Part 1
# Cats and kittens ### By Unknown
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[Illustration:
TOOTSY WOOTSY WERNER (four months old), In whose honor this book is published.]
[Illustration: PICTURE I.
“See, Tootsy Wootsy be’s m’ tat.”]
Werner’s
Readings and Recitations
No. 35
Cats and Kittens
[Illustration]
NEW YORK EDGAR S. WERNER & COMPANY
Copyright, 1906, by Edgar S. Werner
[Illustration]
CONTENTS.
PAGE
Audacious Kitten.—Oliver Herford 184
Bad Peter, Bad Joe 119
Baron Grimalkin’s Death (Parody on Greene’s “Baron’s Last Banquet”).—Will M. Carlton 126
Boy Blue and His Gun.—Nellie M. Garabraut 209
Boys’ Compositions on Cats 215
Cat and Fox (Fable) 137
Cat and Mouse 157
Cat and Painter.—Eleanor H. Porter 188
Cat and Tiger (Fable) 43
Cat Came Fiddling 42
Cat Convention.—Edna A. Foster 155
Cat Law-Suit 168
Cat-Life.—Lucy Larcom 185
Cat of Hindustan 228
Cat That Came to School (Action Poem) 32
Cat-egorical Courtship 115
Catching the Cat.—Margaret Vandegrift 254
Catkin 65
Cats (Parody on Southey’s “Cataract of Lodore”) 66
Cats.—Eve Lawless 34
Cats and Dogs.—Jerome K. Jerome 46
Cats’ and Kittens’ Opening Address 12
Cat’s Birthday Celebration.—Mrs. Gertrude Manly Jones 27
Cats’ Duet 146
Cats, Essay or Address on.—Stanley Schell 224
Cat’s Meat Man; or, Cupboard Love 267
Cats’ Merry, Merry Meeting (Action Song).—Stanley Schell 153
Cats Recognized by Cat Clubs of To-day 243
Cats’ Tea Party (Action Poem) 26
Cats’ Thanksgiving Day 38
Composite Cat.—Maria J. Hammond 241
Daisy’s Thanksgiving 212
Dame Trot and Her Cat 77
De Black Cat Crossed His Luck.—J.D. Corrothers 124
Dead Canary.—Mrs. Frederick W. Pender 230
Dead Kitten.—Sydney Dayre 199
Decoration of Honor.—L.E. Street 36
Dick Whittington (Song with Tableaux) 49
Dickens and His Kitten 195
Differences between Cat and Dog.—Elizabeth I. Cassin 24
Ding Dong Bell (Words only) 227
Ding Dong Bell (Song—Illustrated) 39
Dirty Kitty Cat.—Stanley Schell 194
Dishonest Cat.—Mrs. Frederick W. Pender 133
Doctor Tom Mew 98
Dog and Cat 218
Dogs and Cats.—Alexander Dumas 94
Down to St. Ives 207
Duel.—Eugene Field 143
Elder Johnson’s Lecture on Cats 69
Emblematic Signification of Cat 145
Every Mother’s Love the Best 150
False Kindness 79
Family Cat 97
Feline Fate.—Anna Robeson Brown 129
Five Kitty Cats 103
Girl, Cat and Custard 183
Good-for-nothing Cat 57
Gray’s Elegy on Horace Walpole’s Cat 232
Had to Eat It 219
Happy Family (Music) 165
Hodge, the Cat.—Susan Coolidge 117
Homeless Kitten (Music).—Jane Campbell 135
Homeliest Cat at the Show.—Rosalie M. Jones 20
How Pussy and Mousie Kept House.—A.C. Kish 68
How Pussy Bathes 187
How to Feed and Care for Cats.—Stanley Schell 240
In Liquor 260
In the Hay-Loft.—Helen Thayer Hutcheson 144
Intelligent Cat.—Grace Bacon Holway 35
Jet and Snowflake (Dialogue) 270
Jim Wolfe and the Cats.—Mark Twain 244
Just Plain Cat.—Jennie Pendleton Ewing 92
Kathie’s Story 100
Kind Boy.—Mrs. Frederick W. Pender 120
