Here and Now Story Book Part 9

With a bound Spot jumped back to the fence.

"Meow, meow!

I've no place to eat, I've no place to sleep, I've only the street.

Meow, meow, meow!"

So she trotted along the fence. In a little while sniff! went her little pink nose again. She smelled more smoke. She stopped by a house with two chimneys. The smoke came out of both chimneys! "Where there are two fires there must be room for me," thought Spot. She jumped off the fence and pattered to the door. By the door there were two empty milk bottles.

"Where there is so much milk there will be some for me," thought Spot.

But the door was shut tight. Spot ran to the window. It was open! In skipped Spot. There was another warm, warm kitchen and there was another stove. Spot trotted softly to the stove and curled up happy and warm.

She closed her eyes and softly sang:

"Purrrr, purrrr, Curling up warm To a ball of fur, I close my eyes And purr and purr.

Purrrr, purrrr, Purrrr, purrrr."

"Ssssspt!" hissed something close by. Spot leapt to her feet. "Ssssspt!"

she answered back. For there in front of her stood an enormous black cat. His back was humped, his hair stood on end, his eyes gleamed and his teeth showed white.

"Ssssspt! leave my rug!

Ssssspt! leave my fire!

Ssssspt! leave my milk!

Ssssspt! leave my home!"

Spot gave one great jump out of the window and another great jump to the top of the fence. For Spot was little and thin and the great black cat was strong and big. And he didn't want Spot in his home.

Poor Spot trotted along the fence, thinking:

"Meow, meow, I've no place to eat, I've no place to sleep, I've only the street, Meow, meow, meow."

In a little while she smelled smoke again. Sniff! went her little pink nose. This time she stopped by a house with three chimneys. The smoke came out of all the chimneys! "Where there are three fires there _must_ be room for me," thought Spot. So she jumped off the fence and pattered to the door. By the door were three empty milk bottles! "Where there is so much milk there must be children," thought Spot and then she began to feel happy. But the door was shut tight. She trotted to the window. The window was shut tight too! Then she saw some stairs. Up the stairs she trotted. There she found another door and in she slipped. She heard a very pleasant sound.

"I crickle, I crackle, I flicker, I flare, I jump from nothing right into the air."

There on the hearth burned an open fire with a warm, warm rug in front of it. On the rug was a little table and on the table were two little mugs of milk. Spot curled up on the rug under the table and began to sing:

"Purrrr, purrrr, Curling up warm To a ball of fur, I close my eyes, And purr and purr.

Purrrr, purrrr, Purrrr, purrrr."

Pat, pat, pat, pat, pat, pat, pat, pat! Spot heard some little feet coming. A little boy in a nightgown ran into the room. "Look," he called, "at the pretty spotted cat under our table!" Then pat, pat, pat, pat, pat! And a little girl in a nightgown ran into the room. "See," she called, "the p.u.s.s.y has come to take supper with us!" Then the little boy, quick as a wink, put a saucer on the floor and poured some of his milk into it and the little girl, quick as a wink, poured some of hers in too.

In and out, in and out, in and out, went Spot's pink tongue lapping up the milk. Then she sat up and washed her face very carefully. Then she curled up and closed her eyes and began to sing. That was her way of saying "Thank you, little boy and little girl! I'm so glad I've found a home!"

"Purrrr, purrrr, Purrrr, purrrr, Purrrr, purrrr, purrrr."

THE DINNER HORSES THE GROCERY MAN

The material for these stories came from questions and observations on the part of three- and four-year-olds arising largely from their trips on the city streets. The children should be allowed to name the various kinds of food.

THE DINNER HORSES

In a certain house on a certain street there lives a certain little girl and her name is Ruth (one of children's names). She sleeps in a little bed in a room with a big window opening on to the street. She sleeps all night in the little bed with her eyes closed tight. In the morning she opens her eyes and it's just beginning to get light. Then she stretches and stretches her legs. Then she stops still and listens. For she hears him coming, coming, coming down the street. Clopperty, clopperty, clopperty, clop! comes the milk horse down the street! He stops in front of Ruth's house. Ruth hears him. Then she hears the driver jump out and pat, pat, pat, she hears his feet coming to the door. Clank, clink, clank, go the milk bottles in his hands. Clank! she hears him put them down. Then fast she hears his feet, pat, pat, pat, pat, pat, pat, pat.

"Go on, Dan!" she hears him call, and clopperty, clopperty, clopperty, clop! off goes the milk horse down the street.

Then after a while she hears something else. It's quite light now. Ruth thinks it must be time to get up. She stretches and stretches her legs.

Then she stretches and stretches her arms. Then she stops still and listens.

For she hears him coming, coming, coming down the street. Clippety, lip, lip, lip, clippety, lip, lip, lip! comes the bread horse down the street. He stops in front of Ruth's house. Ruth hears him. Then she hears the driver jump out and pat, pat, pat, she hears his feet coming to the door. Rattle, crackle, goes the paper as he puts down the loaves of bread all wrapped up to keep them clean. Then fast she hears his feet, pat, pat, pat, pat, pat, pat, pat. "Go on, Bill!" she hears him call and clippety, lip, lip, lip, clippety, lip, lip, lip! off goes the bread horse down the street.

After breakfast when Ruth is all ready to go to school she hears a big auto coming down the street. Kachug-a-chug-a-chug comes the grocery auto down the street. It stops at Ruth's house. Ruth runs and looks out of the window. She sees the driver jump out and take from the back of the auto a basket all full of things. She can see spinach and potatoes and a package of sugar and----and----and----.

Then pat, pat, pat, the driver runs to the door. Prrrrrr! she hears the bell ring and Ruth knows that the driver is giving Bessie all the things at the kitchen door. Then pat, pat, pat back comes the driver, jumps into the auto and kachug-a-chug-a-chug! off goes the grocery auto down the street!

On the way to school Ruth pa.s.ses another wagon. Rattling and clattering, she hears the butcher's wagon come down the street. "Is there anything in that wagon for us?" asks Ruth. And her mother answers, "Yes, a little chicken." Then rattling and clattering off to Ruth's house goes the butcher's wagon down the street.

Now while Ruth is away at school Bessie washes the spinach and chops it up fine and puts it on the stove to boil. She puts the little chicken in a pan and puts it in the oven to roast. Then she puts some big potatoes in the oven to bake. Then she slices some bread and cuts off a piece of b.u.t.ter and pours out some gla.s.ses of milk.

When Ruth comes home from school she smells something good. "Dinner's all ready," calls Bessie. Ruth answers, "Come father, come mother. I'm hungry."

So Ruth and her father and mother sit down at the table and they drink the milk and they eat the bread and the spinach and the potatoes and the chicken which the milk horse and the bread horse and the grocery auto and the butcher's wagon brought in the morning.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

THE GROCERY MAN

Prrrip! prrrip! prrrip! the telephone rings in the grocery store.

"h.e.l.lo," says the grocery man. "Who are you?"

"I'm Ruth's mother. Good morning, Mr. Grocery Man."

"Good morning, Ruth's Mother. What can I send you today?"

"Please, Mr. Grocery Man, send me some potatoes and some graham crackers and a package of sugar and some carrots."

"Is that all, Ruth's Mother?"

"Yes, that's all. Goodbye, Mr. Grocery Man."

"Goodbye, Ruth's Mother."