The First Little Pet Book with Ten Short Stories in Words of Three and Four Letters Read online

  It will hurt you so, so, so, You will cry: "Oh oh! oh oh! Is my toe off?" "No, no, no;

  "For I see it yet, yet, yet; Here it is, my pet, pet, pet; But your face is wet, wet, wet.

  "O my dear! don't cry, cry, cry; Kiss me now, and try, try, try To be good as pie, pie, pie.

  "I will wipe your eye, eye, eye, Make it nice and dry, dry, dry, Just like the blue sky, sky, sky.

  "Do not look so shy, shy, shy, As your hat I tie, tie, tie; O dear me! oh! why, why, why

  "Must you go? O my! my! I Want you till I die, die, die. Mam-ma, let me buy, buy, buy

  "My dear pet." "O fie! fie! fie! How you talk! Can I, I, I Give her up, and hie, hie, hie

  "To my home, to sigh, sigh, sigh, With no dear pet nigh, nigh, nigh, In my arms to lie, lie, lie?

  "No; come, pet, be spry, spry, spry; Give a jump up high, high, high; Kiss, and say, Good-by, by, by."

  [Footnote A: Some of the words in rhyme have four letters.]

  THE

  OLD GRAY RAT AND HIS WIFE,

  AND HIS NINE BOY-RATS.

  Once on a time an old gray rat did live in a hole in the wall, withhis wife and his nine wee rats, all boys. It was a hole by the sideof the fire; and as snug and nice and warm as you like.

  You may be sure that the pa-pa and mam-ma rats got the wee ones lotsto eat, for they were all so fat, and full of fun and play.

  But one sad day, all the bits of pie and cake were gone. Not as muchas a bit the size of a pin's head was left in the hole.

  So the wee rats all got in a row, and held up two paws each, and in asad tone did cry: "O pa-pa! O mam-ma!

  "We want some cake, We want some tea, We want some pie, Eee! eee! eee! eee!"

  Then a tear came out of each eye, and ran down each nose, and made thehole as damp as a bath-tub.

  "O my poor dear boys!" said the old rat, "do stop! You will make mecry too;" and he put his paw to his eye. "I will go and see what I canget you for your tea e-e-e-e. Come, give me a hug, and kiss me forgood-by, for that big cat I told you of may get hold of me, and bitemy head off. If she does so, this is the last you will see of yourpoor pa-pa."

  At this all the nine boy-rats set up a cry, and gave him such hardhugs, that the old rat had to slap one or two to make them stop.Then, with a hop, skip, and jump, he was up at the top of the hole.

  "No one here," he said; so he gave one hop more, and was out in theroom.

  It was a big room, but nice and warm. The sun had set, and it wasdark; but the old rat saw by the fire that no one was in it. The cookhad gone out in the yard to get more wood to put on the fire, and thecat had gone out in the yard too, to have a talk, on the top of thewall, with the gray cat who came from next door. And now the old ratdid hear the two cats say:

  "M-e-w! m-i-a-u! M-i-a-u! m-e-w! Ffts! ffts! ffts! How are _you_!"

  "Bless me!" said the old rat, "why, how they talk! how they snap andspit! Why! the gray cat next door will bite off our cat's nose in notime at all, if they go on this way! I hope he _will_ bite it off,for, you see, if she has no nose she can not find me out."

  The old rat gave a wink of his eye, and a slap of his tail, as he saidthis; and then it was high time to poke his nose in and out of thepots and pans, to see what was in them.

  By and by, that nose of his took off the lid of a box. "Now for apeep to see what is in-side," said the old gray rat. "Now let us seewhat I can put my paw on this time."

  My! what eyes he made when he saw ten new laid eggs in the box.

  "Why! here is one for each of my nine boys, and one more," he said."What fun to suck them! But I must get them into my hole as soon asyou can say 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, or the cook will come in,and the cat too."

  And now he had a hard time; for when the rat did try to take an egg upin one paw, it was so big that, pop! it went with a roll back in thebox.

  Then he did try to take it in two paws, and hop on his hind legs; buthe soon had to stop that. Then he did try to roll it to his hole, butthe egg went all to one side, as much as to say: "How dare you try toroll me into your hole? I am not your egg. Let me be, you bad old rat!"