Kitten and the Falling Leaves (Action Poem).—William Wordsworth 122
Kitten and the Mouse 67
Kitten of the Regiment.—James Buckram 246
Kitten that Never Grew Old 178
Kittens’ Blind-Man’s Buff (Illustrated) 90
Kittens’ Dancing-Lesson.—Stanley Schell 179
Kittens’ Fright (Action Poem) 113
Kittens’ Promenade 74
Kitten’s View of Life.—Thomas Westwood 159
Kitty 242
Kitty at School.—Kate Ulmer 208
Kittycat and the Milkman 202
Kitty’s Lesson.—C. Grace Jerolamen 220
Lament of a Forsaken Cat.—Elizabeth Harcourt Mitchell 41
Land on Your Feet.—Sam Walter Foss 158
Language of Cats 186
Lincoln’s Motherless Kittens.—Mrs. Frederick W. Pender 196
Little Cat Made Fur Fly 264
Little Kittens 71
Little Kitty (Action Poem) 128
Little Pussy.—Taylor 121
Little Turncoats.—Georgia A. Peck 205
Lost Kitty 28
Lost Mittens (Illustrated) 201
Matthew Arnold’s Cat, Atossa 182
Matilda Martha May.—Fannie Rogers White 106
Me an’ Bab.—Joy Vetrepont 151
Me an’ Methuselar.—Harriet Ford 161
Mirror Cat.—Oliver Herford 30
Mischievous Cat.—Mrs. E.T. Corbett 206
Miss Edith’s Modest Request.—Bret Harte 138
Miss Kitty Manx to Sir Thomas Angora.—Mary S. Boyd 140
Miss Tabbycat’s Reception.—Elizabeth L. Gould 102
Mistress Kitty 96
Model Cat.—Mrs. Frederick W. Pender 271
Modest Cat’s Soliloquy 29
Mother Gray and Her Children (Music) 172
Mother Tabbyskins 82
My Cat.—Charles Baudelaire 115
My Cat and Dog.—Marori 200
My Kittens.—Olive Stevens Brown 104
My Little Gray Kitty and I 86
My Ol’ Black Cat.—Flavia Rosser 198
My Old Gray Cat and I.—Joe Lincoln 136
My Pet Cat 253
My Pussy (Music—Illustrated) 214
Naughty Pussy 233
Newsboy’s Cat; or, the Fam’ly Man.—Mrs. E.T. Corbett 213
Nobody Did It 88
Nocturnal Shot 81
Object of Love.—Mary E. Wilkins 107
Old Nursery Rhyme 78
Out for a High Time.—E. Louise Liddell 59
Outing.—Mrs. Frederick W. Pender 176
Pace That Kills 75
Partnership.—Margaret Vandegrift 75
Pet and Her Cat 174
Pins in Pussy’s Toes.—Harriet Beecher Stowe 40
Poet’s Lamentation for Loss of His Cat.—Joseph Green 261
Polly Pry’s Kitten (Action Poem) 55
Prince of Newfoundland; or, Only a Dog and a Kitten.—Celia Thaxter 141
Puss and Her Three Kittens.—Tom Hood 87
Puss in Mischief (Action Poem) 76
Pussy and the Mice 118
Pussy at School.—Louis B. Tisdale 171
Pussy-Cat 164
Pussy-Cat and Mouse on Thanksgiving 269
Pussy Gray’s Dinner 160
Pussy Willows 219
Pussy’s Dream 93
Pussy’s Vocal Lesson 169
Quousque Tandem, O Catiline?—A.L. Frisbie 257
Rash Young Mouse (Action Poem) 56
Ready for Breakfast (Illustrated) 101
Retired Cat.—William Cowper 236
Revenge for Poisoning a Cat 234
Robin Redbreast and Pussy-Cat 74
Sad Case.—Clara D. Bates 45
Sandy Jenkins’s Remarks on the Black Cat.—J.D. Corrothers 72
Scarum Cat.—Mary Elizabeth Stone 221
Sea-Puss.—Kate Upson Clark 170
Secret Told Pussie 80
Social Tea.—Mrs. Frederick W. Pender 180
Some Cat Traits 156
Southey’s Cats Write Their Master.—Robert Southey 263
Strange Mouse 239
Sunday Episode (Illustrated).—Herbert Randall 70
