Chapter 28

Daddy went to the store To get Puss a herring, And when he came back She kept loving and purring

Daddy went to the furrier's To get Puss a muff, And when he came back She was taking some snuff.

Daddy went to the baker's To get Puss a bun, And when he came back She was beating a drum.

Daddy went to the dressmaker's To buy Puss a frock, And when he came back She was winding the clock.

Daddy went to the jeweller's To get Puss a brooch, And when he came back She'd caught a cockroach.

Daddy went to Cole's Book Arcade Some cheap music to buy, And when he came back Puss had made a mud pie.

Daddy went to Cole's Book Arcade To buy Puss some pens, And when he came back She was feeding some hens.

Daddy went to Cole's Book Arcade To buy Puss a slate, And when he came back She opened the gate.

Daddy went to Cole's Book Arcade To buy Puss some ink, And when he came back She gave him a wink.

Daddy went to Cole's Book Arcade For an exercise book, And when he came back Puss gave a wise look.

Daddy went to Cole's Book Arcade To buy Puss a purse, And when he came back She was singing a verse.

Daddy went to Cole's Book Arcade And Oh me! Oh my! And when he came back Puss had swallowed a fly.

Daddy went to Cole's Book Arcade Some paper to buy, And when he came back Puss thought she would die.

Daddy went to the doctor's To get Puss a pill, And when he came back She still looked very ill.

Daddy went to the auction sale To buy Puss a bed, And when he came back Puss Shammed to be dead.

This was a very wise, knowing Puss; she could read and write, and liked books very, very much, and didn't want to die and be buried, and leave all the mice, and milk, and sausages, and nice books; so she made haste and got better, and when

Daddy went to the cemetery To dig her a grave, Puss rushed off at once Into Cole's Book Arcade.

And that is the present residence of Miss Puss.

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The Story of a Little Mouse: Or, Our Happy Family.

Once there was a little mouse, Who came to live in our house; She came because she was terribly frighten'd To stay outside as it thunder'd and lighten'd.

When she came in 'twas nearly dark, And Ponto he began to bark; But she ran round at a rapid rate, Then darted in behind the grate.

Ponto smelt, and sniff'd, and bark'd and scratch'd, But Mousey was safe and couldn't be catch'd; So Ponto, when tired laid down to sleep, And Mousey quite quiet determined to keep.

Mousey stayed there a month, as she thought it was better, And Ponto could smell her, but never could get her, But every morning when Ponto went out, Miss Mousey crept forth, and for crumbs looked about.

Now one day as Ponto came into the house, Thinks he, I'll be KIND to that poor little mouse; "So come out Miss Mousey," our Ponto he said, "And if anyone hurts you I'll bite off his head."

So the poor little mouse came out of the grate, And ate with our Ponto out of his plate, And always when Ponto laid down on the mat, Beside him Miss Mousey in her little chair sat.

But one rainy night as Miss Mousey sat still, A thing called a bat, came over the hill; But Ponto says to him, "You are not wanted here," And sent the bat off with a flea in his ear.

The very same night as they lay on the mat, What should come rushing in but a great big rat; Up jumped Mr. Ponto and gave a loud bark, And that rat scampered off out into the dark.

They had just got rid of the bat and the rat, And what should come in but a GREAT TOM CAT; Came jumping, springing, and bounding along, And frightened Miss Mousey more than a gong.

He raced after mousey, around, in and out, Through the house and the yard, and all round about; To the East, to the West, to the North, to the South, And at last caught her up in his great big mouth.

He squeezed her back hard and frighten'd her so, She scarcely could say, "O, please let me go!" But Tom spoke and said, "Mouse is very good meat, And as I feel hungry, why, it's you I shall eat."

Tom let her go once, but caught her afresh, Although Mousey made a most desperate dash; And again Mousey pleaded, "Oh, please let me go"; But Tom only answered, "Decidedly No!"

But as luck should now have it, our Ponto came in, And asked Mr. Puss, "What's this horrible din?" Says Puss to our Ponto, "I've caught this sly thief, And now I intend to bring her to grief."

Says Ponto to Puss, "The mouse is my friend, And if you would hurt her, why I must defend That nice little, kind little, good little mouse, As long as she ever remains in this house."

Says Pussy to Ponto, "I pray you don't fret; I'll love and I'll cherish your poor little pet; She shall sleep on the mat, and we'll find her in food, Because she is nice and because she is good."

So the nice little mouse, the dog and the cat, all three ate together, and slept on the mat; They sung, danc'd and romp'd with joy and merry laughter, And as the old take says, "Lived happy ever after."

