twenty blackbirds trailed after them, and pretty soon,
not so very long, they came to the Blackbird-pie Castle. There sat the
poor maid in the garden, still holding her nose in her hand.

"Let's see it," said the doctor, opening his little black bag and taking
out medicine and bandages.

"I'm afraid it's half gone," sobbed the maid, "I don't want to look at
it."

[Illustration]

"But I do," said the doctor. "Otherwise, how can I mend it?" And I guess
he was right, for he was the most famous doctor in all Mother Goose
Land. Well, as soon as she took away her hand he said:

"It's not as bad as it might be. It still looks like a nose!"

"Does it?" she sobbed.

"Oh yes," said the doctor, turning to Puss and the old retainer. "You'll
hardly know the blackbird touched it after I get through."

"Maybe he only pinched it," said Puss.

"Or only tweaked it," said the old retainer.

"Perhaps he thought it was a cherry," laughed the doctor, putting on
some powder.

And then the maid began to smile. "It feels much better already," she
said.

"Well it's always a good thing to call in the doctor," said the learned
man. "You never can tell what may happen," and, picking up his little
black bag, he held out his hand. "Two shillings, please!"

"Mercy me!" she cried. "I haven't had my wages for this month."

"What did you do with last month's?" asked the doctor, but before she
could reply one of the four and twenty blackbirds dropped a gold piece
in his hand. I guess he felt dreadfully ashamed to think that one of his
brothers had pinched a pretty girl's nose.

A MISCOUNT

THE King was in his counting-house,
Counting out his money;
The Queen was in the parlor,
Eating bread and honey.

And now let us see where little Puss, Junior, was. Oh yes, I remember
now. He was in the garden of the Blackbird-pie Castle, where the poor
maid's nose had been nipped by a naughty, bad blackbird. Well, after the
good Doctor had gone, the old retainer took Puss to see the King, who
was so busy counting his money that he didn't even look up.

"Your Worship," began the retainer.

"What do you want?" asked the King, angrily. "I've just counted up to
three trillion two hundred and thirty-seven billion, nine hundred and
forty-eight million, seven hundred and fifteen thousand, four hundred
and--and--now you've gone and made me miss, and I'll have to count all
over again."

"Start off a