Once upon a time, long, long ago, there lived a wicked black cat. This is the cat.
He belonged to a good little girl who lived on a farm. She was very kind to him, and fed him on all the milk he could drink-and that was very much.
Sometimes she even saved him a scrap of meat or a bit of fish from her own dinner. He was very fond of fish, as are most cats.
The cat, however, was very cross and sulky, and never tried to make himself liked by anyone. Whenever his little mistress tried to pet him and play with him, he would turn over on his back and scratch with his long, sharp claws. He would then run away and climb up into a tall tree, growling and lashing his tail, which, as you know, is a sign that a cat is angry. But the worst is yet to come.
One evening, he jumped upon the window-sill, pulled down the bird cage, and ate up the little girl"s canary.
Then the little girl cried very much, and caught thenaughty puss, and hit him very hard with her father"s walking- stick. The cat jumped straight through the window into the garden, in which were many fruit-trees. Then he walked up and down on the garden wall, howling and meowing, and saying all sorts of bad things, which, I am pleased to say, no one but himself could understand.
The moon now stuck her head out of a cloud, and askedhim what was the matter. This is the moon.
"O moon, I am an unhappy and ill-used beast, for I have a cruel mistress, who has given me such a thrashing," cried the cat. "Send me, I pray you, a new mistress! A queen,with floating robes, or even a princess would do. She must wear a golden crown, and, above all, she must allow me to do whatever I please, and never beat me, for I am a handsome, black cat!"The moon put her finger to her mouth, and smiled slyly. The moon is very wise. She is so high above us that she is able to look carefully at things on the earth.
"I will send you a new mistress, as you wish," she said. "Only you must do exactly as I tell you. Run, now, to the kitchen, and bring here the tea-kettle, a dish mop, a cup and saucer (your milk saucer will do), and the long dunce"s cap which your mistress made to put on her brother"s head.
Then fetch a flower-pot from the garden. This, also, will serve us."The cat obeyed for once. These are the things that it brought together at the moon"s command-"Good!" cried the moon. "Now, do as I bid you before that falling star has finished its journey. Place theflower-pot upside down upon the ground." The cat wagged its tail and quickly obeyed.
This is how it looked.
"On top of the flower-
pot place the tea-kettle," cried the moon. The cat obeyed.
This is how it looked.
"Place, now, the dish mop in the handle of thetea-kettle," cried the moon, once more. The cat obeyed.
This is how it looked.
"On top of the tea-kettle cup," cried the moon. The cat obeyed.
This is how it looked.
"On top of the tea-cup place the milk saucer. Quick!" cried the moon. The cat obeyed. This is how it looked.
"And, now," cried the moon," you shall cry in a loud voice, "Grimalkin, Grimalkin,Grimalkin!" and place the dunce"s cap upon the milk saucer." The cat obeyed. Look at the picture, and y o u w i l l s e e t h e n e w mistress for yourself.
And, it is said, the black, sulky cat belongs tothe cruel old witch to this very day; so you see that is what he got by being so untruthful and so cross, when he had a very pretty mistress, as nice as any reasonable cat could want.
Author.-The author is not known.
General Notes.-What kind of nature had the cat? Did he know he was bad? How did the little girl punish him? How did the moon punish him?
