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Kitten's Garden of Verses

<SPAN name="startofbook"></SPAN> <div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/kgv01.jpg" width-obs="370" height-obs="500" alt="Front cover of the book" /></div> <h1 style="padding-top: 3em;">The Kitten’s Garden<br/> <i>of</i> Verses</h1> <p class="center" style="padding-top: 2em;"><b>By</b></p> <h2 style="padding-bottom: 3em;">Oliver Herford</h2> <div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/kgv02.png" width-obs="206" height-obs="250" alt="Decorative device" /></div> <p class="center" style="padding-top: 3em;">New York · Charles Scribner’s Sons<br/> 1911</p> <p class="center" style="padding-top: 3em; padding-bottom: 3em;">Copyright, 1911, by Oliver Herford</p> <div class="border"> <p class="center">BOOKS BY OLIVER HERFORD</p> <p class="center"><i>WITH PICTURES BY THE AUTHOR</i></p> <p class="center">PUBLISHED BY CHARLES SCRIBNER’S SONS</p> <table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" width="90%" summary="Titles and costs"> <tr> <td class="tdl">THE BASHFUL EARTHQUAKE</td> <td class="tdr">$1.25</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="tdl">A CHILD’S PRIMER OF NATURAL HISTORY</td> <td class="tdr">$1.25</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="tdl">OVERHEARD IN A GARDEN</td> <td class="tdr">$1.25</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="tdl">MORE ANIMALS</td> <td class="tdr"><i>net</i>, $1.00</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="tdl">THE RUBAIYAT OF A PERSIAN KITTEN</td> <td class="tdr"><i>net</i>, $1.00</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="tdl">THE FAIRY GODMOTHER-IN-LAW</td> <td class="tdr"><i>net</i>, $1.00</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="tdl">A LITTLE BOOK OF BORES</td> <td class="tdr"><i>net</i>, $1.00</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="tdl">THE PETER PAN ALPHABET</td> <td class="tdr"><i>net</i>, $1.00</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="tdl">THE ASTONISHING TALE OF A PEN-AND-INK PUPPET</td> <td class="tdr"><i>net</i>, $1.00</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="tdl">A KITTEN’S GARDEN OF VERSES</td> <td class="tdr">(<i>postage extra</i>) <i>net</i>, $1.00</td> </tr> </table> <hr style="width: 15%;" /> <p class="center"><i>WITH JOHN CECIL CLAY</i></p> <table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" width="90%" summary="Title and prices"> <tr> <td class="tdl">CUPID’S CYCLOPEDIA</td> <td class="tdr"><i>net</i>, $1.00</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="tdl">CUPID’S FAIR-WEATHER BOOKE</td> <td class="tdr">(<i>postage extra</i>) <i>net</i>, $1.00</td> </tr> </table></div> <hr style="width: 65%;" /> <div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/kgv03.jpg" width-obs="500" height-obs="497" alt="Portrait of a cat" /></div> <p class="center" style="padding-bottom: 3em;">To HAFIZ</p> <hr style="width: 65%;" /> <p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_vii" id="Page_vii">[Pg vii]</SPAN></span></p> <h2>Contents</h2> <table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" width="60%" summary="Table of contents"> <tr> <td class="tdl"> </td> <td class="tdr">Page</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="tdl">Winter and Summer</td> <td class="tdr"><SPAN href="#Page_3">3</SPAN></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="tdl">Rain</td> <td class="tdr"><SPAN href="#Page_5">5</SPAN></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="tdl">The Shadow Kitten</td> <td class="tdr"><SPAN href="#Page_7">7</SPAN></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="tdl">Education</td> <td class="tdr"><SPAN href="#Page_9">9</SPAN></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="tdl">A Thought</td> <td class="tdr"><SPAN href="#Page_11">11</SPAN></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="tdl">The Lion</td> <td class="tdr"><SPAN href="#Page_13">13</SPAN></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="tdl">The Milk Jug</td> <td class="tdr"><SPAN href="#Page_15">15</SPAN></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="tdl">Happy Thought</td> <td class="tdr"><SPAN href="#Page_17">17</SPAN></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="tdl">Kitten’s Night Thought</td> <td class="tdr"><SPAN href="#Page_19">19</SPAN></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="tdl">The Puncture</td> <td class="tdr"><SPAN href="#Page_21">21</SPAN></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="tdl">Good and Bad Kittens</td> <td class="tdr"><SPAN