  Yes, he was a bad old rat, for he took what was not his. Mind _you_ donot do so, my dear pet. Do not take a pin, or a bit of cake, or pie,but ask your mam-ma if you can have it; then you can eat it with joy.

  But the old gray rat did not know it was so bad. _You_ know, but therat had no one to tell him as you have.

  "E-e-e-e!" said the ten wee rats in the hole:

  "We want our tea, Eee-ee! ee-ee!"

  "O dear!" said the old gray rat, "if I had some one to help me! Odear!" He put his paw on the end of his nose, and then all at oncegave a jump for joy in the air. "Good! good! good!" he did cry; "Ihave it! I can get all the eggs in the hole."

  "Come here, Bet!" he said to his wife. "Come out, all of you, and helpme."

  Up they came with a hop, skip, and jump, all ears and eyes, and eachtail gave a slap on the side of the wall, it came out with _such_ ajerk.

  "Here we are, my dear," said old Bet, the rat's wife. "Come; go towork as fast as you can. I hear the cat."

  "Well, you and I must go out to the mill, to get a wisp of hay to tiemy legs with."

  "Tie your legs!" said his wife, "Why! what _do_ you mean?"

  But she was a good wife, and knew how to mind; so she went with theold rat, and they got a fine long wisp of hay, and ran back to theeggs and the nine rat-boys.

  "They got a fine long wisp of hay."--P. 80.]

  And now the old rat-wife and the nine rat-boys soon knew what a dear,good pa-pa they had; for, sure as you live! he made a cart of him-self.Down he went flat on his back with all four paws up in the air.

  "Now, my dear," he said to his wife, "lay an egg in-side of my legs,then tie my paws up with the wisp of hay, so the egg can not fall out;then you and all the boys take hold of my tail, and drag me and theegg to the hole."

  "Oh! what fun!" said all the nine rats; "let's give the egg a goodride. Now, then,

  "Oh! pull, boys, pull! Eee-ee! eee-ee! We'll get our nine eggs Home for tea."

  So each one took a bit of the long tail in his lips, and did try notto bite his pa-pa, and as they sung, "Pull, boys, pull," they drew theegg in high glee to the edge of the hole.

  But Nip, the one who was at the end, did try so hard to pull, that,all at once, snap! he had bit off the end of his pa-pa's tail.

  "Ki-i! kii!! e-e-e!!!" said the poor old gray rat, "you bad, bad boy,to bite me so! Now you can not have a bit of egg. You must go with-outyour tea."

  "O pa-pa! I did not mean to! O my!" Nip did say.

  "Go down in the hole and stay till we come. You must not help one bitmore."

  So the wee rat had to go; but, O dear! what _will_ you say, when Itell you that he ate up the end of his pa-pa's tail, and then gave asnap of his lips, as much as to say: "Dear me! that was nice! How Ido wish I had some more!"

  The rest did pull, till the egg was at the hole. Then old Bet, thewife, went down, and the rest took off the wisp of hay, and gave theegg a push, so that it fell in her fore-paws. Then they all went backfor more, till, at last, the nine eggs were safe in the hole.

  What fun it was!

  Just as the last of the nine rat-boys had gone with a hop, skip, andjump, down the hole, the old cook came back in the room.

  "Oh!" she said, "how nice the fire does burn! I will fry some of theeggs the hens have just laid for tea." She went to the box and sawthat the lid was off, and all the eggs were gone!!!

  She did look in the box, as if the eggs were out for a walk, and were tocome back in half an hour, and it was time for them to come now. But noeggs did she see; and the old cook did cry out at last: "Why, who inall the land has been at my eggs? I put them in the box, I am sur
e."

  Then she did look in all the jars and cups; in the big blue bowl, andthe four tin pans, and the new red pail; but not an egg did she find.

  Down in the hole the rats had a good time, I can tell you! Yes, allof them; for the old gray rat, when he got safe home, laid the end ofhis tail on a bit of soft wool, so that it did not hurt him much, andthen he gave the rat-boy Nip, who had bit it off, a kiss, and said hedid not mean to take away his tea now, as he was so sad. Then therat-boy said: "Oh! I am so glad, I will jump up to the moon for joy."And so they all had a fine time.

  The old gray rat made a hole in the big end of an egg, and gave it tohis wife to suck. Not a drop came out! "Why, how is this?" she said,"it is as full as it can be!"

