Puss in Boots, Jr., and the Good Gray Horse Part 11

Well, by and by they came to the wise man's little house, surrounded by a hedge of bramble bushes; but the wise man himself was nowhere to be seen.

"Let's go around to the barn," said the farmer's pretty daughter. "It's milking time, you know." And, sure enough, there they found him.

"Are you the man who jumped into the bramble bush?" asked Puss.

"Yes, I am. But let me tell you something. They call me a wise man, but I think a man who jumps into a bramble bush is a silly goose."

And then, all of a sudden, the Bramble-bush Man exclaimed: "Goodness me!

I once knew a cat who wore red-top boots. A good many years ago there lived near here a miller who had three sons. When he died he left all his property to the two eldest, but to the youngest only a cat. Well, this cat turned out to be a most wonderful cat. Indeed, I heard that he secured a magnificent castle for his young master, as well as the hand of a lovely princess."

"Where does he live?" cried Puss, in great excitement.

"That I cannot tell," replied the Bramble-bush Man, "for I never heard where he went after leaving here."

"Oh, dear me!" sighed little Puss, Junior. "n.o.body knows where my father lives." Then he and the farmer's pretty daughter rode away, and in the next story you shall hear what happened at the old farmhouse.

DAFFY-DOWN-DILLY

"DAFFY-DOWN-DILLY has come to town In a yellow petticoat and a green gown,"

sang the farmer's pretty daughter beneath Puss, Junior's, window. There she stood, bending over her flower bed, the pink strings of her bonnet floating on the morning breeze.

Puss hurriedly pulled on his boots and ran outside. "Good morning! I see your flowers are still in bed."

"Daffy and Down and Dilly are very lazy, I fear," laughed the farmer's pretty daughter; "they'll never get to town to buy a new gown if they don't hurry."

"I hope they won't meet any bad crows on their journey," replied Puss.

"And I hope they won't have any b.u.mpety b.u.mps!" said the farmer's pretty daughter.

Just then the farmer came out of the barn leading Puss, Junior's, Good Gray Horse.

"Good-by," said Puss. "I've had a pleasant visit." And off he rode. By and by, after a while, he met an old crow walking along the top of the fence. He wore a silk hat and carried a cane, but he couldn't lean on it, for the fence rail was so narrow, you see.

"h.e.l.lo!" said Puss, Junior. And, goodness me! that well-dressed crow nearly lost his balance, he was so startled at Puss, Junior's voice.

Well, as soon as he had caught his breath, he said:

"I have just found a beautiful pearl necklace. Do you think it belongs to the Queen of Hearts?"

[Ill.u.s.tration]

"I'm sure I don't know," answered Puss. "Suppose you come along with me and maybe we'll find the owner."

So the silk-hatted old crow sat himself down behind Puss, and the Good Gray Horse kicked out his heels, and away they went to the next village, and when they reached there they stopped before the office of the Mother Goose daily newspaper and asked the man who ran the "Lost and Found"

advertis.e.m.e.nts if he knew who had lost a beautiful pearl necklace of twenty-three pearls and a little diamond clasp?

"Let me think," he said, scratching the top of his head, which was as bald as a billiard ball. You see, he was a bald-headed eagle, although I forgot to mention it before.

"You might inquire at a little green house about a mile down the road. A little yellow hen lives there who once had a coral necklace." So Puss said gid-ap to the Good Gray Horse and rode away, and by and by, after a while, they came to the little green house. And when the old crow knocked on the door it was opened by the little yellow hen herself.

"Have you lost a necklace of pearls?" he asked, politely doffing his silk hat.

"Dearie me! Let me look," she answered, hopping back into her little house. Pretty soon she came back with a little jewel case, which was as empty as a Christmas stocking on the Fourth of July.

"Who could have taken it out?" she said.

So the honest old crow handed over the pearl necklace, and went inside for a cup of tea, while Puss said good-by and rode away.

"DONKEY, DONKEY, OLD AND GRAY"

"DONKEY, donkey, old and gray, Open your mouth and gently bray; Lift your ears and blow your horn To wake the world this sleepy morn,"

sang little Puss, Junior.

"I'm no rooster," replied the little donkey. But he gave a gentle bray, just the same, and then the Good Gray Horse neighed, and after that a little adder crawled out of a hole in the ground and said:

"Gracious me! What's all this noise?" And that only goes to show what a dreadful din it must have been, for adders are deaf, so they tell me.

Well, anyhow, Puss didn't wait any longer, but rode away, and by and by, after a while, he met a funny little man with a sack over his back.

"What have you in your bag?" asked Puss, for he felt sorry for the little old man and meant to give him a lift in case he had a heavy load, you see.

"What's that to you?" asked the little old man, with a scowl. And before you could say "Jack Robinson!" he disappeared inside a stump.

Puss jumped off his Good Gray Horse and peeped in. But he couldn't see anything, only a big black hole. Well, he was just going to turn away when he heard a voice say:

"Mother, I've brought you a bag of gold For the little pink-and-white pig I sold."

[Ill.u.s.tration]

So Puss peeped in again, and pretty soon he saw a tiny light way down deep, like the flicker of a candle. And by and by, as his eyes grew used to the darkness, he saw a flight of stairs. Then what do you think he did? Jump into the hollow stump and climb down? That's just what he did, and it wasn't long before he found himself in a little hall opposite a small door with a gla.s.s k.n.o.b inside of which was an electric light, which I suppose had been put there by the little old man in case he got home after twelve at night and his wife had blown out the candle.

All of a sudden the door opened and a little old woman, bent and withered, asked, in a shrill voice:

"How dare you come down to our Hollow Stump hall?

I'll cut off your whiskers, tail and all."

"Please, ma'am," said little Puss, Junior, "I won't tell anybody." And I guess he would have climbed up the stairs then and there if he hadn't feared she might cut off his tail when he turned around.