href="#Page_23">23</SPAN></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="tdl">Anticipation</td> <td class="tdr"><SPAN href="#Page_27">27</SPAN></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="tdl">Foreign Kittens</td> <td class="tdr"><SPAN href="#Page_29">29</SPAN></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="tdl">The Joy Ride</td> <td class="tdr"><SPAN href="#Page_31">31</SPAN></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="tdl">Facilis Ascensus</td> <td class="tdr"><SPAN href="#Page_33">33</SPAN></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="tdl"><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_viii" id="Page_viii">[Pg viii]</SPAN></span>The Whole Duty of Kittens</td> <td class="tdr"><SPAN href="#Page_35">35</SPAN></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="tdl">The Outing</td> <td class="tdr"><SPAN href="#Page_37">37</SPAN></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="tdl">The Puppy</td> <td class="tdr"><SPAN href="#Page_39">39</SPAN></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="tdl">The Moon</td> <td class="tdr"><SPAN href="#Page_43">43</SPAN></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="tdl">The Golden Cat</td> <td class="tdr"><SPAN href="#Page_45">45</SPAN></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="tdl">An Inquiry</td> <td class="tdr"><SPAN href="#Page_47">47</SPAN></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="tdl">The Kitten’s Fancy</td> <td class="tdr"><SPAN href="#Page_49">49</SPAN></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="tdl">In Darkest Africa</td> <td class="tdr"><SPAN href="#Page_51">51</SPAN></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="tdl">The Dog</td> <td class="tdr"><SPAN href="#Page_55">55</SPAN></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="tdl">The Game</td> <td class="tdr"><SPAN href="#Page_59">59</SPAN></td> </tr> </table> <hr style="width: 65%;" /> <h2 style="padding-top: 3em;">The Kitten’s Garden<br/> <i>of</i> Verses</h2> <div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/kgv04.jpg" width-obs="495" height-obs="500" alt="A kitten sits and stares at a doll" /></div> <p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_3" id="Page_3">[Pg 3]</SPAN></span></p> <h2>Winter and Summer</h2> <div class="cpoem"> <div class="poem"> <div class="stanza"> <span class="i0">In Winter when the air is chill,<br/></span> <span class="i2">And winds are blowing loud and shrill,<br/></span> <span class="i0">All snug and warm I sit and purr,<br/></span> <span class="i2">Wrapped in my overcoat of fur.<br/></span></div> <div class="stanza"> <span class="i0">In Summer quite the other way,<br/></span> <span class="i2">I find it very hot all day,<br/></span> <span class="i0">But Human People do not care,<br/></span> <span class="i2">For they have nice thin clothes to wear.<br/></span></div> <div class="stanza"> <span class="i0">And does it not seem hard to you,<br/></span> <span class="i2">When all the world is like a stew,<br/></span> <span class="i0">And I am much too warm to purr,<br/></span> <span class="i2">I have to wear my Winter Fur?<br/></span></div> </div></div> <hr style="width: 65%;" /> <p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_4" id="Page_4"></SPAN></span></p> <div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/kgv05.jpg" width-obs="422" height-obs="500" alt="Two kittens run to get out of the rain" /></div> <p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[Pg 5]</SPAN></span></p> <h2>Rain</h2> <div class="cpoem"> <div class="poem"> <div class="stanza"> <span class="i0">The rain is raining everywhere,<br/></span> <span class="i2">Kittens to shelter fly—<br/></span> <span class="i0">But Human Folk wear overshoes,<br/></span> <span class="i2">To keep their hind paws dry.<br/></span></div> </div></div> <hr style="width: 65%;" /> <p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_6" id="Page_6"></SPAN></span></p> <div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/kgv06.jpg" width-obs="418" height-obs="500" alt="A kitten tries to play with its shadow" /></div> <p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[Pg 7]</SPAN></span></p> <h2>The Shadow Kitten</h2> <div class="cpoem"> <div class="poem"> <div class="stanza"> <span class="i0">There’s a funny little kitten that tries to look like me,<br/></span> <span class="i2">But though I’m round and fluffy, he’s as flat as flat can be;<br/></span> <span class="i0">And when I try to mew to him he never makes a sound,<br/></span> <span class="i2">And when I jump into the air he never leaves the ground.<br/></span></div> <div class="stanza"> <span class="i0">He has a way of growing, I don’t understand at all.