1. "but i should like them to stay little always," said the queen, after she had been told that the kittens would soon grow big enough to catch mice.
2. "that is a foolish remark, my love," said the king. "they are here to kill[pg 25] mice, and the sooner they get big, the better.
3. "and you forget that they will have kittens by-and-by," added the king. "in time we shall have,—what is their name? oh, cats.
4. "well, we shall have cats enough to keep the whole land free from mice and rats." and he was ready to dance and[pg 26] clap his hands. only that would not have been proper for a king.
5. the end of it was that dick and the captain set sail for england with a shipload of gold, and puss went with them, with her one baby. she did not miss the rest much after a time.
6. when dick reached london again, he was very rich indeed. but as he grew older he learned that money cannot make people happy, unless they do good to others with it.
7. he gave his friend the captain a handsome present of gold, and he did not forget one of his old friends at home. to each one he gave what they most needed.
8. even the cross cook was not passed over, for dick thought that her bad temper might be made better by a gift, and so it was.
9. but there was one above all to whom he showed the greatest care. this was his cat. of course she did not live so long as dick did, for the lives of cats do not often last more than about sixteen years.[pg 27]
10. by the time that dick was the father of some dear little children, his faithful old puss was very very old and weak. alice was now his wife.
11. pussy spent all her time by the warm fire, and she had all she wanted. no one was ever unkind to her, and though she was not able to catch mice any more, she was treated with great honour.
12. one day, as dick, now a fine rich man in good clothes and in a grand house, was sitting in his arm-chair, his old puss dragged herself slowly up to his feet.
13. she begged to get on his lap once more. dick, who knew well what she meant, though she could not speak, stooped and lifted her up.
14. pussy purred, as she lifted her dim eyes to his face, gave one sigh, and lay quite still. she was dead, and dick buried her himself, under a laurel tree in his garden.
15. "if it had not been for her i might have died in the streets myself," said he. "it was puss who made my fortune, and i[pg 28] am certain of this one thing: those who show mercy and love, will have the same shown to them."
write: dick sold his kittens for gold. but he let the mother-cat keep one. at last his cat died of old age. dick was kind to her to the end of her life.
questions: 1. what did the queen want the kittens to do? 2. what did dick find out about money as he grew older? 3. to whom did he show the greatest care? 4. what about the cross cook? 5. what did the old cat do one day? 6. what did dick say that he was quite certain of?
