little sir cat visits mrs. porker

as little sir cat and piggie porker traveled on they met sir launcelot, the noble knight of good king arthur's round table, riding a great horse with miss muffet in the saddle. well, by-and-by, along came old dame trot with a basket of eggs on her arm. she was singing in a high cracked voice a funny song that went like this:

"who wants to buy some nice fresh eggs

laid by a hen with yellow legs,

yellow legs and a bright red comb,

in a little round nest in my own dear home?"

"how much are they?" asked sir launcelot, taking a gold piece from his purse. and of course, she didn't answer but handed the basket to him with a curtsy. "they are yours, sir knight," and, taking the gold piece, she wrapped it up in her handkerchief and put it away in the pocket of her short green skirt.

sir launcelot laughed, for he knew that a gold piece was too much to pay for the eggs, but he was such a generous knight he didn't care.

then piggie took little sir kitten home with him to meet mrs. porker and the little porkers. and after a while little sir cat set out again to find his fortune.

well, by-and-by, he came to a tall flag-pole at the top of which floated a beautiful flag with red stripes and silver stars. but little sir cat didn't know what flag this was, for he had never crossed the ocean blue, and mother goose land is not on this side of the water, you know. and then a big bird said, "three cheers for the red, white and blue!" he was the big american eagle, only, of course, little sir cat didn't know that either; he only knew mother goose people, you see.

"why, i didn't think you could cheer so well," said little sir cat, and he opened his knapsack and took out a red, white and blue lollypop and gave it to him, and wasn't that eagle pleased? well, i should say he was. he flapped his wings and began to sing:

"oh, i'm the bird as you all have heard

who fights for the u. s. a.

i love the stars on our beautiful flag

as i watch it wave from my lonely crag,

and i give a screech that is heard afar,

three cheers for every silver star,

and the bands of red and white and blue,

and the soldier boys who are brave and true,

and the sailor lads on the deep wide sea,

oh, the u. s. a. is the land for me!"

and when he finished he said to little sir cat, "climb on my back and we'll fly away, far away, across the water wild with spray, way, way off to the u. s. a."

isn't it wonderful how an eagle could say things like this in rhyme? it must have been because he was in mother goose land where everybody talks in poetry.

"i'm afraid i can't," replied little sir cat. "my mother would worry if i went so far away." so the big eagle said good-by, but before he left, he pinned a tiny red, white and blue flag on the little kitten's coat.

on another page of this jolly book,

if you just turn over the pages and look,

you'll find a story about sir cat

and the cow that jumped over the moon man's hat.