<br/></span> <span class="i2">Sometimes he’s very little and sometimes he’s very tall.<br/></span> <span class="i0">And once when in the garden when the sun came up at dawn<br/></span> <span class="i2">He grew so big I think he stretched half-way across the lawn.<br/></span></div> </div></div> <hr style="width: 65%;" /> <p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_8" id="Page_8"></SPAN></span></p> <div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/kgv07.jpg" width-obs="500" height-obs="384" alt="A kitten with its eyes closed, ignoring the two mice laughing behind it" /></div> <p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[Pg 9]</SPAN></span></p> <h2>Education</h2> <div class="cpoem"> <div class="poem"> <div class="stanza"> <span class="i0">When People think that Kittens play,<br/></span> <span class="i2">It’s really quite the other way.<br/></span> <span class="i0">For when they chase the Ball or Bobbin<br/></span> <span class="i2">They learn to catch a Mouse or Robin.<br/></span></div> <div class="stanza"> <span class="i0">The Kitten, deaf to Duty’s call,<br/></span> <span class="i2">Who will not chase the bounding ball,<br/></span> <span class="i0">A hungry Cathood will enjoy,<br/></span> <span class="i2">The scorn of Mouse and Bird and Boy.<br/></span></div> </div></div> <hr style="width: 65%;" /> <p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_10" id="Page_10"></SPAN></span></p> <div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/kgv08.jpg" width-obs="416" height-obs="500" alt="A scotsman points the way to the cow for the kitten sitting in front of him" /></div> <p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[Pg 11]</SPAN></span></p> <h2>A Thought</h2> <div class="cpoem"> <div class="poem"> <div class="stanza"> <span class="i0">It’s very nice to think of how<br/></span> <span class="i0">In every country lives a Cow<br/></span> <span class="i0">To furnish milk with all her might<br/></span> <span class="i0">For Kittens’ comfort and delight.<br/></span></div> </div></div> <hr style="width: 65%;" /> <p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_12" id="Page_12"></SPAN></span></p> <div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/kgv09.jpg" width-obs="490" height-obs="500" alt="A kitten touches its front paws to the paws of a stone lion" /></div> <p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[Pg 13]</SPAN></span></p> <h2>The Lion</h2> <div class="cpoem"> <div class="poem"> <div class="stanza"> <span class="i0">The Lion does not move at all,<br/></span> <span class="i2">Winter or Summer, Spring or Fall,<br/></span> <span class="i0">He does not even stretch or yawn,<br/></span> <span class="i2">But lies in silence on the lawn.<br/></span></div> <div class="stanza"> <span class="i0">He must be lazy it is plain,<br/></span> <span class="i2">For there is moss upon his mane,<br/></span> <span class="i0">And what is more, a pair of Daws<br/></span> <span class="i2">Have built a nest between his paws.<br/></span></div> <div class="stanza"> <span class="i0">Oh, Lazy Lion, big and brown,<br/></span> <span class="i2">This is no time for lying down!<br/></span> <span class="i0">The Sun is shining, can’t you see?<br/></span> <span class="i2">Oh, please wake up and play with me.<br/></span></div> </div></div> <hr style="width: 65%;" /> <p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_14" id="Page_14"></SPAN></span></p> <div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/kgv10.jpg" width-obs="430" height-obs="500" alt="A kitten watches as milk is poured from a jug into a bowl" /></div> <p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[Pg 15]</SPAN></span></p> <h2>The Milk Jug</h2> <div class="cpoem"> <div class="poem"> <div class="stanza"> <span class="i0">The Gentle Milk Jug blue and white<br/></span> <span class="i2">I love with all my soul,<br/></span> <span class="i0">She pours herself with all her might<br/></span> <span class="i2">To fill my breakfast bowl.<br/></span></div> <div class="stanza"> <span class="i0">All day she sits upon the shelf,<br/></span> <span class="i2">She does not jump or climb—<br/></span> <span class="i0">She only waits to pour herself<br/></span> <span class="i2">When ’tis my supper-time.<br/></span></div> <div class="stanza"> <span class="i0">And when the Jug is empty quite,<br/></span> <span class="i2">I shall not mew in vain,<br/></span> <span class="i0">The Friendly Cow, all red and white,<br/></span> <span class="i2">Will fill her up again.