LITTLE SIR CAT
Reading edition
Little Sir Cat and Tommy Green
"Please, Mister Cat, go ring the bell, I'm sure it won't be wrong. Perhaps my Mary will come out, I've waited here so long,"
said Mary's Little Lamb.
"I can't do that," answered Little Sir Cat, "the teacher wouldn't like it." Just then all the children ran out of the little red school-house. But, oh, dear me! One of the boys pinched Little Sir Cat's tail.
And I don't know what would have happened if the teacher hadn't looked out of the window at that moment. Well, it didn't take him long to run out and give that naughty boy a good shaking.
"I know it was you, Tommy Green. You're the boy who drowned poor pussy cat, who never did you any harm but killed the mice in your father's barn!" And then that angry teacher pulled that naughty boy into the school-house.
"Tommy Green, I'm going to send you home with a letter to your father. I think he had better keep you away from school. We don't want boys who are unkind to animals."
"Oh, please sir," sobbed Tommy Green, "don't do that. I got an awful whipping when I put pussy in the well; I didn't mean to drown her, I only wanted to see her swim. And I didn't pull this cat's tail hard. I just gave it a little pinch to see how thick the fur was."
"Please, professor," said tender-hearted Little Sir Cat, holding up his paw as he had seen the children do in school, "if it's all the same to you, I'd like to give Tommy a chance to be good. I don't want him whipped. My tail doesn't hurt at all now, professor."
Well, goodness me. You should have seen that teacher smile when Little Sir Cat called him "professor."
"This is certainly a lesson to you children," he said; "a great lesson to be kind to all God's creatures."
And then Tommy began to cry. You see, he wasn't a bad boy at heart, and Little Sir Cat's forgiveness made him feel dreadfully ashamed. I guess it did him more good than any number of whippings.
Dear children, never be unkind To small four-footed things. Oh, never pinch a pussy's tail Nor pull a poor fly's wings. And never tease your little dog, With unkind act or word, And never throw a cruel stone At any little bird.
I often think when Winter comes How cold must be the trees; More than in the Summer Time They need their coats of leaves.