The Adventures of Puss in Boots, Jr. Part 4

"He is the owner of the 'beautiful pea-green boat,'" replied Puss, "and to him I owe much, for had he not come to my rescue when the Giant of the Bean-stalk pursued me I should have been captured. His boat was on the sh.o.r.e and we sailed away just in time."

"Most exciting," said the Queen; "and so that is how you landed on Cranberry Tart Island?"

"Yes, your Highness," said Puss, "but I did not know it was an island nor that it was called 'Cranberry Tart.'"

"Well, it is," replied the Queen, "and if you will spend the night here I will see that you reach the mainland to-morrow without delay."

So Puss, Jr., consented to spend the night in the stately castle of Tart Island.

PUSS CROSSES A WONDERFUL BRIDGE

The next morning, bright and early, Puss, Jr., left the stately castle of Cranberry Tart Island and continued his journey. The Queen had bidden him a kind farewell, at the same time instructing one of her retainers to show him the bridge connecting Cranberry Tart Island with the mainland.

On arriving at the bridge Puss, Jr., was most surprised to see that it was built entirely of gingerbread. "Goodness!" he exclaimed to himself, "if many stopped on their way over to take a bite, there would soon be no bridge left."

Probably the builder had been aware of this fact, for at the entrance of the bridge was displayed a large sign which read as follows:

No loitering allowed on the bridge. The gingerbread must not be eaten, under penalty of a fine and imprisonment.

"It looks pretty stale, anyway," tooted the little owl, who blinked and winked in the early morning light as he flew beside Puss, Jr.

"You can't see very well, my dear friend," answered Puss. "It looks perfectly delicious to me."

"Never mind how it looks," said the retainer, overhearing Puss, Jr.'s, remark. "You must obey the law."

"I have no intention of not obeying," answered Puss, "nor would I endanger our safety by biting off a piece. Should the bridge fall into the water I should be forced to swim, and swimming is no easy matter for a cat, especially with high-top boots."

"Wisely said," replied the retainer. "And now that we have crossed over safely, I will leave you to pursue your journey, for you need no further help from me."

"Thank you," cried Puss, Jr.

"Yet there is one thing I would warn you of," replied the retainer, pausing before taking himself off. "In yonder forest is a gingerbread cottage. Beware of it, for within lives a wicked witch." With these words he turned away and crossed the gingerbread bridge that led back to Cranberry Tart Island.

"A gingerbread cottage," laughed Puss to himself, following the path that led into the forest:

"A gingerbread bridge And a gingerbread house, A gingerbread cat And a gingerbread mouse.

But the gingerbread cat Ate the gingerbread mouse As she ran on the bridge From the gingerbread house."

PUSS IN BOOTS, JR., VISITS THE OLD WOMAN IN THE SHOE

It was now about high noon; but the air was cool and balmy, for the sun hardly penetrated the deep recesses of the green forest. As Puss trudged along he sang a little song to himself. I think he must have been something of a poet, for unconsciously his words rhymed and the air also was of his own making. A little brown wren, who was hopping along on the green moss that covered the floor of the great forest, heard him, and she told it to some one who afterward told it to me. And this is the way the little song went:

Through the woods, the cool woods, The green woods, sweet with balm and fir, To the music of the breeze Singing softly through the trees This the song I purr:-- Happy he who travels far, Travels far and free, Over valley, over hill, Over smiling lea; Never weary of the road, Happy that he be Just a jolly traveler Wandering, like me!

As Puss finished his song he emerged from the woods and found himself upon a broad highway. "This must be the road that will lead me to my father's home," he said to himself, and joyfully proceeded on his journey.

In the distance he saw what looked like a queer little house, but as he drew nearer he saw it wasn't a house at all, but a big shoe. So many children were playing around, running in and out, that he would have found it difficult to count them, even if he had tried.

"h.e.l.lo!" he called out to a little boy who was the only one who hadn't run into the shoe to tell mother that a big cat with boots on was coming up the garden walk.

"h.e.l.lo!" Puss, Jr., said again, and the little fellow bashfully put out his hand.

"You have pretty boots," he said, looking down at them.

"Yes," answered their owner, "I'm rather proud of them myself; but what are your little brothers and sisters afraid of?" he added, as he noticed them peeking at him out of the window. "I won't hurt them."

Just then the Old Woman Who Lived in the Shoe came out, and, seeing one of her children talking to a strange cat who wore boots, she hurried up to them and asked:

"Are you Puss in Boots?"

[Ill.u.s.tration: OUT ON A LIMB, FROM WHICH HE DANGLED HIS RED-TOPPED BOOTS]

"No, ma'am, but I'm his son," was the quick reply. "I'm Puss in Boots, Junior."

"Oh, of course," she said. "I knew your father years ago, and for a moment I forgot how time flies. Yes, we were very good friends in those old days. He was a very fine cat."

Puss, Jr., nodded politely.

"Won't you come in?" the Old Woman asked, turning toward her shoe house, "though you may find it difficult, as I can hardly find room for all my children. I suppose people think I'm very cross," she continued, as they managed to squeeze past the children in the hallway, "because I give them all a whipping before putting them to bed; but if I didn't, those I put to bed first wouldn't lie still. You see, by the time I get the last one to bed it's time to take the first one up for breakfast."

Puss, Jr., felt very sorry for her, as she didn't seem cross a bit, and the children clung to her skirt in a loving manner.

"Will you have a bowl of broth?" she asked. "It is about lunch-time, and I'm going to give the children some."

He thanked her, and said he would gladly, as he was hungry and tired. He sat down with the children, who had by this time arranged themselves in a row, each one with an empty bowl in his hands. The broth tasted very good, and Puss, Jr., felt so much better after eating it that he proposed a game of tag. They all ran outside and stood around in a ring while he counted "eeny, meeny, miney, mo," till all were out except himself.

"You're it!" the children cried, gleefully.

What a frolic followed! He finally caught the biggest boy, making believe for some time to miss the little tots, who screamed with fun as he chased them in and out among the trees.

It was a different matter, however, when it came to catch Puss, Jr. At last, with a jump, he ran up a tree and out on a limb, from which he dangled his red-topped boots over their heads. When every one gave up, he came down, and, after thanking the Old Woman for her kindness with a flourish and bow, he resumed his journey.

PUSS, JR., JOINS THE CIRCUS

As Puss, Jr., neared a pretty village his attention was attracted to a large tent in a field. Gaily colored wagons were standing close by, and every now and then a roar or a growl could be heard quite distinctly.

"A circus!" cried Puss, and he hastened forward and entered a small opening in the fence. As he approached the great tent he heard a voice singing; it came from a little side-tent. It was a woman's voice, quite soft and low: