WHEN Puss, Junior, awoke from his nap he was surprised to find himself
in the Queen's lap. It was growing dark and for a moment he wondered
where he was. "Don't ask where you are, my dear Puss," laughed the
Queen, "for you are safe and well."
"Your Majesty," said Puss, rubbing his eyes, "I was also very
comfortable. Pardon me for dropping off to sleep in your presence."
Just then a page appeared and announced that dinner was served. The King
arose and offered his arm to the Queen, Puss following quietly after. As
he stepped down the great stairway to the royal dining room he heard
some one singing in a deep voice:
"When good King Arthur ruled this land,
He was a goodly King;
He stole three pecks of barley meal
To make a bag pudding.
"A bag pudding the King did make
And stuffed it well with plums,
And in it put great lumps of fat
As big as my two thumbs.
"The King and Queen did eat thereof,
And noblemen beside;
And what they could not eat that night
The Queen next morning fried."
"Plum pudding!" said Puss to himself. "That sounds pretty nice," and he
followed the King and Queen into the great dining hall. Many noblemen
were present and the table was a most gorgeous affair. Silver tankards
and wonderful gold dishes gleamed in the candlelight. Puss was very much
impressed and behaved beautifully. And when the plum pudding came on the
table the same deep voice began to sing:
"And what they could not eat that night
The Queen next morning fried."
"Puss," said the Queen in a whisper, "let's finish the pudding between
us! I know you'd like some more, and so would I. Moreover," she added in
a still lower whisper, "I don't intend getting up early to-morrow
morning to fry what's left over--so let us finish it to-night."
Presently the court fool came running in, his fool's cap all ajingle
with bells. He capered about, swinging up and down a little stick which
was also covered with tiny bells. These were silver, and the ones in his
cap were of gold, so that the sound was very sweet.
The next morning Puss mounted his Good Gray Horse and rode away, and
after a while he came to a great mound of earth in which was a little
wooden door on leather hinges.
"What sort of a house is this?" thought Puss. And then, as if in answer
to his question, the door opened and there stood a big brown bear
dressed in a fur overcoat. And, oh, dear me! at first Puss was startled,
and the Good Gray Horse reared on his hind legs. But the big brown bear
didn't growl. Not even a little bit. He just smiled as only a brown bear
can, and said:
"If you have money
I'll sell you some honey."
So Puss jumped down and followed the bear into his hill house, for Puss
was curious to see what kind of a home this big, smiling brown bear had,
you see.
Well, I want you to know it was a mighty nice sort of a place. There was
a big fireplace with great immense crackling logs, and over it, on the
mantelpiece, were two beautiful carved candlesticks made from deers'
horns, and a cuckoo clock. And just then out came the little cuckoo
herself and began to sing.
"ONE I LOVE, TWO I LOVE"
ONE, I love; two, I love;
Three, I love, I say;
Four, I love with all my heart;
Five, I cast away.
Six, he loves; seven, she loves;
Eight, both love.
Nine, he comes; ten, he tarries;
Eleven, he courts, and twelve, he marries.
On a big stone by the wayside sat a little boy and girl. She held a
daisy in her hand, from which she slowly picked off the petals as she
counted:
"One, I love; two I love."
"Whoa!" cried Puss, Junior.
"Three, I love, I say."
Both the children looked up. "What a dandy cat," cried the little girl,
"and what a beautiful horse."
"Give us a ride?" asked the little boy.
"Do you know how to ride?" asked Puss, with a grin.
"I can ride my rocking horse ever so fast," the little boy replied.
"So can I," said the little girl.
"Stand on the stone," said Puss. "I'll ride up close, and then you both
can climb up behind me. Easy there!" cried Puss, guiding the Good Gray
Horse up to the children, who stood close together on the big high
stone. "Now climb up behind me," and in a minute the two children had
scrambled on to the saddle. "Gid-ap!" and off went the Good Gray Horse
on a canter.
"Isn't this great?" cried the little boy.
"Isn't it lovely?" said the little girl.
"One, I love; two, I love; three, I love, I say; four, I love with all
my heart," sang Puss. "There are just four of us. You two and my Good
Gray Horse and I."
"But that isn't the way," said the little girl. "You must count the
petals!"
"Oh, is that so?" asked Puss. "I like my way just the same."
"So do I," said the little boy. "All four of us are pretty good chums
already."
And the Good Gray Horse whinnied, as much as to say: "I'm a good friend.
See what I'm doing--carrying you all so nicely on my big, broad back?"
"That settles it," said Puss. "My Good Gray Horse likes it that way."
"There's our house over there," cried the little girl. "We'd better get
off here."
"All right," and Puss helped them down. "Good-by, good-by," and then the
two children ran up the path to tell mother all about it.