Tatters, the Cat.—Mrs. Frederick W. Pender 91
That Cat.—Ben King 78
Three Maidens Fair.—Stanley Schell 89
Three Naughty Kittens.—Isabel Frances Bellows 166
Timid Kitten.—Carolyn Wells 58
Tom.—M.T. Hart 252
Tommie 116
Toodlekins and Flip 265
Tootsy Wootsy.—Mrs. Frederick W. Pender 13
Topsy 85
Troll Cat 222
Turn About 79
Two Gray Kits and the Gray Kits’ Mother 71
Two Hearts and a Kitten.—Mabel Preece 203
Two Pussy-Cats.—Ella Wheeler Wilcox 105
“Two’s Company, Three’s None.”—Mrs. Frederick W. Pender 52
Ungrateful Cat 259
Walter Savage Landor’s Favorite Cat, Chinchinillo 134
Warning (Music) 114
Watch-Cat.—Elliot Walker 248
Way You Look at It 173
We Cats (Action Song) 60
We’ve Lost Our Job.—Stanley Schell 262
What Became of the Kitten? 175
What I Want.—David L. Proudfit 258
What Puss Thinks 33
“When the Cat’s Away the Mice Will Play” (Tableau).—Mrs. Mary L. Gaddess 167
Where Are Those Sleepy Kittens? (Action Poem) 44
Where Have You Been? 73
Where Is My Kitty? (Action Poem) 99
Why Cats Wash After Eating.—Eva J. Beede 25
Why the Cat Always Falls upon Her Feet.—Louise Jamison 211
Wisdom 233
Wise Mouse.—Mary Raymond Garretson 31
* * * * *
Conundrums—25, 119, 123, 125, 142, 156, 157, 177, 179, 183, 193, 197, 198, 207, 210, 220, 227, 235, 251.
AUTHORS.
PAGE
Bates, Clara Doty 45
Baudelaire, Charles 115
Beede, Eva J. 25
Bellows, Isabel Frances 166
Boyd, Mary S. 140
Brown, Anna Robeson 129
Brown, Olive Stevens 104
Buckram, James 246
Campbell, Jane 135
Carlton, Will M. 126
Cassin, Elizabeth I. 24
Clark, Kate Upson 170
Coolidge, Susan 117
Corbett, Mrs. E.T. 206, 213
Corrothers, J.D. 72, 124
Cowper, William 236
Dayre, Sydney 199
Dumas, Alexander 94
Ewing, Jennie Pendleton 92
Field, Eugene 143
Ford, Harriet 161
Foss, Sam Walter 158
Foster, Edna A. 155
Frisbie, A.L. 257
Gaddess, Mrs. Mary L. 167
Garabraut, Nellie M. 209
Garretson, Mary Raymond 31
Gould, Elizabeth L. 102
Green, Joseph 261
Hammond, Maria J. 241
Hart, M.T. 252
Harte, Bret 138
Herford, Oliver 30, 184
Holway, Grace Bacon 35
Hood, Tom 87
Hutcheson, Helen Thayer 144
Jamison, Louise 211
Jerolamen, C. Grace 220
Jerome, Jerome K. 46
Jones, Mrs. Gertrude M. 27
Jones, Rosalie M. 20
King, Ben 78
Kish, A.C. 68
Larcom, Lucy 185
Lawless, Eve 34
Liddell, E. Louise 59
Lincoln, Joe 136
Marori 200
Mitchell, Elizabeth H. 41
Peck, Georgia A. 205
Pender, Mrs. Frederick W. 13, 52, 91, 120, 133, 176, 180, 196, 230, 271
Porter, Eleanor H. 188
Preece, Mabel 203
Proudfit, David L. 258
Randall, Herbert 70
Rosser, Flavia 198
Schell, Stanley 89, 153, 179, 194, 224, 240, 262
Southey, Robert 263
Stone, Mary Elizabeth 221
Stowe, Harriet Beecher 40
Street, L.E. 36
Taylor 121
Thaxter, Celia 141
Tisdale, Louis B. 171
Twain, Mark 244
Ulmer, Kate 208
Vandegrift, Margaret 75, 254
Vetrepont, Joy 151
Walker, Elliot 248
Wells, Carolyn 58
Westwood, Thomas 159
White, Fannie Rogers 106
Wilcox, Ella Wheeler 105
Wilkins, Mary E. 107
Wordsworth, William 122
CATS’ AND KITTENS’ OPENING ADDRESS.