<br/></span></div> </div></div> <hr style="width: 65%;" /> <p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_16" id="Page_16"></SPAN></span></p> <div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/kgv11.jpg" width-obs="369" height-obs="500" alt="A happy-looking kitten sitting upright" /></div> <p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[Pg 17]</SPAN></span></p> <h2>Happy Thought</h2> <div class="cpoem"> <div class="poem"> <div class="stanza"> <span class="i0">The world is so full of a number of Mice<br/></span> <span class="i0">I’m sure that we all should be happy and nice.<br/></span></div> </div></div> <hr style="width: 65%;" /> <p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_18" id="Page_18"></SPAN></span></p> <div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/kgv12.jpg" width-obs="500" height-obs="313" alt="A kitten curled on its side asleep, front paws tucked up under its chin" /></div> <p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[Pg 19]</SPAN></span></p> <h2>Kitten’s Night Thought</h2> <div class="cpoem"> <div class="poem"> <div class="stanza"> <span class="i0">When Human Folk put out the light,<br/></span> <span class="i2">And think they’ve made it dark as night,<br/></span> <span class="i0">A Pussy Cat sees every bit<br/></span> <span class="i2">As well as when the lights are lit.<br/></span></div> <div class="stanza"> <span class="i0">When Human Folk have gone upstairs,<br/></span> <span class="i2">And shed their skins and said their prayers,<br/></span> <span class="i0">And there is no one to annoy,<br/></span> <span class="i2">Then Pussy may her life enjoy.<br/></span></div> <div class="stanza"> <span class="i0">No Human hands to pinch or slap,<br/></span> <span class="i2">Or rub her fur against the nap,<br/></span> <span class="i0">Or throw cold water from a pail,<br/></span> <span class="i2">Or make a handle of her tail.<br/></span></div> <div class="stanza"> <span class="i0">And so you will not think it wrong<br/></span> <span class="i2">When she can play the whole night long,<br/></span> <span class="i0">With no one to disturb her play,<br/></span> <span class="i2">That Pussy goes to bed by day.<br/></span></div> </div></div> <hr style="width: 65%;" /> <p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_20" id="Page_20"></SPAN></span></p> <div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/kgv13.jpg" width-obs="404" height-obs="500" alt="A kitten sitting next to a deflated ball" /></div> <p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[Pg 21]</SPAN></span></p> <h2>The Puncture</h2> <div class="cpoem"> <div class="poem"> <div class="stanza"> <span class="i0">When I was just a Kitten small,<br/></span> <span class="i2">They gave to me a Rubber Ball<br/></span> <span class="i0">To roll upon the floor.<br/></span> <span class="i2">One day I tapped it with my paw<br/></span> <span class="i0">And pierced the rubber with my claw;<br/></span> <span class="i2">Now it will roll no more.<br/></span></div> </div></div> <hr style="width: 65%;" /> <p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_22" id="Page_22"></SPAN></span></p> <div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/kgv14.jpg" width-obs="500" height-obs="360" alt="A kitten plays with a reel of thread" /></div> <p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[Pg 23]</SPAN></span></p> <h2>Good and Bad Kittens</h2> <div class="cpoem"> <div class="poem"> <div class="stanza"> <span class="i0">Kittens, you are very little,<br/></span> <span class="i2">And your kitten bones are brittle,<br/></span> <span class="i0">If you’d grow to Cats respected,<br/></span> <span class="i2">See your play be not neglected.<br/></span></div> <div class="stanza"> <span class="i0">Smite the Sudden Spool, and spring<br/></span> <span class="i2">Upon the Swift Elusive String,<br/></span> <span class="i0">Thus you learn to catch the wary<br/></span> <span class="i2">Mister Mouse or Miss Canary.<br/></span></div> <div class="stanza"> <span class="i0">That is how in Foreign Places<br/></span> <span class="i2">Fluffy Cubs with Kitten faces,<br/></span> <span class="i0">Where the mango waves sedately,<br/></span> <span class="i2">Grow to Lions large and stately.<br/></span></div> <div class="stanza"> <span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[Pg 24]</SPAN></span> <span class="i0">But the Kittencats who snatch<br/></span> <span class="i2">Rudely for their food, or scratch,<br/></span> <span class="i0">Grow to Tomcats gaunt and gory,—<br/></span> <span class="i2">Theirs is quite another story.<br/></span></div> <div class="stanza"> <span class="i0">Cats like these are put away<br/></span> <span class="i2">By the dread S. P. C. A.,<br/></span> <span class="i0">Or to trusting Aunts and Sisters<br/></span> <span class="i2">Sold as Sable Muffs and Wristers.