be a better mechanic than I suspected."
But the Tin Woodman seemed at first by no means sure of his powers, and only
after polishing his forehead vigorously with the chamois-leather did he
resolve to undertake the task.
"The first thing required for the machine," said he, "is a body big enough
to carry the entire party. This sofa is the biggest thing we have, and might
be used for a body. But, should the machine ever tip sideways, we would all
slide off and fall to the ground."
195
"Why not use two sofas?" asked Tip. "There's another one just like this down
stairs."
"That is a very sensible suggestion," exclaimed the Tin Woodman. "You must
fetch the other sofa at once."
So Tip and the Saw-Horse managed, with much labor, to get the second sofa to
the roof; and when the two were placed together, edge to edge, the backs and
ends formed a protecting rampart all around the seats.
Pages:
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139