Now as soon as the old woman who lived next door saw Puss, Junior, climb the tree to catch the parrot who had flown out of the window, she cried, "Don"t let the p.u.s.s.y cat get you, Polly."
But goodness me! As soon as the old woman"s parrot heard that he was up in the tree with the other parrot, and then they both began to scream, "I won"t come back! I won"t come back!"
"I don"t care what they do," said the old woman, "I"d much rather have a cat for a pet than a parrot, anyway. He has been a dreadful care ever since my son, who is a sailor, brought him home."
So Puss looked down from the tree and said, "Then would you rather I didn"t catch your parrot?"
"Yes, let him go," said the old woman.
"But I must catch the other one," said Puss.
"Well, you"ll have to get a pair of wings, my dear Sir Cat," cried the parrot. "You may be Puss in Boots, Junior, but you can"t fly. So I bid you farewell," and away he flew, and then the old woman"s parrot clapped his wings and followed him.
[Ill.u.s.tration]
So there was nothing for Puss to do but come down from the tree. And then all of a sudden the old woman cried, "Why, here comes my son," and a sailor boy jumped over the fence and threw his arms around her.
"My ship just got in to-day, mother," he cried, giving her a big hug.
And after that he looked at Puss, and said, "Shiver my timbers, but that"s a fine cat you have, mother."
"He"s not mine," answered the old woman, "but I wish he would stay with us, my parrot has just flown away."
"Thank you, madam," said Puss, "but I must be on my way to find my father, Puss in Boots."
"We sail to-morrow," said the sailor boy, "why don"t you come aboard ship? You"ll have a fine trip, and maybe you"ll find your father at the first sea-port we reach."
"Good idea," cried Puss, "I"ll go with you."
"All right, my hearty," cried the sailor boy, slapping Puss on the back, "you and I will be pals. A sailor"s life is the life for me."
"Then I"ll be a sailor, too," cried Puss, "and to-morrow we will sail the ocean blue."
A WONDERFUL SHIP
"I SAW a ship a-sailing, A-sailing on the sea; And it was full of pretty things For baby and for me."
"Hurrah!" cried Puss, Junior, "A sailor"s life is the life for me." The good ship was at the dock, and her crew of sailor boys were ready to cast off the mooring lines. Puss, Junior, had been promised a sailor-suit as soon as the ship"s tailor had the time to make it.
Just then the little woman who hung her baby"s cradle on the willow tree by the old mill, came walking down to the dock.
"Are you going, too?" asked Puss, helping her with the cradle, for she had walked a long way and was very tired.
"Yes, indeed," she replied, "because it"s full of pretty things for baby and for me."
"How jolly!" cried Puss, dancing about on his toes. "We"ll have a fine trip."
"That"s what the "rusty, dusty" miller said," cried the baby"s mother.
"He told me this morning when I put the cradle in the "Rock-a-by" willow tree that the ship was sailing to-day and that they needed a cook; so I"m going to ask the Captain if I may cook and bake for you all. I know how to make the nicest cookies you ever ate. You just wait and see what nice things we will have to eat."
Then Puss helped her over the gang-plank, for the crew was busy loading the good ship with all kinds of things.
[Ill.u.s.tration]
Pretty soon the miller came running down the dock. "Here is a sack of flour," he panted, "I thought you might need some for m.u.f.fins."
"Isn"t that fine?" said Puss, leaning over the rail. "There"s nothing like having plenty of food aboard in case the voyage is a long one."
"I don"t know where we are bound," said the baby"s mother, "but baby will like it, I"m sure. One can "rock-a-by baby" on the sea as well as on the old willow tree."
"I heard," said the "rusty, dusty" miller, as he laid the heavy sack of flour on the deck, and wiped the perspiration from his forehead, "that
"There were sweetmeats in the cabin, And apples in the hold; The sails were made of silk, And the masts were made of gold."
"Why, so they are," cried Puss, gazing up at the beautiful tall shining masts. "They are of gold, of course they are. Look, baby," he cried, "see the gold masts."
"He"s too young to know whether they are made of gold or good old oak,"
said his mother, "but we"ll teach him to be a good sailor, won"t we, Puss, dear?"
ALL ABOARD!
"ALL aboard!" shouted the Captain.
"The four and twenty sailors That stood between the decks, Were four and twenty white mice, With chains about their necks."
"There"s a locket fastened to every chain," cried Puss. "What pretty lockets."
"Each little sailor mouse has a picture of his mother in his locket,"
said the Captain, who stood near by giving the orders. Now,
"The captain was a duck, With a packet on his back; And when the ship began to move The Captain cried, "Quack! Quack!""
"h.e.l.lo!" said Puss, Junior, stretching out his right paw. "h.e.l.lo, Captain! Aren"t you the duck that took me across the pond on your back a long, long time ago. You told me about your cousin, the Golden Goose, don"t you remember?"
"So I did," said the Captain, looking Puss over. "Shiver my timbers if you"re not Puss, Junior!"
"The very same," replied Puss.
"And haven"t you found your daddy yet?" asked the Captain as his good ship swung away from the dock, her silk sails filling with the breeze until they looked like great big balloons cut in half.
"No, Captain," replied Puss, sadly, "I haven"t."