OUR BOYS & GIRLS.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 771, 10 December 1886, Page 5

OUR BOYS & GIRLS.

TIPPOO THE FOUNDLING.

I have often thought .1 would tell the history of this most fascinating of cats—a lady puss, though with a masculine, name, usually shortened to Tip. She came a lean starved creature to the house of a country friend; There was one cat in the establishment when the poor stranger, with a .pitiful mew, craved admission. But puss in possession was old and lazy, while the vagrant animal was young, and needed only good food and a comfortable bed to turn her into a perfect beauty, so she was admitted with a promise of adoption conditionally on good behaviour. Tippoo became a most beautiful cat, the pride of the household. But she was not like some human beings who, when they have secured a good place, would prevent others from sharing advantages they enjoy. The old cat might and did snarl, hiss, and swear in feline language at the new comer. But Tippoo showed no resentment, and it.was really charming to see the beautiful young animal pay the cross old creature the same attention that a dutiful child might, render to a mother. When old puss became feeble and almost blind, Tip would carry and lay at her feet the best part of every cattish dainty that came in her way. Tip was a mighty, mouser and a bird catcher, and, almost daily, she brought her dead prey to her cross companion, and invited her by -queer-sounding ‘miaous’ to partake of the spoil. Old crabby never seemed the least bit grateful, but Tippoo did not on that account cease her attentions. A lesson to some of us, that we should do kind things in spite of discouragements, and keep on doing them witnout looking for a reward, or caring for ingratitude. Tip tackled other game beside mice and small birds. The largest rat was nowhere in a contest with her, and she was successful in mole.catching—a somewhat unusual game for a cat to hunt. Once she was nearly mastered by a large mole. He fought and struggled desperately, and being in the garden, he tried hard to get underground. You know how rapidly moles burrow. They use their sharp snouts . and feet to some purpose when they begin. Tip’s antagonist would have worsted her, but instinct came to her aid. On soft ground he might have conquered, but she managed to drag him into the kitchen. On the hard red biles the mole’s burrowing powers availed him nothing, and on these he soon lay dead. If some of Tip’s exploits had been known to my Lord Broadacre’s gamekeepers, Tip’s head would not have been safe on her shoulders for a day. She has long been dead, so it will be quite safe to tell how she caught and carried home young partridges, pheasants, and leverets, and laid them unmangled at her mistres3S feet. The largest leveret weighed four pounds, and was much too large for her to carry, but she dragged it homewards, and had just got it within the garden gate when some visitors were leaviug the front door. By a desperate effort she tugged it behind a holly bush, .stood guard over her prize until they were fairly out of hearing, and then proudly deposited it at the feet of her amused mistress, who had been watching her movements from a side window. —Girl’s Own Paper.

BOBBY’S FRIGHT. Once upon time there was a little boy

named Bobby Martin. Now Bobby was not a had boy, but I am sorry to say he had one great fault ; whenever he saw anything he wanted, he used to try to get it. If he saw a nice cake in a shop, he would worry, worry, worry, till his mother gave him the money to buy it. If a schoolfellow had some nuts, then Bobby never rested till he had made him give up half at least. In short, Bobby was very greedy. One day he was out with the schoolmaster, who had taken four boys with him for a long walk. _ As they were coming home, Mr Frost went into a pastrycook’s, and told the boys to choose a cake each. Bobby looked over all the good things very carefully—they all seemed so nice that it was difficult to choose. . The other boys had taken their cakes and were eating them before Bobby could make up his mind which to have. At last he caught sight of a large round puffy cake, which looked twice as big as any of the others. ‘That’s the biggest,’ he thought, ‘so I’ll have it.’ But, alas! when he opened his mouth to its widest extent, and. took a bite, the cake went quite flat. It was all hollow, and just frothed up into a big ball, with a tiny bit of jam at the bottom.: Although Bobby began last he finished' first, for his little friends picked out good solid cakes. ‘ Well, Bobby, my boy,’ said Mr Frost, ‘you have found out that “ all is not gold that glitters.”:- Your cake certainly looked the biggest, but I expect you will be more hungry than the other boys, after all.’ Bobby blushed, for he did not think anyone had noticed his greediness ; and indeed he was sorry for it now, for he felt terribly hungry. I think, dear children, you have all been taught that bad habits either get better or worse. So Bobby’s greediness grew worsen and at last led him into real sin. You know that he went to school every day. Now there were two ways of going there, and one led him past a lovely garden belonging to the Squire.. There were some fine apple trees at the end of the garden, and some of the fruit hung over the wall. Day after day Bobby passed the garden, and each time the apples seemed bigger and rosier. He passed those apples four times every day, until at last, one afternoon, what should he see within a few yards of the garden but a ladder. He looked up and down the country lane, but it was a lonely spot, and no one was in sight; then he seized the ladder, dragged it to the wall, and mounted. He had just put two beautiful king pippins in his pocket,' when he heard steps on the grassy path. If Bobby had not been stealing hfi would have looked round, and seen a once that it was only some sheep and lambs who ; were going in search of fresh grass. But Bobby had a guilty conscience, and so he was frightened and shut , his eyes tight, and clutched hold of the ladder, expecting some,, one to pull him down every minute. All of a sudden the ladder gave a tilt over, and it was all Bobby could do to prevent it being thrown down by snatching at the wall.

‘ I won’t do it again ! Let me go—let me go! Bo—ooo—oo !’ How he shouted and cried ! Then, aB no one touched him, he looked down, and there was an old ram rubbing his head against the ladder. Then Bobby was angry, and tried to kick the poor thing, and as he did so he relaxed his hold on the wall, and went sprawling down amongst the sheep, with the ladder on top of him. The noise brought the gardener out of the gate at the end of the garden, and he gave Bobby such a flogging as he was not likely to forget, in a hurry. But Mr Frost came up in the middle and begged off, his little pupil. Then, as he walked home by his side, he showed Bobby how sinful such ways were. * Many a thief who has died in prison began by stealing apples,’ he said. * Try to be honest in little things, my boy, and then you will find it easy to be honest in big ones.’