_Some of the greatest men in the world have started from humble
beginnings._
Dick Whittington had been brought up in a poorhouse. He did not
even know who his parents were. He was so cruelly treated that he
ran away, and started for London. On the way he met a man driving a
cart and begged for a ride. The man told him that if he would rub
down his horse at night he might ride and besides would earn his
supper. And so they came into the great town of London.
Dick trudged for two whole days looking for work. At last he came
to the house of a merchant in Leadenhall Street. The cook called
out to him to “Go away, or I’ll kick you away.” And then poor Dick
crept away and lay down on the ground, for he was weak from hunger.
The merchant himself came home and saw Dick lying on the ground and
told him to get up and move away. Dick got up and fell down again
from weakness. Mr. Fitzwarren, the merchant, saw that Dick was sick
and weak and took pity on him. He brought him into the house and
bade the servant look after him. Dick had a room in the garret and
was made to help the cook.
“Look sharp! Wash all the pans, make the fires, and do all the work
around the kitchen, or I shall beat you with my ladle,” said the
cook. The only comfort Dick had was the kindness of his master’s
daughter. Her father had told her about him, and she sent for him
and heard all his story.
“You poor little boy!” said she. “I am sure you can be very useful.”
Dick lived in the garret and the rats ran all over him at night. If
only he had a cat to catch the rats, he thought he might be better
off. One day a friend of the merchant’s gave Dick a penny for
blacking his shoes. That day he met an old woman on the street with
a cat under her arm.
“I will give you a penny for your cat,” said Dick, and the old
woman sold him the cat. Before long the cat had caught all the
rats in the garret and Dick could sleep in peace.
Now Mr. Fitzwarren sent out a ship to trade along the coast of
Africa, and all the servants were allowed to send something in
the ship to be sold. Poor Dick had nothing to send, and all the
servants laughed at him. But Mistress Alice, the merchant’s
daughter, spoke kindly and said: “Dick, why not send your cat?”
Dick hated to give up his cat, but he finally sent her along in the
ship. The servants made his life very miserable by laughing at him
all the time because he had only a cat to send. Dick could stand it
no longer, so he decided to leave the house and seek his fortune
elsewhere. The cat started out on her voyage in the merchant’s
ship, and Dick was very lonesome. We shall see to-morrow what
happened to the cat and what happened to Dick too.