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History of Mr. Tom Puss And The Rats

Mrs. Puss stayed at home, minded and played with young Master John Puss, Miss Mary Puss, and Baby Puss, while Mr. Puss went out to get them something to eat. He went into a barn, tied a piece of cheese to the tip of his tail, and put it through a hole in a door, thinking that he would catch a rat that way. Some very knowing rats on the other side of the door got a piece of string, tied it to his tail, pulled all together, and made Mr. Puss me-ow very loud, and he found that instead of his catching a rat, the rats had caught him. Mrs. Puss, finding that Mr. Puss did not come home, put little John Puss and Mary Puss to bed without any supper, and then sang little deaf Baby Puss off to sleep by means of the ear trumpet. The rats ate their supper off Mr. Puss's tail, and then let him go. You see what a fine long tail he had when he put it through the hole to catch rats in that foolish manner; and look at his short tail now, in the corner of the page.

Wasn't He A Foolish Puss!!!

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Puss In Boots

Once upon a time there was a miller who had three sons. When he was dying he left each of them a legacy. To his eldest son he left his mill; to his second his ass; and to his youngest his cat. The poor boy was very sad when he found that he had nothing belonging to him but a cat; but, to his great surprise, puss jumped on the table and said in a friendly manner: "Do not be sad, my dear master, only buy me a pair of boots and a bag and I'll provide for you and myself." So the miller's son, who had a shilling or two in his pocket, bought a smart little pair of boots and a bag, and gave them to puss, who put some bran and sow-thistles into his bag, opened the mouth of it, and lay down in a rabbit warren. A foolish young rabbit jumped into it; puss drew the string and soon killed it. He went immediately to the palace with it. He found the king and queen sitting on the throne, and, bowing low, he laid the rabbit at the king's feet, saying: "Please, your majesty, my master, the Marquis de Carabas, has sent you a rabbit from his warren, as a mark of respect." "I am much obliged to the Marquis," said the king, and he ordered the rabbit to be taken to the cook, and a piece of money to be given to the cat.

During two or three months the cat continued to carry game every now and then to the king, which was supposed to be the produce of his master's sport. One day when he happened to hear the king was going to take a drive on the banks of the river, in company with his daughter, who was the most beautiful princess in the world, puss desired the master to go and bathe in the river at the spot that he should point out, and leave the rest to him. The Marquis of Carabas did as his cat advised him. Just as he was bathing the king came past, when the cat bawled out as loud as he could--"Help! help! or the Marquis of Carabas will be drowned!" On hearing this, the king looked out of the carriage window, and recognising the cat, ordered his bodyguards to fly to the assistance of my Lord Marquis of Carabas. As the poor Marquis was being fished out of the river, the cat informed his majesty that, while his master was bathing, some robbers had stolen his clothes. The king immediately ordered the gentlemen of his wardrobe to fetch one of his most sumptuous dresses. No sooner had this been done and the Marquis suitably attired, then he looked to such advantage that the king took him to be a very fine gentleman; while the princess was so struck with his appearance, that at once she became head and ears in love with him.

The king insisted that the Marquis should get into the carriage. The cat, highly delighted at the turn thinks were taking, now ran on before, and having reached a meadow where there were some peasants, he thus accosted them; "I say, good folks, if you do not tell the king that this field belongs to the Marquis of Carabas, you shall all be chopped as fine as mince-meat." The king did not fail to inquire of the peasants to whom the meadow belonged? "To the Marquis of Carabas, please your majesty," said they in a breath.

And the cat kept running on before the carriage, and repeating the same instructions to all the labourers he met with, so that the king was astonished at the vast possessions of the Marquis of Carabas.

At length the cat reached a magnificent castle belonging to a giant who was immensely rich. The cat having inquired what sort of person the giant might be, and what he was able to do, sent in a message to request leave to speak with him.

The giant received him civilly. "I have been told," said the cat, "that you have the power of transforming yourself into all sorts of animals." "So I have," replied the giant, "and to prove the truth of what I say you shall see me become a lion." When the cat beheld a lion standing before him, and saw the monster quietly light his pipe, he was seized with such a panic that he clambered up to the roof. After a time, the cat perceiving that the giant had returned to his natural shape, came down again.

"And do you possess the power of assuming the shape of the smallest animals likewise?" "You shall see;" and the giant immediately assumed the shape of a mouse, when the cat pounced upon him and ate him up.

By this time the king had reached the gates of the Giant's magnificent castle, and expressed a wish to enter so splendid a building. The cat ran out to meet the king, saying--"Your majesty is welcome to the Marquis of Carabas's castle."

The king was so delighted with the Marquis of Carabas, that he accepted him as a son-in-law, and that very same day he was married to the princess.

The cat became a great lord, and ever after hunted mice only for his own amusement.

Monkey And The Cats

Two hungry cats having stolen some cheese, could not agree between themselves how to divide their booty; therefore they went to the law, and a cunning monkey was to decide their case.