Kind audience, we wish to say right here, We’re only play cats and kittens dear. (’Twould be absurd for cats to play This entertainment, their parts they could not say), For cats, you know, can only “me-you,” And that we know is Greek to you. Then, if a rat should chance to drop Upon us, why, off we’d pop! All this I tell you for your sake, For fear you’d make a grave mistake, And think that we real catties were. I therefore ask you to suppose That we are dressed up in cats’ clothes.
[_All bow, then all together give the following calls as they back to stage back and exit._]
[Music]
WERNER’S READINGS AND RECITATIONS No. 35.
Copyright, 1906, by Edgar S. Werner.
TOOTSY WOOTSY.
POEM, LESSON-TALK AND PANTOMIME, BY MRS. FREDERICK W. PENDER.
POSES BY BABY ELOCUTIONIST VIRGINIA BELL (2 YEARS OLD) AND KITTEN TOOTSY WOOTSY (4 MONTHS OLD).
Photographs by Jacques Joel, New York.
Copyright, 1906, by Edgar S. Werner.
_Written expressly for this book._
See, Tootsy Wootsy be’s m’ tat, An’ her as tunnin’ as tan be; She am ner bigger den m’ han’, An’s dot der bites’ eyes oo’ see.
All fluffy wuffy be’s her toat, An’ say, her face, it’s orsel wise; I spec’s some day ’at she’ll dit Der firstes’, bestes’ tind oo’ prize.
She puts her ’ittle velvet paws Wite up ter me ser dem I’ll shake; An’ ef she be’s des fas’ ersleep, I nezzer ties fer her ter wake.
I ’dopt her fer m’ owners’ tat, An’ dot fer her der nices’ house, W’ere she do stay w’en nite am tum Ser still an’ twiet as er mouse.
She ain’t ner tommon tind o’ tat, She am Andora, yes, she be; An’ w’en I smooth her back an’ tail, Her winks, an’ purrs, an’ p’ays wiv me.
An’ nen I buy (now doan yo’ laff), Er sing ner uzzer titten’s dot, Er nussin’ bottle, wiv er mouf F’um w’ich she dinks her milk w’en hot.
Oh! she do be ser very nice, I hopes she nezzer wuns erway; Fer ef she do, I tannot tell W’at I ’oud do, or sink, or say.
Maybe, I mite dess tazy dit, Ef f’um m’ titten I did part; So, Tootsy, darlin’! oo’ stay here, Fer ef yer don’ yo’ bwake m’ heart.
[Some people do not care to teach children dialect, so we print the poem “Tootsy Wootsy” in ordinary English. The same lesson-talk applies to both forms of the poem.]
TOOTSY WOOTSY.
See, Tootsy Wootsy is my cat, And she’s as cunning as can be; She is no bigger than my hand, And has the brightest eyes you see.
