etty porch, covered with a
honeysuckle vine. "Thank you," he answered, "I will," and he set the
cradle down on the floor.

[Illustration]

"Please look after the baby," said the little mother, "while I get the
supper?"

"I'll try," said Puss, "but I'm not used to babies, and perhaps he'll
roll off the porch."

"Oh, you can keep him from doing that," replied the little mother, "he's
the best baby in the world!" So Puss sat down and played with him for
almost half an hour. By and by a little bird began to sing:

"Dance to your daddie,
My bonnie laddie;
Dance to your daddie, my bonnie lamb.
You shall get a fishy
On a little dishy;
You shall get a fishy when the boat comes home."

Pretty soon after that the little mother carried the baby into the
house.

Puss followed her into a cozy room, where, on the mantlepiece, stood a
tick-tocky clock, just striking six. The tablecloth was spread and
everything was ready for supper. Over in the corner hung a cage, in
which sat a big green parrot.

"Polly want a cracker?" asked Puss.

"No, I don't want a cracker," replied the parrot; "I want a little
mouse."

"What!" cried Puss, "you don't mean to say you don't like crackers?"

"I'm tired of them," said the parrot.

"Did you ever eat a raisin cracker?" said Puss, with a grin.

But the parrot didn't reply. Pretty soon he opened the door of his cage
and came out. Puss was all alone in the room, for the mother had taken
the baby upstairs.

"I'm going to fly out of the window," exclaimed the parrot. "I'm tired
being alone all day in this house." And before Puss could stop him, he
opened the window and flew away.

"The parrot's gone!" cried Puss running to the foot of the stairs. Then
he rushed out into the yard and found the parrot perched on the limb of
an old apple tree.

"I won't come back!" he cried. "I won't!"

SAILORS TWO

"THERE was an old woman of Glo'ster,
Whose parrot two guineas it cost her,
But his tongue never ceasing,
Was vastly displeasing
To the talkative woman of Glo'ster."

Now as soon as the old woman who lived next door saw Puss, Junior, climb
the tree to catch the parrot who had flown out of the window, she cried,
"Don't let the pussy cat get you, Polly."

But goodness me! As soon as the old woman's parrot heard that he was up
in the tree with the other parrot, a