PUSS MEETS YANKEE DOODLE DANDY
Reading edition
THE broad highway was somewhat dusty and not nearly so pleasant as the cool, shady path through the woods. At the same time Puss felt that it was leading him on toward his journey's end, and the thought that then he would find his dear father made his heart beat fast with hope.
He began to whistle, when suddenly he heard the sound of hoofbeats. Then a voice commenced singing, loudly and clearly:
"Yankee Doodle came to town, Riding on a pony; He stuck a feather in his cap And called it macaroni. "Yankee Doodle came to town, Yankee Doodle dandy, He stuck a feather in his cap And called it sugar candy."
Down the road came a pony at a mad gallop, and seated upon his back was a very queer-looking person. In his cap was a long feather and in his right hand was a big whip. The pony was galloping along at a great rate, and every now and again his rider would give a tremendous whoop, like an Indian brave. "Yankee Doodle Dandy!" he yelled, and then the pony would stand up on his hind legs and neigh.
"Look out!" yelled the rider, as he approached Puss. "Don't you see you are in the way?"
"Am I?" said Puss, drawing to one side of the road.
"Well, not now," said the rider, drawing rein and looking at Puss with a good deal of interest. "Where's your horse?"
"Where's my horse?" repeated Puss, looking about as if he expected to find one.
"Yes, where's your steed?" continued the stranger.
"Haven't got any," said Puss. "My two legs are all that I have to carry me."
"Get up behind me," said the stranger. "My name is Yankee Doodle Dandy, and a Yankee is always willing to give a fellow-traveler a lift, whether he be on the high seas or on the road."
"Thank you, my fellow-traveler," replied Puss, and he sprang nimbly to the saddle and clung tightly to the coat-tails of Yankee Doodle Dandy.
"Git-ap!" cried the latter, and away went the pony down the road. In a short time the towers and church steeples of a town came into view.
Suddenly a queer-looking figure tumbled down from the sky on to the road just in front of them. Yankee Doodle Dandy reined in his horse just in time; otherwise he would have run over the Man in the Moon.
"Why don't you fall any other place but right in front of my horse?" asked Yankee Doodle Dandy, in a stern voice.
"Couldn't help it," answered the Man in the Moon. "You must remember it's not such an easy thing to hit the exact spot you intend to when you jump all the way from the moon. It's almost impossible. I've even heard that an aeroplane has some difficulty in dropping bombs so that they hit the mark."
"Well, I've heard that, too," admitted Yankee Doodle Dandy, "although up to this time Yankeeville has not suffered from any air attacks."
"Well, don't be too sure," answered the Man in the Moon. "I've seen a few things from my moon house that you never even dreamed of."
"Did you never hear the rhyme about the Man in the Moon?" Puss asked, politely.
"No, I never did," said the Man in the Moon.
"What!" exclaimed Puss in surprise.
"The Man in the Moon came tumbling down And asked the way to Norwich; He went by the south and burnt his mouth With eating cold pease porridge."
"Ha, ha!" laughed the Man in the Moon, "you are joking; I'm sure you are," and he turned his footsteps toward the south.
"'He went by the south and burnt his mouth,'" said Puss.
"We can't help it," said Yankee Doodle; "he will go that way."