All fluffy wuffy is her coat, And see, her face, it’s very wise; I expect some day that she’ll get The first and only kind of prize.
She puts her little velvet paws Right up to me so them I’ll shake; And if she is just fast asleep, I never cry for her to wake.
I take her for my very own And have for her the nicest house, Where she can stay when night is come As still and quiet as a mouse.
She’s not a common kind of cat, She is Angora, yes, she is; And when I smooth her back and tail, She winks, and purrs, and plays with me.
And then I buy (now don’t you laugh) A thing no other kitten’s got, A nursing-bottle, with a mouth From which she drinks her milk when hot.
Oh! she is really very nice, I hope she’ll never run away; For if she does, I cannot tell What I would do, or think, or say.
Maybe, I might just crazy get, If from my kitten I did part; So, Tootsy, darling! you stay here, For if you don’t, you’ll break my heart.
FOREWORD.
As soon as a little tot in lisping accents can pronounce words sufficiently well to form sentences, it often becomes a proud mother’s ambition to teach her nursery rhymes; and baby is called on to surprise her fond papa, or maybe her doting grandparents, with a display of her wonderful elocutionary talent. But when the darling entertains a number of her mama’s dearest friends in the drawing-room, or, better still, when she makes her début at the Sunday-school social, and receives plaudits for her little recitation delivered in bird-like tones, it is then that the mother’s heart reaches its zenith of happiness. “Tootsy Wootsy” has been arranged and posed especially for children from three to six years of age.
POINTS.—Before the child recites, place a small stool or chair a little to right of center of platform. On left side there should be a small table or stand; a little way from this, lying on floor with cover off, should be kitten’s basket with a tiny nursing-bottle filled with milk. Care should be taken not to have these articles arranged in set manner, but rather with play-room or nursery effect. The younger the kitten, the easier handled by a child.
LESSON-TALK ON “TOOTSY WOOTSY.”
_“See, Tootsy Wootsy he’s m’ tat, An’ her as tunnin’ as tan be.”_
PICTURE I.—Advance on platform carrying pet kitten in arms in regular childish fashion; pause, throw weight of body evenly upon both feet; face expressing joy and pride; and in pleasing tones explain who “Tootsy Wootsy” is and how “tunnin’.”
_“She am ner bigger den m’ han’, An’s dot der bites’ eyes oo’ see.”_
[Illustration: PICTURE II.
“I spec’s some day ’at she’ll dit Der firstes’, bestes’ tind oo’ prize.”]
[Illustration: PICTURE III.
“She puts her ’ittle velvet paws Wite up ter me ser dem I’ll shake.”]
DESCRIPTIVE POSE.—Smile, hold kitten out in front of you for admiration of audience; seat yourself on floor, wind one arm and hand around kitten, while holding up other arm with fingers of hand extended, as though to illustrate what you think is correct size of her tail; facial expression brightens as head is slightly bowed, when gazing at beauty of kitten’s eyes.
_“All fluffy wuffy be’s her toat, An’ say, her face, it’s orsel wise.”_
DESCRIPTIVE POSE.—Still seated, run one hand over and through kitten’s fur; hold kitten up a little and rub your cheek against its soft body; glancing alternately at kitten, then at her friends. Words requiring emphasis are “fluffy,” “wuffy,” “toat” and “it’s orsel wise.”
_“I spec’s some day ’at she’ll dit Der firstes’, bestes’ tind oo’ prize.”_
PICTURE II.—Still seated, hug kitten closely to breast, and show by look that you have no doubt of kitten’s receiving “firstes’, bestes’ tind oo’ prize.” Words that are emphatic are “some day,” “she,” and the entire second line.
_“She puts her ’ittle velvet paws Wite up ter me ser dem I’ll shake.”_
PICTURE III.—Put right arm around kitten; both hands clasp kitten’s paws; while you glance up obliquely with earnest tone and recite the lines. Special emphasis on “wite up ter me” as though it were something unusual for a kitten to do such a thing.
