WHAT ABOUT THE CAT?

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 175, 18 April 1908, Page 11

WHAT ABOUT THE CAT?

; A STORY FOR CHILDREN. "What, about the cat?"; asked the little' princess of her. eldest maid. "It is sitting on the sunny side of tho garden wall, watching tho butterflies.' It meowed-for-three\ of the prettiest to. fall ; into its mouth, and would'you beliove it, that is just what happened. A green, a bluo, a pink shaded with gold, all went down pussy's red throat." • Tho princess smiled.- "What about the cat?" she questioned her second maid; "She is'seated in'your honourable father's chair of state, and your honourablo father's first body slave-is scratching her. back with your fatner's own back scratcher, made of the purest gold and ivory." ■ • The princess laughed outright. Sho pattered gracefully into, another room. There sho' saw the' youngest'daughter of-her foster mother.

"What about the cat?" she asked for the third time. .

"The cat! Oh, she has gone to Shinlru's duck farm. Tho ducks lovelier so that when they see her, they swim to shore and embrace her with their wings. Four-of them combined to make a raft and .she got upon their backs and went down stream with them., Thoy met some of the ducklings on the way and she patted them to death with her paws. How the' big ducks quacked!" "That is a good story," quoth the princess.

' She. went into the garden, and seeing one of the gardeners,, said, "What about tho cat?" .

, "It is frisking somewhere under the cherry tree, but you would not know it if you-saw it," replied the gardener. / . "Why?" asked tho princoss. "Because, your highness, I gave it a strong worm porridgo for its dinner, and as soon as it ate it, its white fur coat became a glossy green striped with black. It looks like a giant, caterpillar, and all the little caterpillars are going to hold a festival to-night in its honour;" . . t "Deary mo! What a great cat!" exclaimed the princess. ' A little further on she met ono of the chamberlains of the palace. "What - about tho cat ?'■' she asked.

"It is dancing in the ballroom in a dress of elegant cobwebs and a necklace: of pearl rice, i For partner, she has the yellow dragon in the 'hall, come to life, and they take such pretty steps together • that all who. behold them shriek, in-ecstasy. Three little mice hold up her.train as.she dances; and another sits perched on the tip of the dragon's curled tail." :

At this f tho'-. princess quivered like a . willow, tree and was obliged to seek her apartments. When there, she recovered herself, and placing a .blossom' on j. her ■ exquisite., eyebrow, commanded that all those of whom sho had inquired conceming^tho,cat. should be brought before her. : When they appeared ; she looked at them very severely and said : .

"You have all .told me dilforent stories when I have asked 1 you 'What about : the cat?' Which of these stories is.true?"

No one answered.. All trembled and paled. "They, are all untrue," announced the princess. , » ■ i She lifted' her, arm and there .crawled ont of her . sleeve her; white eat:. It had boen thore all the timo.- ' - . Then the courtly, ohamberlain advanced towards i her, '■ kotowing threo times., ' 'Princess,'.' said he,-"would a story be a story if it woro true ? Would you have been as well ontertained this morning , if; instead of our stories; , we, your ■ unworthy . servants, had simply told you that,the;cat' was up your ■ sleevo?"" .■ ,'rVv,'..• ■ '■' The princess losti her. severity in hiiarityi ' 'Thank jroumy.. dear.' servants;' '• said • she. "I appreciate your desire to amviße me.": , She looked at her cat, thought of, all it had done and beeri in tho;minds of her servants, and .laughed • like/ a.' princess again and again.—"Good Housekeeping."' .