"Let us see," said the judge (with as arch a look as could be); "ay, ay, this slice truly outweighs the other;" and with this he bit off a large piece, on order, as he told them, to make a fair balance.

The other scale had now become too heavy, which gave this upright judge a pretence to make free with a second mouthful.

"Hold, hold!" cried the two cats; give each of us our share of what is left and we will be content.

"If you are content," said the monkey, "justice is not; the law, my friends, must have it's course."

Upon this he nibbled first one piece and then the other, till the poor cats, seeing their cheese in a fair way to be all eaten up, most humbly begged him not to put himself to any further trouble, to give them what still remained.

"Ha! ha! ha! not so fast, I beseech you, good ladies," said the monkey; "we owe justice to ourselves as well as to you: and what remains is due to me as the lawyer." Upon this he crammed the whole into his mouth at once, and very gravely broke up the court.

This fable teaches us that it is better to put up with a trifling loss, than to run the risk of losing all we have by going to the law.

Dick Whittington And His Cat

There was once a Lord Mayor of London, whose name was Sir Richard Whittington. He rose to that office from being a poor orphan, living in a distant village. Dick was a sharp boy, and was always picking up knowledge from some of the villagers. Dick heard of the great City of London; he often heard it said that the streets were paved all over with gold.

One day seeing a waggon and team of horses on the road to London; he took courage and asked the waggoner to let him walk by his side. Having gained permission, they set off together. When Dick got to London, he was very eager to see the fine streets paved all over with gold, but the poor boy saw nothing but dirt instead of gold, so he crouched down at the door of one Mr. Fitzwarren, a great merchant. Here he was soon found by an ill-tempered cook, who ordered him to go about his business. But just at this moment Mr. Fitzwarren himself came home, and finding that the poor boy was willing to work, he took him into his house, and said that he should be kept to do what dirty work he was able for the cook. The cook was always scolding him from morning till night, and was very cruel to him. Poor Dick had another hardship. His bed was places in a garret where there were great numbers of rats and mice, which ran over his face, and made a great noise. Dick at last bought a cat which was famous for being an excellent mouser.

Soon after this, the merchant, who had a ship ready to sail, asked his servants if they would send any goods abroad. All the servants mentioned something they were willing to venture but poor Whittington, who said he had nothing but a cat which was his companion.

"Fetch thy cat, boy," said Mr. Fitzwarren, "and let her go." Dick hesitated for some time; at last he brought poor Puss, and delivered her to the captain with tears in his eyes. The cook continued to be so cruel to him that the unhappy fellow determined to leave his place. He accordingly packed up his few things, and travelled as far as Holloway, and there sat down on a stone. While he was there musing, Bow-bells began to ring; and it seemed to him that their sound said:

_"Turn again, Whittington,_ _Lord Mayor of London."_

So back went Dick, and got into the house before the cook came down stairs.

The ship with Dick's cat on board happened to be driven by contrary winds on a part of the coast of Barbary, inhabited by Moors, who showed great eagerness to purchase the things with which the ship was laden. The captain seeing this, took patterns of the choicest articles he had to the King of the Moors. While he was showing them to him, dinner was brought in, and at once lots of rats and mice came in and ate up all the dainties. The captain was astonished when the King told him that this often happened. The captain rushed off at once to the ship, and brought Puss to the palace. The second dinner had been brought in, and, as usual, in came the rats and mice; Pussy at the sight of them sprang out of the captain's arms and killed lots of them, and the rest ran off to their holes. The King was greatly pleased with the wonderful Puss, and gave two sackfuls of gold for the cat, and the captain at once sailed for London. When Mr. Fitzwarren heard the news, he ordered Dick Whittington to be called, and showed him all the riches which the captain had brought in exchange for his cat. Dick was now a rich man, and soon after married the merchant's daughter, at the very church whose bells seemed to call him back to London. He grew richer and richer, became Sheriff, and at length Lord Mayor of London.

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The White Kitten

My little white kitten's Asleep on my knee; As white as snow Or the lily is she; She wakes up with a purr When I stroke her soft fur; Was there ever another White kitten like her?

My little white kitten Now wants to go out And frolic, with no one To watch her about: "Little kitten," I say, "Just an hour you may stay; And be careful in choosing Your places to play."

But night has come down, And I hear a loud "mew"; I open the door, and my Kitten comes through; My white kitten! ah me! Oh! can it be she-- This sad looking beggar-like Cat that I see?

What ugly grey marks On her side and her back! Her nose, once as pink As a rosebud, is black! Oh! I very well know, Though she does not say so, She has been where white kittens Ought never to go.

If little good children Would wish to do right, If little white kittens Would keep themselves white, It is needful that they In their houses should stay, Or be careful in choosing Their places to play.