  "Try a hole here," said the old gray rat, and he took the egg and madeone on the top of it. Oh! then it came out as fast as you like, andyou may be sure that Bet, the rat-wife, soon ate it all up.

  Then the wise old rat made two holes in each egg, and all his nineboys gave him one suck out of each, and ate the rest, and had a realgood time.

  Now if you have a mind, and your mam-ma will let you, just try to suckan egg with one hole in it: you will find that none will come out; butif you make two, one at each end, you will get it all. A wise man toldme this, so it must be true; but I do not like to try it, for raw eggis not good.

  The old gray rat was wise too; but as for the poor old cook she doesnot know, from that day to this, who took all her nice eggs. If I wereyou, I'd go and tell her it was the old gray rat.

  When you go, won't you take me with you, dear pet? We will peep inthe hole, and try to see the old rat and his wife and his nine boys.

  That is all this time; so, good-by.

  POOR WILL,

  WHO WAS SHOT IN THE WAR.

  It is a fine warm day in June. Out of the town the air is soft andpure. Bird and bee flit from tree to tree, from blue-bell to rose,till at sun-set they hie away to nest and hive.

  Bell and Lou were at play in a nice room in a home out of the town.They came to this dear home each year when it grew warm. Bell was hardat work with some bits of wood. "See, Lou," she said, "see my loghut; when it is done, your doll Fan can come and live in it."

  "Oh! do not let it fall, Bell, for poor Fan is sick. She has got fitsin her ear and all her ten toes. I have just put her in bed. Put yourarm in the bed, my pet," she said to the doll in a kind tone; "youwill get cold; and here, take this blue pill, dear. Do not makesuch a face. Poor soul! _so_ sick! Has my pet got fits? So she has! Omy!" So she gave Fan a kind pat, and then went with a soft step tolook out at the door.

  "Oh! do not let it fall, Bell, for poor Fan issick."--P. 98.]

  Soon she ran back and said: "O Bell! do come here! Come and look atthe poor old man at the door. Why, I do not know how it is, but I cansee but one arm. O dear! if he has but one, how sad it is! Come, look!"

  Bell laid down her bits of wood, tho' her log hut was 'most done, andran with Lou.

  The out-side door had not been shut, for it was such a warm day. Thesoft west wind blew in, and the sun lay hot on the wide door-step.

  "Come here, poor man," said Bell, "come to Lou and me; we want to talkto you."

  He came with a slow, sad step. His face was thin and pale, his eyeswere dim, and the long gray hair that fell on each side, made him lookso sad! But it was a kind, good face, and Lou and Bell did not fearto call him to them.

  "Have you been to the war?" said Lou.

  "Yes, miss."

  "Did you lose your arm in the war?"

  "Yes, it was shot off; but, O miss! I do not mind my arm. It is my boy,my dear Will, I want back, my own dear son. Oh! why did I let him go?"

  "Why did you?" said Bell, "you did not want a boy to go to the sadwars to be shot, did you? Why did you not take care of him?"

  A big tear came out of the poor man's eye, as Bell said this. It felldown his thin face. He put up the back of his hand and took the tearoff. Then he said: "I have been cold; I know what it is to have nofood to eat; I have had no bed to lie on: I can bear all this with-outa sigh; but, oh! I can not bear the loss of my Will, my dear boy!"

  "Poor man!" said Lou, "come sit down by us, and tell us how your boycame to go to the war; tell us all."

  "Well, miss, if you wish to hear such a sad tale, I will tell you.When the war came I had to go and help on our side. Then Will said:'Oh! if you go, I must go too. You know I can beat the drum, if I cannot beat the bad men, who will try to do all they can to hurt us.'"

  "Then I said: 'O no! Will; I can not let you go. They will kill you.'

  "'Why, who can want to kill a boy like me? Come, dear pa-pa, do let mego; I want to be with you, I love you so much. If you get hurt, I cantake care of you, and then I can beat the drum, or play on a fife.Do, dear pa-pa, let me go with you; I will keep out of the way of thebig guns. Oh! I want to go.'

  "At last I said: 'Well, Will, you may go.' He was so glad, he gave aleap of wild joy. I was glad too, for I did love him so much. I feltthat I had no one to love or care for but him. My wife was dead, andmy Will was my all. If I went with-out him, he was to go and live withan old aunt whom he did not know. So I said: 'Will, you can be with mein my tent, and we will not part at all.'"

