cried the little girl. "I thought there might be
a bright penny inside."

"Are you sure there isn't?" asked Puss, sympathetically. "Do you want a
penny very much?"

"Yes," replied the child.

"Well, here's one," replied Puss, thrusting his paw into his pocket and
bringing out a bright penny. Leaning down from his horse, he handed it
to the little maid.

"What are you going to buy with it?" he asked.

"Peppermint stick," she answered. "Peppermint stick with red rings all
around it."

[Illustration]

"That sounds pretty nice," said Puss. "Where's the candy shop?"

"Just over there," she replied, pointing to a small shop on the opposite
side of the street.

"Let's go in," suggested Puss, dismounting and tying his Good Gray
Horse to the hitching post.

The candy shop smelled very nice. Molasses candy in long yellow coils
lay in the glass cases. Sticks of pink-and-white peppermint candy stood
in big glass bowls with shiny glass stoppers. Chocolate drops were
ranged in long glass dishes. There were gumdrops and marshmallows, and
goodness knows what all. Puss thrust his paw deep into his pocket, for
he knew that one little penny wouldn't go very far in this candy shop.

"What other kind do you like?" he asked.

"Why don't you call me Kitty?" laughed the little maid. "My name is
Kitty Fisher."

Just then another little girl appeared.

"Hello, Lucy Locket!" cried Kitty.

"I've just lost my pocket," said Lucy. "Did you happen to find it?"

"Yes," replied Kitty, "but there was nothing in it. Just a ribbon round
it."

"That's 'cause I took out my penny," answered Lucy, "and I'm going to
spend it right here before I lose it."

Soon both little girls had eaten their peppermint-candy sticks. And
after Puss had given his Good Gray Horse a big lump of sugar he mounted
and rode away.

TOM, THE PIPER'S SON

"TOM was a piper's son,
He learned to play when he was young;
But all the tune that he could play
Was 'Over the hills and far away.'"

"Well, it's a pretty fine tune," said Puss, Junior, to himself, as the
strains from Tom's pipe came clear and sweet across the meadow. "I wish
I could play as well." Again the music came down the breeze, clear and
sweet, and pretty soon Tom came capering toward him, followed by a crowd
of boys and girls.

"Heigh-ho!" laughed Puss. "Here they come, dancing away, as if they had
nothing to do but play all the day long."

"