Many years ago in an English village there lived a boy whose name was
Dick Whittington. His father and mother died when he was so young that
he did not remember them at all. He had no home, and was a ragged
little fellow running about the streets of the little village.
Now the place where Dick lived was not very far from London, and the
people liked to talk about the great city. None of them had ever been
to London, but they seemed to know all about the wonderful things that
were to be seen there. Dick listened to their stories and longed to
see for himself. One day a large wagon drawn by eight fine horses with
bells on their heads was driven into the little town. When Dick saw
this wagon he thought that it must be going to the city, and he asked
the driver to let him go with him. When the driver learned that Dick
was very poor, and that he had neither father nor mother, he told the
lad that he might walk by the side of the wagon if he wished.
[Illustration]
It was a long walk for the little fellow, but at last they came to
London. Dick was in a great hurry to see the wonderful sights of the
city. He thanked the driver of the wagon and ran from one street to
another. At last it began to grow dark, and in every street there was
only dirt instead of gold. Nowhere could he find the golden pavements
that he had heard so much about. He sat down in a dark corner and cried
himself to sleep.
In the morning he woke up very hungry, but there was not even a crust
of bread for him to eat. He thought now only of food, and asked every
one he met to give him a penny to buy something to eat. Nobody stopped
to speak to him, and the poor boy grew weak for want of food. At last
he grew so faint and tired that he could go no farther. He sat down on
the steps of a fine house to rest, and wished that he were back again
in the little village where he was born.
Just at that time the owner of the house came home to dinner, and saw
the ragged little fellow asleep on the steps.
“My lad, what are you doing here? Wake up, my boy. Why don’t you go to
work?”
“I should like to work if I could find anything to do,” said Dick, “but
I don’t know where to look for work. I have not had anything to eat for
a long time.”
“Poor little fellow! Come with me, and I shall see what I can do for
you.” The kind merchant took Dick into the house, where he was given a
good dinner, and put to work in the kitchen.
Dick would have lived very happily in this new home if the old cook
had not been so cross. She found fault with him, and scolded him from
morning till night. But at last little Alice, his master’s daughter,
heard how the poor little kitchen boy was treated, and she asked the
cook to be kind to the lad.
From this time Dick was not treated so unkindly, and he would have
been quite happy if it had not been for another trouble. His bed was
in a garret at the top of the house, far away from other people. The
floor was full of holes, and every night rats and mice kept him awake
by running over his face. They tormented him so much that he tried to
think of some way to get rid of them.
One day a gentleman gave him a penny for cleaning his shoes. Dick
thought a long time about the best way to spend it. At last he made up
his mind that he would buy a cat with the money. The very next day he
went out into the street and saw a girl carrying a cat in her arms.
“I will give you a penny for your cat,” said Dick. “Will you take it?”
“Yes,” said the girl, “you may have her for a penny. She is worth more
than that, for she knows how to catch rats and mice.”
So Dick bought the cat, and took her to the garret. Every day he
carried a part of his dinner to her, and it was not long before she had
driven all the rats and mice away. Then the little fellow could sleep
soundly every night.
Soon after this a ship belonging to Dick’s master was about to start on
a voyage across the sea. It was loaded with goods which were to be sold
in other lands far away. The master called his servants together and
asked if they had anything they would like to send out in the ship for
trade. He wanted to give his servants a chance for a good fortune, too.
Every one had something to send out in the ship--every one but Dick. As
he had neither money nor goods, he did not meet with the others.
But Alice, the merchant’s daughter, guessed why Dick did not come in
with the rest of the servants, and sent for him. When the boy came into
the room the merchant said, “Well, Dick, what are you going to send out
on the ship?”
“I have nothing in the world,” Dick answered, “but a cat which I bought
some time ago for a penny. But I should not like to part with her.”
“Go, and get your cat, my lad. We shall send her out on the ship. She
may bring you some profit,--who knows?”
