Puss Junior and Robinson Crusoe Part 1

Puss Junior and Robinson Crusoe.

by David Cory.

JACK SPRAT

ONE day as little Puss, Junior, was traveling through New Mother Goose country, he came to a funny little house all covered with rose vines, even up to the top of the small red chimney they grew in crimson splendor. And as Puss stopped to look at the pretty sight, a tiny blue bird in a cage on the front porch began to sing:

"Jack Sprat had a pig, Who was not very big; He was not very lean He was not very fat; 'He'll do for a grunt,'

Says little Jack Sprat."

"Oh, ho," thought Puss, and he turned into the yard and walked around to the little red barn. There stood Jack Sprat himself, leaning against the sty, watching his pig eat his dinner.

Well, just then, all of a sudden, a swarm of golden bees came humming into the little farmyard, and before long they had made a home in the empty beehive that stood close by.

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"You have brought me luck," said little Jack Sprat, turning to Puss.

"Now I shall have honey, and with bees and a pig I shall grow rich and supply all Mother Goose Country with good things to eat." And would you believe it, the pig began to grow fat, and the bees to buzz out of the hive and wing their way over to the roses for sweets with which to make their honey.

Then Jack Sprat asked Puss to come into his little house, and when he went to the cupboard to look for bread and b.u.t.ter, he found all kinds of good things to eat.

"What luck you have brought me," said little Jack Sprat, but Puss was as much surprised as he. But pretty soon when they had sat down to the table, they heard a strange little voice from the hearth, and looking down they saw a tiny black cricket, who began to sing:

"I'm just a little cricket, But if you'll let me stay Within your house this winter You will not rue the day."

"It is the little cricket that brings you luck," said truthful little Puss, Junior. And then Jack Sprat began to laugh happily, for up to this time the pig was the only thing he owned, and that wasn't very much, let me tell you. Oh, dear, no. Not in these hard times when eggs are worth their weight in gold and a gallon of milk costs a ton of silver.

Well, by and by, Puss, Junior, once more went on his way, and perhaps pretty soon he'll find his father, the famous Puss in Boots, unless,

A great big husky giant Jumps into a trolley car, And turns the coin box upside down To see how many nickels there are.

THE YELLOW HEN

WELL, a big husky giant didn't jump into the trolley car, as I feared he might in the last story, so little Puss, Junior, kept up his search for his dear father until late in the evening when he came to a city on Goosey Gander River. For the moment I've forgotten the name, but if I remember it I will tell you later. At any rate, it won't matter much, for Puss didn't stay there long. Well, as I was saying, he entered the city, tired and hungry, for he had traveled far that day, and as he walked up the brightly lighted street he heard a man say:

"Saw ye aught of my love a-coming from the Opera?

Around her throat a string of pearls, And on her neck two little curls; Saw ye aught of my love a-coming from the Opera?

"My good man, I'm a stranger and have just arrived. I have seen no string of pearls nor little curls on any pretty little girls," answered Puss wearily, for he was too anxious to find a night's lodging to notice pearls and curls.

"Dear me!" sighed the man, and he took off his opera hat and flattened it and then snapped it out again, which made a little newsboy open his eyes and say, "Do it again, Mister; it sounds like a pistol." But the man wouldn't, so the little newsboy ran off and Puss turned away, for he had no time to be talking to operagoers at that time of evening. By and by he came to a narrow street at the end of which shone a little light.

So he turned down and presently found himself in front of a little house. In the hammock on the front porch sat a pretty yellow hen, swinging back and forth, and every now and then singing to herself:

"It's after ten! It's after ten!

Time for bed for Yellow Hen."

"Good evening!" said Puss, taking off his plumed hat and bowing politely. "May I ask for a night's lodging. I'm tired and footsore, and have traveled many miles in New Mother Goose Country."

The little Yellow Hen flapped her wings and fluttered down to the piazza. "Come," she said, stretching out her right wing. "Travelers are always welcome. We hear little down at the end of this narrow street.

Tell me some news, my good Sir Cat."

"Are you sure you are not too sleepy?" asked Puss. "It was only a few minutes ago you were singing 'It's after ten, it's after ten; time for bed for Yellow Hen!'" But the little hen only laughed and said, "I must wait up for Mr. Rooster."

"He's the c.o.c.k at early dawn Who blows on the Mayor's auto horn To wake the city and stir the men To be up and at their work again."

Just then a gaily feathered rooster walked up the steps, but what he said I shall have to tell you in the next story, for it's so late now that I must say good-night.

d.i.c.kORY DARE PIG

YOU remember, I hope, where I left off in the last story--just as the rooster came up the steps of the little house at the end of the narrow street where Puss, Junior, was making a call on the little Yellow Hen.

Well, he was very much surprised to see our small traveler, but nevertheless he was most polite. He stretched forth his right wing to shake hands when, all of a sudden,

d.i.c.kory, d.i.c.kory, dare, The pig flew up the stair, A very funny thing to do, And made the rooster doodle-doo.

"Gracious me! Oh me, Oh my!" screamed the little Yellow Hen. "That awful pig will just spoil my stair carpet." This made the rooster all the more angry at the d.i.c.kory Dare Pig, as he called him, and he strutted across the piazza. "I'll spur him when he comes down," he said, and he waited at the front door. But Mr. Pig took no chances. He staid upstairs until the little Yellow Hen began to cry. "I want to go to bed." Puss, by this time, was also very sleepy, and the gaily feathered rooster--well, I think he was half asleep, as he stood by the front door, with his head tucked under his wing.

"He'll forget to crow in the early morn; And little Boy Blue with his silver horn Is always asleep, so what shall I do If my Rooster sleeps the whole night through?"

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"It's time for me to do something," exclaimed Puss, Junior, whipping out his sword and running upstairs two at a time. But, would you believe it if I told you, he couldn't find the d.i.c.kory Dare Pig anywhere? Puss looked in every room and in every closet. He even lifted the cover of the big clothes hamper that stood in the bathroom, but Mr. Pig was not to be found.

Well, after a while, Puss looked out of the window. There on the roof of the porch was the d.i.c.kory Dare Pig. "What are you doing?" asked Puss, and he waved his sword threateningly. But the Pig only grunted.

"You people downstairs are making an awful fuss," and he closed his eyes again, he was so sleepy. And, anyway, he had a very nice soft place, for he had spread a big woolen comforter on the roof for a bed.

"Well, you get out of here," said Puss. "You have no right to take the Yellow Hen's nice comforter, nor have you any right to sleep on the roof, and if you don't go I'll stick my sword in you." Well, after that, the Pig ran downstairs and out of the front door, and maybe he's running yet, if a butcher hasn't caught him and made him into little sausages.

THROUGH THE FOREST

YOU remember when we left off in the last story, Puss had just made the d.i.c.kory Dare Pig get off the roof of the Yellow Hen's front piazza, after which the gaily feathered rooster and the Yellow Hen and Puss, Junior, went to sleep, which they couldn't do before on account of that dreadful pig snoring. Well, he never came back, for he was so afraid of Puss, Junior's, sword, that he kept on running until he lost his shadow, spent a year and a day hunting for it, and after that he sat down and rested.

The next morning bright and early, just as the sun was waking up in the East, the gaily feathered Rooster began to blow his silver horn to wake the people before the morn, and some got cross when they heard his song, but others hurried their dressing along, and pretty soon Puss was dressed and the little Yellow Hen combed her feathers and came down to breakfast. And while they were at the table, the Rooster came in and said:

"There was an old woman, as I've heard tell, Who went to market her eggs to sell.