The little hen moved uneasily and looked appealingly at Puss.
"What can I do?" he said to himself. Suddenly a bright idea came into his head, and, turning toward the kitchen, he opened the door very softly and peered in. To his great delight he saw Jack sound asleep in the big rocking-chair that the giant"s wife sat in during the few moments of the day in which she was not hard at work. Puss, Jr., carefully set his boots down near the door and walked over to Jack.
Fearing he might let out a cry of surprise upon seeing him, Puss paused.
"How shall I waken him without startling him?" he asked himself. It was indeed a problem. Should Jack give a scream the giant would wake and rush in. Then all would be lost. It was a trying moment for Puss, Jr.
Suddenly an owl hooted outside. Jack slowly opened his eyes.
""S-sh!" cautioned Puss, quietly, "be careful!"
"Don"t worry," replied Jack in a whisper. "I"ve no desire to make the acquaintance of the giant. He wouldn"t care for my stories. He"d just eat me up."
"That he would," said Puss. "He"s no good, either. He broke his promise to me last night," and then Puss told Jack how the giant had said he would let the little hen off for once if Puss would tell some of his adventures.
"And I spent all last evening telling him stories till I was tired out,"
concluded Puss, "and now he has kept that poor little hen by his side all night long. She"s in the great living-room on the table, not daring to move. And the giant has the gold egg tightly grasped in his hand."
"Let"s rescue the little hen," said Puss.
"How can we?" asked Jack.
"Why, just run off with her," replied Puss.
"Where to?" said Jack, for he was still rather sleepy and his mind was not working as rapidly as Puss, Jr."s.
"Take her home to your mother," whispered Puss. Together they crept into the room where the giant still lay snoring. Jack carefully picked up the little hen and started for the door. As he did so he knocked Puss, Jr."s, staff from his paw.
"Run!" cried Puss, as the giant opened his eyes. They fell upon Puss, for Jack had disappeared down the bean-stalk.
"You have stolen my hen!" he roared.
Puss darted in another direction and the giant after him. Just then the little owl, who had awakened Jack, flew near and called out:
"The Owl and the p.u.s.s.y-Cat went to sea In a beautiful pea-green boat."
And this is the way Puss, Jr., escaped from the wicked giant.
PUSS, JR., MEETS MR. ROWLEY FROG
The following day Puss, Jr., was trudging along near the edge of a forest. The land was rather low and marshy, and the path was none too dry. He gingerly picked his way, avoiding as well as possible the muddy spots. Of a sudden his attention was arrested by a funny sight.
A few feet in front of him, as he rounded a curve in the path, was a frog. On his head rested a large stove-pipe hat, much worn and weather-beaten. A large cigar was in his mouth, on which he puffed away vigorously, the clouds of smoke streaming out behind him like a long gray feather.
"h.e.l.lo, Mr. Rowley!" cried Puss.
The frog turned. Taking the cigar out of his mouth, he answered, "How do you know my name?"
"Just a good guess of mine, perhaps," replied Puss. "But, anyway, there"s a famous Mr. Rowley in _Mother Goose_, so I took a chance."
"Well, I don"t want you to try to stop me," said Rowley, "for I had enough fuss when I left home. You see, my people didn"t want me to go at all."
"Then why did you?" asked Puss, who by this time had come up to the frog.
"Because I was tired to death of the old pond," replied Rowley. "One has got to see the world some time, and when one is young is the time and not when one is old."
"Yes, "every dog must have his day,"" quoted Puss.
"And every frog, too," answered Rowley, pushing his high hat down on his head more securely and replacing the cigar between his lips.
"And where are you going?" asked Puss.
"A frog he would a-wooing go, Heigh-ho! says Rowley.
Whether his mother would let him or no.
With a rowley powley, gammon and spinach, Heigh-ho! says Anthony Rowley."
"Well, then, Anthony!" cried Puss, taking the frog by the arm, "let us be comrades. For it is lonesome business, this traveling alone, and I would have a good friend to talk to while we trudge along."
"But I already have a companion," answered Mr. Rowley. "Don"t you remember the second verse in _Mother Goose_?"
"Not exactly," replied Puss, Jr.
"Well, this is the way it goes," answered the frog. "It"s describing me, of course."
"So off he set with his opera hat, Heigh-ho! says Rowley.
And on the road he met with a rat.
"Pray, Mr. Rat, will you go with me?"
Heigh-ho! says Rowley, "Kind Mrs. Mousey for to see?""
At that moment the rat jumped out of the bushes. "Don"t be afraid," said Puss, Jr.
"All right," replied the rat, "I sha"n"t."
"Glad to have seen you both," said Puss, Jr. "I can"t tarry long, for I must continue my journey."
PUSS IS HEARTILY WELCOMED BY JACK THE JUMPER
It was near nightfall. Puss, Jr., was weary and footsore, for he had traveled far. No one had given him a thing to eat all day, and he was faint from want of food. Darkness was coming upon him and he looked about him to find a place to sleep.
In the distance a little light caught his eye, and, hastening his steps toward it, he soon came to a small cottage. Looking through the open door, he was surprised to see resting on the floor a small bra.s.s candlestick. It was the flame from this that had attracted his attention and drawn his weary feet forward.
Jack be nimble, Jack be quick, And Jack jump over the candlestick.