Three Minute Stories

Little child, so now shall you
Slumber, slumber softly too!

THE PIGEONS

(Adapted from the German of Froebel)

“Curuck! Curuck!” the pigeons come flying,
Flying, fluttering, here and there.
“Welcome! welcome!” let us be crying.
“Come, pretty pigeons, our meal to share.
Have no fear,
Pigeons dear,
Corn and bread we’re throwing,
All for you,
Truly true,
Thus our love we’re showing.”

“Curuck! Curuck!” the pigeons are cooing.
“Thanks, little children, thanks to you!
From the good deed that now you’re doing,
Learn we that children are kind and true.
Free from fear,
See us here!
Each to each we call now,
‘Curuck! coo!
We and you,
Happy are we all now.’”

PUSSY AND DOGGY

Pussy White and Doggy Brown were in the yard one day. Doggy Brown thought he would like to go into the house, so he went to the door, but it was shut. He tried to open it by bumping against it, but in vain. Then he barked, but no one heard him. Then he felt very sad, and sat down by the door and howled.

Pussy White had been watching him with one eye, while she dozed with the other.

“Dogs are not very clever!” she said. Presently she went to the door and jumped up and lifted the latch with her paw. The door swung open.

“There!” she said.

“Oh, Pussy!” said Doggy Brown. “Thank you; how clever you are!”

“That is one way of putting it,” said Pussy White; “but you are welcome, all the same.”

DICK’S FAMILY

Now this is true, for we saw it with our eyes. Dick was a bachelor, or so we had always supposed: a large black bachelor, with bright green eyes, and a very fine tail. He lived in the kitchen, and managed things pretty much as he pleased. When Peter, the new puppy, came he thought it would be fun to tease Dick. Dick thought it would be fun to be teased, and when he had sent Peter yelping and ki-yi-ing out into the shed, he sat and purred and blinked his green eyes, and thought the world a pleasant place.

Now one day we looked out of the south parlor window, and what do you think we saw? Dick was coming across the lawn looking very proud and very happy. Every now and then he stopped and looked over his shoulder and mewed as if he were calling some one to follow him. And some one was following him! Across the lawn after him came:

One very thin and wretched-looking tortoise-shell cat.

One Maltese kitten.

One yellow kitten.

All three looked half-starved, and all three were scared out of their wits!

“Come on!” said Dick, as plain as mew could speak. “They won’t hurt you; those are my people: they belong to me. Come on, I tell you!”

They came on, though still very timidly, till they reached the barn. Then Dick took them under the barn and there he made them comfortable, we do not know just how, because we cannot get under the barn, and there they stayed. And when Dick came for his supper he said to Maggie as plain as mew could speak, “Please feed my family, too!” and Maggie did.

That was a year ago. Now the tortoise-shell cat is dead, but the Maltese kitten and the yellow kitten are large and handsome cats, and Dick still sits by the fire and purrs, and blinks his large green eyes.

THE END