Kitty

Pretty little Kitty Sat upon a stile, Sang a little ditty To herself for a while, Watching how the sparrows-- Seeking grain to eat-- Dart about like arrows In among the wheat.

Pretty little Kitty Liked the birds to see! Though it was a pity They were wild and free. So she stopped her singing-- Left the stile forlorn; And went gaily springing In among the corn.

Pretty little Kitty Fond of country things, Cares not for the city Where no birdie sings.

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Naughty Pussy

"Oh, for shame, Baby Cat, Mother's pet Her cupboard at.

"With a spoon Eating Jam Quite ashamed Of you I am.

"If she comes And catches you You'll be punished Rightly too.

"She will send you Straight to bed, With for supper Plain dry bread."

Little Pussy

I love little Pussy, Her coat is so warm; And if I don't tease her, She'll do me no harm.

I'll not pull her tail, Nor drive her away, But Pussy and I Very gently will play.

She'll be gentle with me, If I'm gentle with her, And if I speak kindly, I know she will purr.

She shall sit by my side, And I'll give her some food And Pussy will love me Because I am good.

It's true, if I tease her, Her claws she will show; But Pussy knows well That I never do so.

Puss and the Crab

"I wonder," says puss, "If a thing like that Would presume to bite A respectable cat?

'Tis the queerest thing That ever I saw; I'll hit it a slap With my strong forepaw.

No! No! On the whole I had better not; But what curious claws The creature has got!

I'll just step up And quietly ask it How it got out Of that market-basket.

I'll play with the animal, Just to see If it wants to do Any harm to me.

No! I thank I had better Get out of its way, And I surely am safer Not even to play.

For I'll get into trouble, And horribly wail, If that thing with the claws Takes a grip on my tail."

Rev. A. Taylor

Little Pussies

Three little pussies, All in a row, Ranged on the table, Two down below.

Five little pussies Dressed all in silk, Waiting for sugar, Waiting for milk.

Dear little pussies, If you would thrive, Breakfast at nine o'clock, Take tea at five.

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Puss in the Corner

You are a naughty pussy-cat; I think it right to mention that For all who see your picture here-- 'Twas you who broke my bunny dear.

An hour ago, as you can tell, I left him here, alive and well; And now he's dead, and, what is more You've broke his leg, I'm pretty sure.

For you, my puss, I'll never care, No--never, never, never--there! And you are in disgrace, you know, And in the corner you must go.

What, crying? Then I must cry too, And I can't bear to punish you; Perhaps you've only stunned his head.

And though I'm sure you broke his leg, It may be mended with a peg; And though he's very, very funny, My bunny's not a real bunny; And I'll forgive and tell you that You are my precious pussy-cat.

Robert Mack

Tabby

Tabby was a kitten, Tabby was a thief. Tabby tried to steal the cream, And so she came to grief.

Jumping on the table (Nobody was nigh), On the pretty cream-jug Tabby cast her eye:

Wondered what was in it; Thought she'd like to see; Crept a little nearer, Slyly as could be.

Cream was very low down; Jug was very high; "Must have some," said Tabby. "Even if I die!"

Then into the cream-jug Popped her naughty nose; Just what happened after, Only Tabby knows.

This is how we found her, Naughty little cat! Did she get a whipping, Think you, after that?

Tabby was a kitten, Tabby was a thief, Tabby tried to steal the cream, And so she came to grief.

Old Puss

Don't hurt the poor old cat, There can be no fun in that; And it would be cruel too-- She never tried to injure you.

She, for years, has kept the house Free from thievish rat and mouse; Puss has always faithful been, And has kept herself so clean.

True, she now is getting old, Though she once was strong and bold; At her prey she cannot leap, And, if caught, can scarcely keep.

Poor old puss! 'Twould be a shame Thee for uselessness to blame; When though canst not active be-- Useless through infirmity.

In the Park

I'm a rich little kitten: I live at my ease,

I keep my own carriage, I go where I please;

My turn-out is stylish, I nothing neglect,

And often I notice That all recollect

That a rich little kitten Deserves much respect.

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The Dead Kitten

Don't talk to me of parties, Nan; I really cannot go; When folks are in affliction They don't go out, you know. I have a new brown sash, too; It seems a pity--eh? That such a dreadful trial Should have come just yesterday!

The play-house blinds are all pulled down As dark as it can be; It looks so very solemn And so proper, don't you see? And I have a piece of crape Pinned on my dolly's hat, Tom says it is ridiculous For only just a cat.

But boys are all so horrid! They always, every one, Delight in teasing little girls And kitties, "just for fun." The way he used to pull her tail-- It makes me angry now-- And scat her up the cherry tree, To make the darling "meow!"