"Of course!" chuckled the Wizard. "It's a hickory tree!"
"But I don't see—" began Dorothy in perplexity.
"What do squirrels like best of all, my dear?" asked the Wizard, smiling with amusement.
"Oh, Wizard, why didn't I think of that? They like nuts, of course!"
"Exactly!" snapped the little red squirrel. "And since pine trees do not bear nuts and hickory trees do—well, city life and fine company may be all right for some folks, but I prefer to remain here in comfort where I know my family will be well provided for."
And with that the wise little creature gave a leap and a bound and darted up the trunk of the one and only nut tree in all the Pine Forest.
Dorothy and the Wizard followed the pine-needle trail on through the Pine Forest until finally the trees thinned and they stepped out into an open meadow, bright with yellow buttercups. The sun was almost directly overhead by this time.
Below the two travelers, in a pretty green valley that formed the center of the mountain top, lay a small village of several hundred cottages, all similar to Hi-Lo's. The buildings were painted with glossy blue enamel and shone brilliantly in the sun. They were grouped in a circle about one large central cottage that differed from the others in that it was considerably larger, and, from where Dorothy and the Wizard stood, appeared to be surrounded by rather extensive gardens and grounds.
