little sir cat helps piggie

the next morning as mrs. oriole was singing her pretty song, all of a sudden, a big tramp cat ran up the tree. and he would have caught mrs. oriole right then and there if little sir cat hadn't shouted: "don't touch that little bird!" and would you believe it? that tramp cat said, "i won't!" and began to purr:

"last saturday night a week ago

i went to the city to see a fine show.

and sunday morning, just for a lark,

i chased a gray squirrel all over the park!"

and then he grinned like a cousin of his from cheshire, and climbed down the tree.

well, all of a sudden, little sir cat said "phist!" which so frightened that naughty cat that he ran away, and i guess he's running yet, for nobody ever saw him again. and this made the little orioles so happy that they began to sing:

"oh, how brave is little sir cat!

we like the feather in his hat,

but more than that we like the way

he saved our mother bird to-day!"

which so pleased little sir cat that he took a cracker out of his pocket and gave it to them. and after that he said good-by and went upon his way, and by and by he met a big turkey gobbler who was being fattened for thanksgiving. but he didn't know it. oh, my no! he just thought the farmer fed him nice things because he loved him.

"helloa!" said little sir cat, "how is mrs. turkey?" but the old turkey gobbler never answered. he just gobbled, gobbled, not food, you know, but air, for that is the way a turkey talks.

"i can't understand you. you had better go home and talk to mrs. turkey," said little sir cat, and away he went, hoping next time to meet a more sociable person.

well, pretty soon he saw a little pig caught in the fence. so he helped him out and then they set off together, and after a while, not so very far, they came to a big pond where some boys were sailing toy boats. and they were the funniest, queerest little toy boats you ever saw. in fact, they weren't boats at all, but big wooden letters. and just then a little bird began to sing:

"big 'a' and little 'b'

went a-sailing on the 'c.'"

"they're alphabet boats," cried little sir cat. "i once read about alphabet town where all the letters were alive,—'a' was an ant, and 'b' was a bee, and if you weren't an artist you couldn't write letters to your friends."

"he, he!" laughed little piggie porker, "that was a queer place."

well, after that little sir cat and piggie porker went into the wood to see goggle woggle, a little dwarf who knew just where the fairies and giant oatencake lived. and as soon as goggle woggle saw little sir cat and piggie, he said: "let's go up the hill to giant oatencake. i've got a wooden sword and if he comes out of his castle, i'll cut off his head!" so off they went, little sir cat, piggie and goggle woggle, and by and by, not so very long, they came to the top of the hill.

"wait a minute till i get my sword ready," said goggle woggle, and maybe it took him quite a long time, for he was just a little bit afraid, you know. and so would you and so would i if we were going to fight giant oatencake.

but little sir cat said: "don't be afraid. i'm with you!" and this made goggle woggle feel lots braver. and after that he shouted:

"come out of your castle!"

now giant oatencake was only a great big tremendous cornstalk, and as soon as goggle woggle struck him with his sword, a big ripe ear of corn fell to the ground.

"here is his head," cried goggle woggle, as he put it under his arm. "i'll make pop-corn balls out of it," and he ran back to his big tree in the wood. and in the next story you shall hear what happened after that, unless

the little mouse in the pantry

catches my tabby cat,

and my little yellow canary

runs away with a high silk hat.