MRS PUSS’S DILEMMA.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 17 March 1928, Page 18

MRS PUSS’S DILEMMA.

Mrs Puss sat one morning on the barn floor in the sun- with her five nretty little kittens in a row in front of her.

Mrs Puss looked very wise, for *she was tiwinir to teach her children a lesson she had learned when she was quit;? young and came to the farm to live and that was not. to touch the tiny •hicks or birds that flow about the yard for crumbs or era in-

Mrs Puss had been taught through great suffering that this was a very wrong thing to do. and her mistress had more than once caught her in the very act and had boxed her ears soundly. Onc-e she had caught a bird and left it under a bush because the mistress called her, and when she went back to get it some terribly peppery stuff was on it that, made her tongue smart. And she had never caught one since-

And so. having suffered sn much to learn her lesson, Mrs Puss wished to teach her children to become weltemannered pussies and save them from the piin'.shments she had had to take in her youth.

The kittens were looking .at their mother with big anxious- eyies, and listening to every word she me-ow-ed, to them. “You must wash your faces every morning” began Airs Puss, “and-never, never eat your breakfast without doing so. No tidy housecat would lie guilty of such a dreadful thing.” “Yes, mother dear,” mewed the little kittens.

“Then, when you go for your breakfast you must not push earn other or try to drink more than your share of milk from the dish.” she explained. Only little, pigs that live in pig-pens do such things. Well-mannered kittens never do, hut lap their milk quietly and slowly, you. understand?” “Yes, mother dear,’’ mewed all the kittens, “we will never forget.” “Arid now, there is something I wish to talk about and I want you to pay striet attention,” said Mrs Puss, foo-k----ing very serious indeed. “You must never, never touch the pretty little chickens that run about the. vard. They are the chickens' of Mrs. Hen. just as you are Tuy children. And if Mr Dog or some dreadful animal should eat you up I would be very unhappy.”

“Ale-ow. rne-ow,” cried all- tine kittens, huddling around their mother with frightened eyes. “Nothing is going to narm>yon,” said Mi’s Puss. “Now go »nok .to your places and listen.”

‘‘You must never touch the little chickens- You have plenty of milk; and then there are a'.l the mice. You have the house to look after and the barn as well so there is no excuse for catching chickens, or birds. You must never touch the pretty birds, either. “They are mothers and fathers to little birds, just as I am your molier, and if someone ate me, then yon would feel terribly, wouldn’t you?” All the kittens began to meow loudly and mu to their motr.er again. But Mrs Puss sen.t them hack to their and told them she was safe from harm.

“And now i hope you have learned .somethinf'-.” said Mrs Puss. “If there is anv question you wish, to -a.sk, you mav do so.”

“Oil. mother dear,” said little Fluff kitten, “please tell us why we should catch the Door little mice and the big inke. Thev must be- somebody’s children, too. or their fathers or mothers. Wouldn’t they be sad if they didn’t come home?”

i And tli is" was the cause of Mrs Puss’ dilemma. She had never been taught the answer to this question, and so she dismissed her children and told them that lessons were over for that day, and thev must think only about things they had learned.