  "How old was he?" said Lou.

  "He was ten, but tall of his age." Then the poor man gave a deep sighand went on: "Oh! he was so glad; but it made me sigh to look at myboy. He was in a glow all the time; he was sure we would win, and comeback to our home full of joy.

  "They gave him a drum, and a cap, and a blue coat with a big capelike the rest of us, and in his belt they put a dirk. When Will putthem on, he felt as fine as a new pin. Said he: 'I mean to pull out mydirk, and poke it at all the bad men who try to get a shot at you.Then I will get up in a tree, and beat my drum as hard as I can, tocall our men out to help me kill them. See if I don't! Oh! what funit will be!'

  "My dear boy! he did not know what fear was."

  Each day, as soon as he was out of bed, he came to kiss me, and tell mehow glad he was that I had let him go with me; 'for I love you,' hesaid, 'I can love no one else as I love you. Oh! do take care ofyour-self; do try not to get shot or hurt: if you die, I must die too.'"

  Here Bell and Lou saw a big tear roll down on each side of the poorman's face; they had hard work not to cry too. Lou said in a low, softtone: "Poor man, we are so sad for you!"

  "You are a good girl," said the old man; "and tho' it will give me somuch pain, I will tell you the rest.

  "We went to the war, and Will was with me in my tent. All the men didlove him, he was so good, and just as full of glee as a bird. He sangall day, and beat his drum so well, that the men said he was as goodas a band.

  "One day we were told to load our guns, and not to say a loud word. Weknew then that the time was come; that bad men were on our path tokill us. I took Will to the back of the camp. I put my arm on hisneck; I gave him a kiss full of love, and I said: 'O my dear son! donot come near the guns; they will kill you if you do. You know youcan beat your drum out here. Good-by, and God bless and keep yousafe.' Then I gave him one more kiss, and he gave me a hug and akiss--the last but one I had from my dear boy, the last kiss of myWill. Oh! why did I let him come?

  "All that day we did load and fire our guns, and the bad men did fireat us. The dead lay at our feet. We did not take them up; we had notime; but when the sun had set, we went out to find our men who haddied, to wrap them in our flag, and lay them down in the last rest. Weknew our men, for the pale, sad moon lit up each face. As we tookthem up, we did pray to God for each soul that had gone. We did praythat each one who had died for his dear land was in joy with Him.

  "As we went on, one of the men gave a low cry, and said: 'Why here isa poor boy! O dear! he has been shot; he is dead! How did such a boycome here?' I did not dare to go up and look; but one of our own menwent near; he gave one look, and then said in a low, sad tone: 'It isour Will.'

  "Oh! then I ran and fell down by my boy, my dear dead boy. He lay onhis face; he did not s
tir.

  "I took his hand in mine, and did turn his dear face so that I couldsee it. With sobs I took him up in my arms. He was yet warm, and a hoperose in me that he was not dead. Yes, the good God did not let him diethen, for he gave a low moan of pain, tho' his eyes were yet shut.

  "And so I took him to my tent, and laid him down on my bed, and satby him in the dark. All I could do was to wet his lips, and sob andpray to God for my boy.

  "At last, at dawn of day, I saw that his blue eyes were open, and hesaid with a sigh: 'Pa-pa, is that you?' Oh! what joy I felt! but myjoy was not for long, for my boy was so weak, he said but a word ortwo from time to time. I will tell you what he said, 'Pa-pa, I _did_stay back just as you told me, but a shot from a big gun flew in theair, and went in here,' and he put his hand on his left side. 'I felldown, and all at once it grew dark to me, and I knew I must die.

  "'Then I did try to get to you to bid you good-by, and to give you onelast good kiss. The shot fell like rain; they made a buzz, buzz in theair. I went from end to end of the line of men to find you, but I didnot see you; then the guns did not fire, for the sun had set; but Iwas so weak I fell down. I did lift my arms up to the sky, and pray:O God! let me see my own dear pa-pa, to kiss him, and tell him that Idid do as he had bid me. I can not get back to the camp; I must diehere. And then I knew no more. But God did hear me; and now I can bidyou good-by, and beg you not to cry for me when I am gone.'

  "'O Will!' I said with a sob, "you must not die. I will not let you.Oh! do you hear? I will not let you go from me.'