"Oh, you brave kitten!" she cried, "you have saved my life!" But Sir Cat merely smiled and said: "That"s nothing, my dear; my father once killed an ogre!"
And then Little Sir Cat once more set off to find his fortune, and pretty soon you will hear something more about him, if
_A little dog doesn"t tie a can On the tip of his waggy tail, And a tiny minnow in the brook Swallow a great big whale._
TED FINDS THE RING
Jimmy was looking out of the nursery window, watching the big steam shovel lift the rocks and earth out of the lot opposite, to make room for the cellar of the house which was to be built there. First the shovel would scoop down into the earth and then carry the stones and soil to the wagon into which it dumped its contents.
Jimmy was kept indoors on account of the mumps, and therefore spent much of his time at the nursery window watching what was going on outside. He was very glad, however, when he was able once more to run and watch the builders lay the bricks and stones, for the work of excavating was over by this time. When the house was completed, a family moved in. There were a boy and girl, and the boy was just about Jimmy"s age. Very soon Jimmy made his acquaintance, and soon all three were going out into the park every afternoon; Ted went too, and also the little dog that belonged to Jimmy"s new friends. This little dog"s name was Flip.
On his birthday Jimmy had a party, and invited his two new friends, Herbert and Helen, with a number of other children, to come and help him eat his birthday cake. In this beautiful cake was hidden a little ring, and the lucky person in whose piece was found the prize, was ent.i.tled to keep it. Every one was very much excited, and each little boy and girl looked anxiously through his piece in the hope of finding the ring. But it was not to be found. Suddenly Jimmy, who had given Ted a small bit of cake, looked down on the floor and there beside Ted"s little white foot was the ring.
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Where Does the Water Go?
When Nursie puts me in my tub To make me clean and fit, I wonder where the water goes When I sit down on it.
TOBY"S FRIEND
Toby was a little French bulldog. He was a very happy little animal, as his small mistress was extremely fond of him. He had a big armchair with a fat cushion to sleep on. He also had a collar with his name and address engraved on it, and a little license tag fastened to it. In winter he wore a sweater, which he found very comfortable, although not so becoming. Toby"s only regret in life was that he had no playmate. Of course his small mistress played with him, but he could not answer her when she spoke to him, except by wagging his tail or by barking.
One day, while looking out of the window in the nursery he saw a little dog, with a tin can tied to his tail, running down the street. After him ran a crowd of boys. Toby barked, as he always did when he saw a dog. In a minute his little mistress ran up to the window. "Oh, Toby!" she cried. "Look at the poor little dog. I"ll ask mother if I can"t bring him in." In a minute she was in the bright sitting-room, where mother was sewing.
"What is it, little girl?"
"Oh, mother!" she cried. "There is a poor dog with a tin can tied to his tail, just outside the house, and a lot of boys are tormenting the poor animal. They are all around him so that he can"t get away."
"Poor dog!" said mother. "Call James and tell him to send the boys away and bring the dog inside."
Toby"s mistress sped away on her errand of mercy and in a short while James had ordered the boys off and was carrying the little dog upstairs.
He was very cunning, and Toby made a friend of him at once, but he was very dirty and had to have a bath as soon as mother looked him over. The decoration to his tail was removed, much to the frightened animal"s relief, and after his bath he was duly christened Rover. From that time Toby was never lonely and he and Rover became great friends. Rover was given a collar and a cushion, of which he was very proud, and he lived happily ever afterwards in his new home with the little girl and Toby, the French bulldog.
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THE LAZY PINK HEN
Once, a long time ago, there was a little girl who lived in a country where they had all sorts of hens. There was a Green Hen and a Yellow Hen and a Pink Hen; but the Rooster was Sky Blue. They all sang a different song. The Yellow Hen said: "Hoop-de-dooden-do! Hoop-de-dooden-doo!" and the Green Hen said: "Chick-a-chick-chee! Chick-a-chick-chee!" But the Pink Hen only said "Tra la la! Tra la la!" for she was very lazy.
Now the Green Hen laid red eggs and the Yellow Hen laid blue ones; but the Pink Hen never laid any, she was such a lazy thing.
Well, this little girl thought this would never do, and so did the Sky-blue Rooster. So, one day, she went to the Pink Hen and said to her:
"Snail, snail, come out of your hole, or else I"ll beat you as black as a coal!"
And the Sky-blue Rooster said to her:
"Twinkle, twinkle, little star!"
I don"t know what they meant by it, but the Pink Hen knew, for she went straight to her nest and laid a little white egg. The Sky-blue Rooster was so tickled that he turned fourteen somersaults right off in succession, and sung "The Star-Spangled Banner" all through three times, standing on the tip of his longest tail feathers. But the Pink Hen only said "Tra la la!" she was such a lazy thing.
THE PROFITEER
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I took some eggs to market All on a summer"s day.
I couldn"t get high prices, So I threw them all away.
And then, my dears, how awful, (Exactly as I feared) The neighbors ran me out of town Because I profiteered.
The First Thanksgiving
"Come let us sit by the window," said mother, "and I will tell you about the first Thanksgiving Day of all. Think how many years ago it was that our Pilgrim Fathers held Thanksgiving Day in America.
"You will remember that they landed from the Mayflower in the middle of winter on the cold bleak sh.o.r.es of Ma.s.sachusetts. During that winter more than half their number perished from cold and hunger. Nevertheless, when spring came they set out bravely to work to clear the land and plant their corn.
"A friendly Indian named Squanto showed them the Indian way of making sure of rich soil by putting small fish into each hill, and he taught them many other things that helped them to live in their new country.
"When the first autumn came they were so happy at having a good harvest, thanks to Squanto"s help, that when Governor Bradford appointed a day for Thanksgiving they invited Ma.s.sasoit, chief of the tribe to which their friend Squanto belonged, and ninety of his men to a three days"
feast.
"So you see our Thanksgiving is very American, for the first one was attended by the Indians, who were here in America long before Columbus discovered it."