With tears in his eyes poor Dick carried puss down to the ship and gave
her to the captain. Everybody laughed at the boy for sending off a cat
to be sold. But little Alice felt sorry for him and gave him some money
to buy another cat.
After this the old cook used him more cruelly than ever. She was always
either scolding him, or making fun of him for sending his cat to sea.
At last Dick could not bear her abuse any longer, and made up his mind
to go back to his old home. So he packed up his few possessions and
very early one morning started off. After walking some distance he
sat down on a stone which to this day is called “Whittington’s Stone.”
While he sat there, wondering what it was best for him to do, the
church bells began to ring. As he listened they seemed to say to him:--
“Turn again, Whittington,
Thrice Lord Mayor of London.”
“Lord Mayor of London!” said Dick to himself. “Well, well, I would put
up with almost anything to be Lord Mayor of London. I shall return and
let the old cook scold and cuff me as much as she pleases.” He hurried
back to the merchant’s house and was lucky to get into the kitchen
before the old cook came downstairs. In fact, she never knew that he
had been away.
The ship with the cat on board was a long time at sea. It was at last
driven by the winds to a strange land where the people had never seen
any white men before. They came in crowds to visit the ship, and to buy
the fine things with which it was loaded.
It was not long before the king of the country invited the captain to
visit him. When the captain reached the king’s palace he was shown
into a beautiful room, and given a seat on rich carpets embroidered
with gold and silver thread. The king and queen were seated not far
away, and soon many fine dishes filled with good things to eat were set
before them. They had hardly begun to eat when a great many rats and
mice rushed into the room and ate everything that was in the dishes.
The captain wondered greatly at this, and asked the king, “Why do you
let the rats come into the palace in this way?”
“I cannot keep them out,” the king replied. “I would give half of my
treasure if I could get rid of them.”
The captain jumped for joy, for he remembered Dick Whittington’s cat.
“I have a wonderful animal on board the ship which will kill all your
rats and mice,” he said.
“Bring the creature to me,” said the king. “If she will do what you
say, I shall load your ship with gold.”
Away went the captain down to the ship to get the cat, while the king
and queen had another dinner made ready. The captain with the cat in
his arms reached the palace just as the guests were about to be served.
In rushed the rats and mice. As soon as the cat saw them she jumped
from the captain’s arms, and in a few minutes killed many of them. The
rest scampered away in fright and did not dare to come back again.
The king and queen were delighted, and wished to own the wonderful
creature that had done them so great a service. The king at once made a
bargain with the captain for all the goods on board the ship, and then
gave for the cat ten times as much money as he had given for everything
else on the ship.
The captain then bade the king and queen good-by, and set sail for
England. The good ship was soon safe at home, and the honest captain
hastened to see its owner. He quickly told the story of the cat, and
showed all the gold that the king and queen had sent to poor Dick in
payment for her. As soon as the merchant heard this, he called to
one of his servants and said, “Send for Dick. And pray call him Mr.
Whittington.”
The servant found Dick scouring pots and kettles in the kitchen. When
the lad came in, the merchant told him how the captain had sold his cat
and brought in return great riches. Then he opened the box and showed
Dick his treasure. “All this is yours,” said the merchant. “Your riches
are now far greater than mine, and I wish you may long enjoy them.”
[Illustration]
Poor Dick was so happy that he did not know what to say or do. He
begged his master to take part of his treasure, but the good man
refused. Dick then offered some of the jewels to his mistress, and he
also asked Alice to accept a portion of them. They told him how happy
they were because of his good fortune, and that he must keep it all
for his own. But the boy was too kind-hearted to keep everything for
himself. He made a present to the captain and the sailors, and to each
of his master’s servants, even to the cross old cook.
After a few years had passed there was a fine wedding at one of the
finest churches in London, and Miss Alice became the wife of Mr.
Richard Whittington. They lived in great splendor and were very happy.
Far and near they were known and loved for their kind deeds.
So it was not long before Richard Whittington became one of the
foremost men in London, and in good time he was thrice Lord Mayor of
the great city.
--SELECTED.