Puss in Boots, Jr., and the Good Gray Horse Part 4

THE HAYMOW

IT was a mighty lucky thing that the Good Gray Horse in the last story ran into the haymow instead of the corncrib. Well, as soon as Puss picked himself up the Good Gray Horse pulled his head out of the haymow.

He had gone in quite deep, for he was going at a great rate, and it's a wonder he didn't go right through the great mound of hay.

"Whew! Miew!" cried Puss, pulling wisps of hay out of his hair and dusting off the tops of his red boots. "That was a pretty sudden stop!"

"Yes, but it turned out all right," said the little old man. "It was about the best way to stop your horse, methinks. It was lucky there was hay in the way, I should say."

"How could you be such a bad old thing?" asked Puss, stroking the Good Gray Horse on the nose. "The idea of your running away with us!"

The Good Gray Horse made no reply, however. He looked a little foolish, but, beyond that, he seemed very much the same, except that his collar was pushed up over his ears and his harness twisted about his neck.

"Well, put him in the stable," said the little old man. "We'll give him a good bed and some oats. My own horse may show up some time this evening--that is, if he ever gets tired of running."

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After the Good Gray Horse was made comfortable the little old man led Puss, Junior, into the house.

"Mother," he called out, as he opened the door, "here is a visitor for you."

A queer little old woman arose from her rocking chair and came forward.

"What! a cat!" she exclaimed, throwing up her hands in dismay. "John, you know I don't like cats!"

"Then, madam," said Puss, Junior, politely, "I'll not trespa.s.s on your hospitality," and he turned to leave.

"Not so, not so!" cried the little old man. "Mother, you don't understand what has happened. This n.o.ble cat has done me a good turn. My old mare ran away and he kindly hitched up his Good Gray Horse to my wagon and brought me home."

"Ah," said the little old man's wife, "that's another story. This cat is no ordinary cat. Let him make himself comfortable while I go and see about supper."

But Puss still hesitated.

"You are indeed welcome," said the little old woman, peering over her gla.s.ses to get a good look at him; "you shall stay and rest yourself, for you have helped my good man, and whoever does my man a good turn shall never go unrewarded."

CHAUFFEUR TAFFY

"HIGH-HO, how the winds blow!" exclaimed little Puss, Junior, as he rode along on his Good Gray Horse toward the castle of my Lord Carabas to see his dear father, Puss in Boots.

But New Mother Goose Land is a big country and Puss did not realize how long a journey it was. You see, he had been seeking adventures for so long and had traveled so far--sometimes on the back of his good friend, Goosey Goosey Gander, sometimes in the airship whose captain was a downy goose and the sailors four and twenty doves, and then, again, on broomsticks and umbrellas and baskets that flew in the air with their old women owners--that now, once more astride of his Good Gray Horse who had carried him many a mile in Old Mother Goose Land he felt he would soon be with his father.

Well, as Puss rode along he came to a bend in the road where an automobile stood. It had evidently broken down, for the chauffeur was tinkering with the machinery.

All of a sudden a blackbird perched herself on the fence along the road and began to sing:

"Taffy was a chauffeur, Taffy was a loafer, Taffy broke a tire everywhere he went.

His master soon grew tired, Taffy he was fired; Taffy he was fired without another cent.

"Taffy came to master's house; master wasn't in.

Taffy made an awful row, kicked up such a din.

He blew on his auto horn, blew with all his might; Everyone but Taffy ran away in fright."

"Whoa there!" cried Puss, Junior, and the blackbird must have thought it was meant for her, for she stopped her song and looked at our small hero. And of course the Good Gray Horse stopped, and Taffy--well, he crawled out from under the automobile and scowled at the blackbird. And this made Puss, Junior, laugh, and the Good Gray Horse cough and the blackbird snicker, all of which made Taffy very red in the face.

"Tell-tale-t.i.t, your tongue shall be slit," he cried, but the blackbird clapped her wings and flew away. And after that Puss, Junior, said gid-ap to his horse and rode off, leaving Taffy to finish mending his automobile. And after a little while the blackbird came back and settled herself on the head of the Good Gray Horse.

"Where are you going?" she said.

"To visit my father, Puss in Boots," replied our little hero.

THREE LITTLE KITTENS

THREE little kittens lost their mittens And they began to cry, "Oh, mother dear, we very much fear That we have lost our mittens."

"I'll help you find them," cried Puss, Junior, looking in through the door of a little green house.

"Will you?" said a little tabby cat.

"I think we lost them by the woodpile," said a little gray kitten.

"Perhaps we dropped them while playing hide and go seek," said a cute black kitty.

"Come on, my little p.u.s.s.yfoots," cried Puss, Junior, with a grin. "I'm pretty good at finding things--except people--I can't find my dear father."

"How did you lose him?" asked the first little kitty, as they all ran out into the back yard.

"I don't know any more than you know how you lost your mittens," replied Puss, Junior, with a laugh.

"If you find our mittens we'll help you find your father," cried the three little kittens. But, hunt as they might, no mittens were to be found. Under the woodpile and back of the old well, behind the woodshed and under the grape arbor, they hunted, but in vain.

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"You naughty kittens! Lost your mittens! Then you shall have no pie!"

"Mee-ow, mee-ow, mee-ow."

"No, you shall have no pie."