"IF I had a horse in the stable I'd lend him to you," said the
kind-hearted innkeeper.
"Have you an automobile?" asked Puss.
"Not yet," replied the innkeeper. "But I have a bicycle which I will
lend you."
It took Puss but a moment to mount, and then off he went to catch his
Good Gray Horse, who, you remember in the last story, had been stolen by
the fairies.
But, oh, dear me! although it was early morning it seemed as if
everybody was up and out for a walk. First, an old rooster stood right
in the middle of the road and crowed:
"Cock-a-doodle do,
Your horse has lost a shoe."
"Where is it?" asked Puss, stopping as quickly as he could, while the
good-natured rooster hopped into the long grass and picked it up.
"Thank you," said Puss, hanging the shoe over his handlebar and setting
off once more.
But, oh, dear me! again, he had gone but a short distance when a
curly-tailed pig got right in his way, and of course Puss had to slow
up.
"If you're looking for a runaway horse, you'd better take the lane to
your right," said the pig, with a grunt and a twist of his curly tail.
So Puss set off again. But, oh, dear me! for the third time, just in
front of him was a big, fat cow who had to walk very carefully not to
touch the fence rails on either side of her. Puss rang his bell, but she
paid no attention to him whatever. She kept right on, swinging her tail
from side to side to brush off the flies. And maybe Puss never would
have passed her if she hadn't all of a sudden, with a loud moo, trotted
into a meadow spread over with butter-cups.
Well, after a little way, Puss almost ran into a big load of hay, and if
the farmer had kept on going down the road instead of turning into a
gate, I guess Puss would have never caught up with his Good Gray Horse.
"Gracious me!" said Puss, when the road was clear, "I must make up for
lost time." But just then a big black crow, who was sitting on a fence
post, called out:
"Where are you going so fast, Sir Cat?
Look out, or the wind will blow off your hat."
And he flew off the fence and settled on the handlebar.
"Oh, don't worry! You'll get him, all right," said the crow when Puss
told him what a hard time he was having to overtake his Good Gray Horse.
"I saw him go by a few minutes ago. He looked pretty tired." And then
the old black bird flew away to tell Mrs. Crow that he had seen a pussy
cat in boots riding a bicycle.