_“An’ ef she be’s fas’ ersleep, I nezzer ties fer her ter wake.”_
DESCRIPTIVE POSE.—Serious tone and expression of face and eyes; prolong “des fas’ ersleep;” accompany “I nezzer ties” with movement of head from right to left to make more emphatic.
_“I ’dopt her fer m’ ownes’ tat, An’ dot fer her der nices’ house.”_
PICTURE IV.—Rise, advance to where basket is lying; place kitten in it; put basket with contents on stand; bow head, resting it lightly on kitten; hands clasp sides of basket; face expressing happiness.
_“Where she do stay w’en nite am tum Ser still an’ twiet as er mouse.”_
PICTURE V.—Place cover of basket over kitten, leaving head exposed to view; then sit in chair, feet crossed, and hold kitten in basket, for audience to gaze at. Show dignified tone and manner when reciting; tone softens and voice grows lighter on “still an’ twiet as er mouse.”
_“She ain’t ner tommon tind o’ tat, She am Andora, yes she be.”_
PICTURE VI.—Remove cover from basket, which still contains kitten; place cover to one side. Clasp with left hand kitten’s collar in the back. Cling with right hand to edge of stand, feet in natural childish position; body slightly inclined in sort of protecting manner over loved treasure, and with look and tone of disdain and strongest emphasis say that your kitten “ain’t ner tommon tind o’ tat;” give its breed, laying special stress on “Andora,” and “yes, she be;” decided nod of head in affirmative on last three words.
_“An’ w’en I smooth her back an’ tail, Her winks, an’ purrs, an’ p’ays wiv me.”_
DESCRIPTIVE POSE.—Continue dignified tone through first line; expression softens on second line; suggestion of smile. Emphasize “winks,” “purrs,” “p’ays wiv me.”
_“An’ nen I buy (now doan yo’ laff) Er sing ner uzzer titten’s dot.”_
DESCRIPTIVE POSE.—Take kitten from basket; resume your seat in chair; face should glow with pride and pleasure when thinking what you have for your kitten; for a moment the thought comes that when your friends learn what it is, they will make sport of you. With pathetic face beg them not to “laff.” Again assuming bright facial expression and giving marked stress to the words, assure them that it is—“Er sing ner uzzer titten’s dot,” and describe it as
_“Er nussin’-bottle, wiv er mouf F’um w’ich she dinks her milk w’en hot.”_
PICTURE VII.—Bend forward, clasp kitten with left hand, and proceed to give kitten milk from bottle that you take from basket.
_“Oh! she do be ser very nice, I hopes she nezzer wuns erway.”_
PICTURE VIII.—Rise, place cat in basket on stand, keep side of your body toward audience; continue to offer kitten milk as you recite the lines. Emphasize “very nice,” “nezzer,” and “wuns erway.”
_“Fer ef she do, I tannot tell W’at I ’oud do, or sink, or say.”_
DESCRIPTIVE POSE.—Your fear of losing kitten should be expressed very vividly. Place nursing-bottle in basket. Lovingly take kitten out of basket. Put right hand to your eye as if to check a tear; left arm and hand encircle kitten; general appearance of childish sorrow.
_“May be, I mite dess tazy dit, Ef f’um m’ titten I did part;”_
PICTURE IX.—In your great fondness for the kitten, you fear that you may lose it after all. Sit in chair, place cat on stand, holding its collar tightly with left hand. To illustrate still more clearly how you would mourn, should such a catastrophe befall you, when reciting how she “mite tazy dit,” place right hand on your face and give deep sigh and expression of intense suffering.
_“So, Tootsy, darlin’! Oo’ stay here, Fer ef yer don’, yo’ bwake m’ heart.”_
DESCRIPTIVE POSE.—Take kitten, hug it closely, and in above lines beg it not to leave you. Strong emphasis on “yo’ bwake mi’ heart.” Then, carrying kitten under right arm, and basket containing nursing-bottle in left hand, smile sadly to audience and leave platform.
