y awake and
remembering how he had met Mother Goose the previous day, and how
fortunate it was that she had agreed to take him back to Mother Goose
Land.

"Cock-a-doodle-do!" said the weathercock.

"Crow as much as you like," said Mother Goose. "Now that Puss is awake
you can make all the noise you wish. At first I thought we were not
going to stop on your barn, Sir Chantecler, and that was the reason I
asked you to delay your early morning crow so that we could be far away
before you commenced. Puss is in need of all the sleep he can get, for
in a few days he will be on his feet again. He has still a long ways to
go ere he finds his famous father, Puss in Boots."

"Well," answered the weathercock, "I didn't crow before day, so kindly
give me a gold comb and silver wings."

"That I will," answered Mother Goose, "this very evening."

"And who will bring them?" asked the weathercock, for he was very vain,
and is sometimes called a weather-vane, perhaps for that reason. "Who
will bring them to me, and how am I to know that a gold comb will be
becoming or that silver wings will suit my complexion?"

"Leave that to me," said Mother Goose, with a lofty air. "Weathercocks
only know of the breezes that blow; they swing back and forth when the
wind's from the north, the south, east or west--they are never at rest."

"More poetry from Mother Goose," sighed the weathercock. "If people must
talk, why do they want to rhyme it out? Let them talk in good old
prose. It suits me best."

Mother Goose evidently did not hear his remarks, for she was busily
feeding the gander. Puss was stretching his legs by walking along the
roof and watching some sparrows who were chirping under the eaves.
Presently she called Puss. "We are off again," she cried; "get aboard
the goose-ship!" When they were comfortably seated she turned to the
weathercock and said: "This evening the sun will gild your comb and
silver your wings just before he goes behind yonder western hill.
Good-by!"

The weathercock did not reply, and the gander did not wait, but flew
away with his two passengers safely sitting on his back.

TRIPPING WITH THE STARS

"Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are!
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky."

Puss repeated this little rhyme to himself as he looked at a lovely star
that shone in the heavens with a soft and silvery light.

"I always liked that little song,"