"Well, next time think before you shoot," cried the owl; "it may save you many a miss!"
PUSS GOES ON A SHOPPING TRIP TO MAKE A LITTLE MAID HAPPY
"The rose is red, the violet blue; The gillyflower"s sweet, and so are you.
These are the words you bade me say For a pair of new gloves on Easter Day."
Puss, Jr., looked down from his horse at a little girl who was swinging on the front gate. He pulled up his good gray horse:
"A pair of new gloves on Easter Day? Is that what you want the most?"
"Yes, indeed," cried the little girl. "I"ve got a new bonnet with red ribbons on it, and also a gown of yellow and brown; a pair of silk hose of the color of rose, and a lovely new pin with a big diamond in. A parasol, too, of purple and blue."
"Wait a minute," said Puss, "you talk so fast, and your words all rhyme, and you"ve got so many things, of so many different colors that--that I really don"t remember whether you said you had a pair of gloves, after all."
"No, my dear p.u.s.s.y-cat," said the little maid, with a pout. "I have new shoes, and new _everything_ but gloves. Now won"t you bring me a pair for Easter Day?"
"Where shall I buy them?" asked Puss. "I don"t see any shops about, and if I must go all the way to London for them you"ll never receive them in time for this Easter."
"Not far from here," cried the little maid, "is a tiny shop where they make beautiful gloves. Take the first road to your right and then turn to your left, and then turn to your right, and then you"ll see it."
"Whew! Mew!" cried Puss. "Well, here goes. I"ll do the best I can, but if I do not return you will know that I turned to the left when I should have turned to the right, and then that I turned to the right when I should have turned to the left, and so got all mixed up and never found the tiny shop where the beautiful gloves are made." This was a long sentence for Puss, but he was learning how to make conversation after the manner of little girls!
But his good gray horse must have remembered the directions, for he landed his small master safe at the glove-shop. Puss, Jr., bought a lovely pair of gloves and remounted his horse. Soon he was back again in front of the little gate where a short half-hour before the little girl had been swinging back and forth. She had disappeared, but he heard her singing.
"Where are the gloves for Easter Day?" she cried, running out of the door of the cottage.
"Here they are, my pretty one," said Puss.
"The rose is red, the violet blue; The gillyflower"s sweet, and so are you,"
sang the little girl as she tried them on.
"These are the words you bade me say For a pair of new gloves on Easter Day,
"Aren"t they, dear Puss, Junior?" she said, with a smile, looking up at him.
PUSS CONVERSES WITH AN INTELLIGENT GRAY DONKEY
"Donkey, donkey, old and gray, Ope your mouth and gently bray, Lift your ears and blow your horn To wake the world this sleepy morn,"
called Puss, Jr., who always remembered his _Mother Goose_ rhymes perfectly.
The donkey paused in his grazing and looked up. "This sleepy morn," he repeated. "I don"t call this a "sleepy morn." I should say it was very wide awake."
"I guess it is," admitted Puss, "but, you see, I was only saying a little rhyme from _Mother Goose_."
"Well, I don"t see how it applies to the present situation at all,"
replied the donkey, in a rather ungracious manner. "The only thing you have right is the donkey part."
Puss felt rather crestfallen. To be corrected by a donkey, generally considered one of the stupidest of animals, was not at all to his liking. Puss evidently forgot for the moment that all _Mother Goose_ animals are very intelligent, for otherwise how would they have been celebrated in rhyme? But, like a wise cat, he took the rebuke meekly and said nothing.
"Well," said the donkey, after a pause, "can I do anything else for you, Sir Cat? Granting that it is too late to wake the morn, there may be other requests with which I will gladly comply."
"Gracious me!" thought Puss to himself, "he uses big words."
The donkey c.o.c.ked up both ears as if awaiting Puss, Jr."s, reply.
"Which is the shorter road across Mother Goose Land?" inquired Puss.
"I don"t know the exact number of miles," replied the donkey, thoughtfully, "but the road to your left is the shorter. The one to your right leads to the seash.o.r.e. Gingerbread Bridge is at the ending."
"What!" exclaimed Puss, Jr. "Why, you don"t say so!"
"What do you know about Gingerbread Bridge?" asked the donkey.
"I crossed it once, and not so very long ago, either," replied Puss.
"Then you certainly don"t want to take Gingerbread Road," replied the donkey, "so it is not hard to choose which way to go."
"Thank you," said Puss, turning his horse"s head down the road to the left. "I will take the left road because it is the right road!"
"Ha, ha!" brayed the donkey, "that"s a good joke for a cat. May you have a pleasant journey!"
"Lift your ears and blow your horn; the sheep"s in the meadow, the cows"
in the corn!" cried Puss, gaily. "Although the morn is awake, I fear Boy Blue is still asleep."
And with these words our small hero cantered down the road and out of sight.
PUSS MEETS A HAPPY FARMER BUT MISSES A GOOD MEAL
Toward noon of a fine day Puss, Jr., halted his good gray horse near a meadow. Standing near the fence, sharpening his scythe, stood a young farmer. His wide straw hat kept off the sun and his loose shirt and open collar let in the breeze which was blowing across the green gra.s.s.
"Warm day," said Puss, as he drew rein.
"Well," replied the farmer, "it"s not so bad. I don"t feel it." And he commenced to sing:
"My maid Mary she minds the dairy, While I go a-hoeing and mowing each morn, Gaily run the reel and the little spinning-wheel, Whilst I am singing and mowing my corn."