HOMELIEST CAT AT THE SHOW.
ROSALIE M. JONES.
“Hi! Hit her again! She’s ugly enough to stop a clock.”
“You let her ’lone,” screamed a small voice from the top story of a towering rear tenement, but alas, it fell far short of the depths, way, way, below where the cruel boys were tormenting the poor kitty.
Then the active little figure belonging to the voice hurriedly left the window above and racing down stairs, three steps at a jump, burst violently into their midst, caught their trembling little victim to her breast, and with no weapons but a flushed face and two big tearful eyes, turned defiantly to brave the cowards.
“Say, fellers, catch on ter de young defender.”
“Yer wanter send her ter de cat show, see. She’ll git a prize, I don’t tink.”
With a look of contempt which stung even the most hardened of them, Maysie turned away with her suffering burden and re-entered the house.
“For goodness sake! What’s that you’ve got now?” asked a tired looking woman, as she saw her small daughter come panting into the kitchen, clutching something by the legs.
“Jus’ a kitty.”
“Well, I never did! Why, Marg’ret Williams, are you crazy? I never saw such a homely creature in all my born days: it’ll bring us bad luck, sure, with that wicked green eye and that mean yeller one—ugh! You just take it straight back to the gutter you fished it out of.”
At this Maysie began to cry; sobbing out the story of its ill treatment.
“Oh, well, I reckon we’ll keep her till she’s cured up, anyway.”
So Maysie kept her cat, and pity blossomed so quickly into love that she was perfectly blind to its ugliness and fondly fancied it the dearest, sweetest and loveliest kitty in all the world.
On the next Sunday, Mrs. Williams read out from her great big newspaper: “A National Cat Show at Madison Square.”
“What’s a National Cat Show?” asked Maysie, who was sitting playing with Rags, as she called her foundling.
“Why it’s—it’s a show of cats, I suppose, and it’s to be held next Wednesday in Madison Square Garden.”
“Oh, yes, that must be where that bad boy in the street told me to send Rags, but I thought, o’ course, he was just foolin’; he said, maybe I’d get a prize for her. Do you—— do you think I might, mother?”
Mrs. Williams hid a smile behind her newspaper, as she read of the gorgeous Angora, Maltese, Persian and other rare and beautiful cats that were to be exhibited by the richest and most fashionable ladies in New York, but she only answered: “I shouldn’t wonder.”
This was enough. In the course of ten seconds, Maysie had decided in her own mind that she would take Rags to the show, and that there was not the slightest use of worrying her poor, tired mother about it beforehand and spoiling the delightful “s’prise.”
Early Wednesday morning Mrs. Williams started for her day’s work. Maysie, when left alone, fairly raced the breakfast dishes around her dishpan, over the towel and up again on the shelf. Then she slipped into a nice little fresh calico dress, tied a new red ribbon around Rags’s neck in a fantastic bow, which, however, would slide around under her chewed-off ear, then cramming her into the market-basket, she set off with a light heart.
She was too early to be admitted, and so had to stand and wait near the side door marked “Entrance for Cats.”
At last a carriage drove up to the great front door of the building and a lady descended from it, followed by a maid in a white cap, carrying a basket. She was such a pretty lady and so beautifully dressed, that Maysie liked her on the spot, and thought that it would only be kind to inform her that she was not at the right entrance for cats and must wait at the side door with her.
The lady smiled when she told her, and she said: “Oh, thank you, you’re very good; I see you have a cat, too! Is it to be in the show?”
“Oh, yes, don’t you think she’ll get a prize?”
“Pro—probably,” said the lady, turning away for an instant and shaking so strangely that Maysie thought she was cold.
“Had’nt I better ask the other lady to bring you a shawl or sumpin’ out of your carriage?”