LITTLE SIR CAT
Reading edition
Little Sir Cat and Little Boy Blue
"Little Boy Blue, Come blow your horn, Your cows are eating Farmer Green's corn,"
sang Robbie Redbreast as Little Sir Cat passed through a meadow in new Mother Goose Land. And just then a little boy dressed in blue jumped out from behind a haystack and began to blow on his silver horn.
Goodness me! Dapple Gray was so startled that he stood up on his hind legs and nearly upset his small rider.
LITTLE SIR CAT AND LITTLE BOY BLUE
"Don't blow it again till I get out of the meadow," said Little Sir Cat, and he rode away. By-and-by, after a while, he came to a neat-looking cottage with a red chimney and pink blinds. So he knocked on the door, and who do you suppose opened it? You'll never guess, so I'll tell you right away. Why, Old Mother Hubbard and her dog. Wasn't that strange? For the last time Little Sir Cat had seen them was in Old Mother Goose Country, and of course he was surprised to meet them. All of a sudden, the Dog began to sing:
"Old Mother Hubbard never goes to the cupboard To get me a bone any more; For she has an excuse, so what is the use? She remembers what happened before. So now we both go to a nice movie show, And then to a restaurant fine, Where we order a stew of giblets for two, And the orchestra plays while we dine."
"Hurray!" cried Little Sir Cat, "things are certainly very different in this country." And pretty soon he told them he must be on his way. So off he went through the woods, and by-and-by he came to a deep pool under a great oak tree. But he didn't know that a Frog Prince lived in it. No, Siree. And perhaps it was just as well that he didn't, for the Frog Prince didn't like cats at all.
Well, as soon as he saw Little Sir Cat, he gave a dreadful loud croak and hopped out on the bank.
"Shall I kick him?" asked Dapple Gray with a toss of his head, for he wasn't afraid of that croaky old frog, not the least little bit.
"Of course not," answered Little Sir Cat. "Are you really a frog, or an enchanted prince?" he asked, turning to the Frog Prince.
And, would you believe it, the tears came to that poor frog's eyes, as he answered:
"A wicked witch has cast a spell over me. I was once a handsome prince."
"I will help you," answered Little Sir Cat, and, jumping off Dapple Gray, he hunted through the grass until he found a tiny, little flower, blue as the summer sky.
"Tomorrow morning when the cock crows eat this flower," he said, handing it to the Frog Prince, "and you will once more be your natural self." And before the happy frog could thank him he jumped on Dapple Gray and rode away to the next story.
Peter, Peter, pumpkin eater, Had a wife and couldn't keep her; He made a car of the pumpkin shell, And there he kept her very well.