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Show DADDY, MM ! fAI (STALE 6y Mary Graham Bonnef fcftl -j . ON THE FARM. ' "Me-ow, me-ow,". said the cat, "I've ' come." ' "From where have you come?" ask-, ed the other animals. "From" the city," said the cat proud-" ly. "I am not a country cat, I did a City cat. ; Isn't that One?" . """We don't know about that," said the country animals. "Well, you should," said the cltv " cat. "Now, look here, cat," sn!d the nth' v er animals, "If you -are going to pui on airs, we won't like you. We're rtg-- rtg-- T nlar animals with lots of sense." "Yes,? said the farmhouse cat, "and , we've all heard about. these proud city cats who run down alleys and get into garbage tins whenever possible." t The city cat kept very quiet, for he knew- all this was true and he wondered won-dered where they'd heard about him. They hadn't heard about him in par-, par-, tlcular, but about cts In general, and they knew what they would do them- selves, for there were four cats on this farm. "I'm sorry," said the city cat. "I ' didn't mean to put on airs. But I did want to tell you an adventure or two. l Now I have spoilt It all by being silly and conceited and acting In a superior fashlon."- "Well forgive you," "said the other .cats and the other farm animals who had gathered around. "Let us hear - your story." "Yes, gobble, gobble, let us hear it," said the white turkey with the red crown. "We want to hear It, gobble, gobble," said a turkey with funny crooked legs. And the little baby turkeys said, "Please let us hear your story." x "Let us hear your story," said a nice pet monkey which belonged to the farmer's little girl. The monkey was in an enormous cage on the farmhouse farm-house piazza. ' And the farmer's son, wjho was flying fly-ing kites and watching them as they went up and up, and waved about in the breeze stopped when he saw the , cat had Just come. For he had heard about this cat and he wanted to see him. - ; : That pleased the city cat Immensely Immense-ly but he only said, t "I won't be horrid and proud again.' reully." ',, "That's good," the animals sa'rt. "but please tell us your story." Then the farmer's boy arrived and , he took the cat which had just corns -- , from the city in his lap and suld, "I've heard great things about you. pussy." The cat purred and the hoy stroked the cat as the cat talked to the other animals and told his story. The boy . only heard the purring, the steady purring, pur-ring, but he already knew the cat's So the Cat Told His Story. story, so it didn't matter if he didn't understand what the cat was saying. ." He -simply knew, the cat was nice and soft and furry . and had Tiad n . - interesting life and he was glad the cat seemed to get on with the other farm animals. So the cat told his story as he sat in the boy's lap, and this was his story : ; . "Friends, farm-house and farm-yard animals," he said, "I belonged to a fireman. Now a fireman, animals, Is a man, who puts out fires. X "In the city there are great fires and the fire engines rush to themr oh so fast. Every wagon, every carriage, every automobile, every- person stops when the fire engines go along a city street, they get put of the way and .stop to make room for the engines which dash nlong, with the firemen on top. "The firemen hurry so that they put on their coats and their helmets as they rush to the fire. The ffre bell clangs ns they go along and they get to the fire, put up the lodders, turn on the hose, and work with might and main to put out the. fire. "They rescue people, they work and they do not think of themselves. Oh. tl'ose firemen are brave, friends, they're so brave! "They don't think of themselves, they think of how they can save people find homes and buildings. And they dare do anything. Oh, such ehnnces as they take, such brave, brave chance. "And ns I bolonied to fireman I Irnriu'd to climb ladders and poles and . chop I hpnrd a sound from a room on the second story I climbed a pole and saw a child In the room and I let my master know and the ohlld was saved. So they called me the fireman cat. ' But now I am tired out so I l.uve come hereto rest with you In the . beautiful country." ; g ' |
