THE YELLOW CAT

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22429, 16 June 1938, Page 7 (Supplement)

THE YELLOW CAT

(By Irene O. LaingJ

When Prince Raphael fell in love ■with a picture of the Princess Lucinda, everyone in the palace was most upset. "Perhaps,” said the prime minister, "when he meets her and ■ realises how selfish she is/ it will cure him.” "Why, haven’t you heard?" asked ■ the. chancellor. “It is whispered that even her own fairy godmother lost patience with her >at last and changed her into a pebble. Of course, I don’t believe that, but it . is certainly true that she has disappeared. One night she was more than usually disagreeable, and next morning, she simply wasn’t there. Her brother was most distressed. He had always- been fond of her, though I can’t imagine why. He jumped on his horse and rode into the forest to search for her. Half an hour later his horse returned, and since then he has not been seen either.” "The unfortunate thing is, thaf as the princess has disappeared his highness cannot meet her, and so 'he will go on being In love with her picture.” “Just so,” said the chancellor. Prince Raphael himself felt very sad. He would gladly have gone in search of the princess, but he had no idea where to look.

One day as he was - walking through the village, a yellow cat ran past him, pursued by a dog. “Here, stop that!” cried the prince and threw his stick at the dog. The cat disappeared over a fence. •lust then a man came up. “If you please, your highness, I own that dog, and that cat steals my chickens.” said he. » “Very well. Leave it alone and 1 will pay for the chickens. My grandmother had a yellow cat.” Two days later the prince was in . the forest wheti he heard a sound. Pushing back the branches he saw the cat with Oho paw caught in a trap. v “Poor thing,” said the prince, and released it.

"Prrrr,” said the cat, and ran away.

"What a hurry |t is in.” said the prince. “I am glad I happened- to find it. My grandmother had a yellow cat” Winter, came, and snow fell. It was very cold. Even the chancellor shivered inside his fur coat while he waited outside the palace door. The footmen sprang to open it for him, but before he could enter, in walked the yellow cat "Shoo, shoo!” cried the footmen. "Go outside.” “No, no,” said the prince. “Don’t drive it away. My grandmother had a yellow cat Go to the kitchen and get some milk for it.” It was while he was stroking the cat. that Prince Raphael found there was- a thin gold chain about its neck, and on the chain there were three keys, one of iron, One of gold, and one of mother-Of-pearl. “Dear me, now I wonder what those open?” he said. /.“Are they the keys of your palace, puss?” "Prrrr,” said the cat, and jumping on to the table he patted the picture of tlie Princess Lucinda with his paw. , "Here, be careful Of that,” cried the prince. Then he sprang to his fefet. "Do you know anything about her? Do you know where she is?”

“Prrrr," said the yellow cat, and jumping down from the table he ran towards the door. “Hooray!” cried the prince, and catching up his cloak he ran after him.

Soon they were hurrying through the forest, the prince mounted on hi? black horse, and the yellow cat running ahead of him. When the cat got tired the prince carried him until they reached a place where two paths joined, then he put the cat down to show which was the right way. in this manner they, travelled for some days through the forest and across a plain, but at last it seemed that they could go no further. Directly before them rose a high cliff.

“You must have made a mistake, ’ said the prince, “I cannot ride-ray horse through that.” .

“Meow,” said the cat, and running to the foot of the cliff, he began to climb a ledge of rock. The prince jumped from his horse and fol* lowed. The path was so steep and narrow that there seemed to be barely room enough for the cat, but the prince did not hesitate. Even when he redthed a place where the rock had broken away, he simply jumped across. Half way up the cliff the cat disappeared into a cave, and the prince found him.; scratching at a heavy door at the back of it.

There was no handle on the door, and though Prince Raphael knocked until his hands ached, ho one came. : The cat, which had been vainly trying to attract his attention, sud-r denly stuck his claws into his leg. “Here!” cried tne prince, “What do you think you ate doing?”

"Meow, prrrr, prrrr, meow,” said the cat, standing on his hind legs and fairly dancing with impatience.

"I expect you are right." said Prince Raphael, rubbing his leg, "but I .don’t understand a word -ou Say. Still, don’t you worry about It; we will get in somehow.’’ ’He stooped to rub the cat’s head, and caught his finger in the gold chain about its neck.

"The iron key,” he shouted." How stupid of me!” Slipping the key off the chain he opened the door and went in. All about him = was a greeft : slight, through which he peered at strange distorted trees, There were faces, too, but whether they were the faces of birds, animals, or men he could hot be sure, for whenever he turned his head to look directly at them they disappeared. “I don’t like this,” said the prince, gripping hard on the . hilt of his sword. “I do not like It at all,"

The yellow Cat, however, took no notice of the faces. He seemed to know just where he was going, and led the way among the queer trees as if he were following ah invisible path.

, Soon they came to a house, and the prince opened the* door with the golden key. Inside wes a black table, and on It stood' a mother-of-pearl box. The third key opened the box. Inside it. on.a white velvet cushion, lay a small - round stone. • q The prince picked it up. The, yellow cat stood 6n his hind lees', and beached for it with his paw. -i, “Do you want to see. too?* asked, Prmce Raphael. t; j He held out his hand. Instantly the cat knocked the stone to too fiopr, where it* spun round like a top. As thereat patted It. it spun, faster and faster, and to the priabefe surprise both it and the cat seemed . to be growing larger. Round end round spun the none tin Prince Raphael felt quite giddy. He blinked, then stared, for toe statie had disappeared, and there stood the Princess Lucinda. ‘‘So you have done it.” said It voice.

“My godmother,” gasped tt»' princess. “I am not sure that I will allow you to be rescued.”’

At this the cat. which was now as large as, a small tiger, growiedr the fairy , godmother turned aqft struck it lightly with her wans. The skin split up the back, and 0«t stepped the princess’s brother, v“You see,” explained the godmother. “Lucinda has been tenant provoking. I wanted her 10 stay here till she realised how shockingly she had behaved, so 1 made it very hard to rescue her. I changed her brother into a cat so that bfe would, be unable to do it by himself, and then I left for Persian where I had important bustaead. % think Lucinda has been rescued too soon.” : + “Oh no, really, godmother,” cried Lucinda. “I know I was horrid. One day 1 was nasty, and that made people nasty to me, and that made me worse. I was so unhappy, bat. I did not know how to stop.*“That is why I stopped yo*u r said her godmother. “I believe you really are sorry; so I shall let you go. You will find a mother-of-pearl carriage waiting at the iw of the cliff.” (Continued on page 8.)