<br/></span></div> </div></div> <hr style="width: 65%;" /> <p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_25" id="Page_25"></SPAN></span></p> <div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/kgv15.jpg" width-obs="300" height-obs="234" alt="Two lion cubs looking playful, in front of a tree" /></div> <hr style="width: 65%;" /> <p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_26" id="Page_26"></SPAN></span></p> <div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/kgv16.jpg" width-obs="500" height-obs="423" alt="A lion snuggled up asleep in bed, under a polkadot patterned comforter" /></div> <p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[Pg 27]</SPAN></span></p> <h2>Anticipation</h2> <div class="cpoem"> <div class="poem"> <div class="stanza"> <span class="i0">When I grow up I mean to be<br/></span> <span class="i0">A Lion large and fierce to see.<br/></span> <span class="i0">I’ll mew so loud that Cook in fright<br/></span> <span class="i0">Will give me all the cream in sight.<br/></span> <span class="i0">And anyone who dares to say<br/></span> <span class="i0">“Poor Puss” to me will rue the day.<br/></span> <span class="i0">Then having swallowed him I’ll creep<br/></span> <span class="i0">Into the Guest Room Bed to sleep.<br/></span></div> </div></div> <hr style="width: 65%;" /> <p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_28" id="Page_28"></SPAN></span></p> <div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/kgv17.jpg" width-obs="405" height-obs="500" alt="A kitten sits on a window ledge in the house, watching lots of other kittens outside" /></div> <p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[Pg 29]</SPAN></span></p> <h2>Foreign Kittens</h2> <div class="cpoem"> <div class="poem"> <div class="stanza"> <span class="i0">Kittens large and Kittens small,<br/></span> <span class="i0">Prowling on the Back Yard Wall,<br/></span> <span class="i0">Though your fur be rough and few,<br/></span> <span class="i0">I should like to play with you.<br/></span> <span class="i0">Though you roam the dangerous street,<br/></span> <span class="i0">And have curious things to eat,<br/></span> <span class="i0">Though you sleep in barn or loft,<br/></span> <span class="i0">With no cushions warm and soft,<br/></span> <span class="i0">Though you have to stay out-doors<br/></span> <span class="i0">When it’s cold or when it pours,<br/></span> <span class="i0">Though your fur is all askew—<br/></span> <span class="i0">How I’d like to play with you!<br/></span></div> </div></div> <hr style="width: 65%;" /> <p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_30" id="Page_30"></SPAN></span></p> <div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/kgv18.jpg" width-obs="359" height-obs="500" alt="A kitten hitches a ride on the back of a lady's long dress" /></div> <p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[Pg 31]</SPAN></span></p> <h2>The Joy Ride</h2> <div class="cpoem"> <div class="poem"> <div class="stanza"> <span class="i0">When Mistress Peggy moves around,<br/></span> <span class="i2">Her dresses make a mocking sound.<br/></span> <span class="i0">“You can’t catch me!” they seem to say—<br/></span> <span class="i2">I often steal a ride that way.<br/></span></div> </div></div> <hr style="width: 65%;" /> <p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_32" id="Page_32"></SPAN></span></p> <div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/kgv19.jpg" width-obs="441" height-obs="500" alt="A kitten stuck in a tree looks down at the gardener below" /></div> <p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[Pg 33]</SPAN></span></p> <h2>Facilis Ascensus</h2> <div class="cpoem"> <div class="poem"> <div class="stanza"> <span class="i0">Up into the Cherry Tree,<br/></span> <span class="i2">Who should climb but little me,<br/></span> <span class="i0">With both my Paws I hold on tight,<br/></span> <span class="i2">And look upon a pleasant sight.<br/></span></div> <div class="stanza"> <span class="i0">There are the Gardens far away,<br/></span> <span class="i2">Where little Foreign Kittens play,<br/></span> <span class="i0">And those queer specks of black and brown<br/></span> <span class="i2">Are naughty cats that live in Town.<br/></span></div> <div class="stanza"> <span class="i0">And there among the tulips red,<br/></span> <span class="i2">Where I may never lay my head,<br/></span> <span class="i0">I see the Cruel Gardener hoe<br/></span> <span class="i2">The baby weeds that may not grow.<br/></span></div> <div class="stanza"> <span class="i0">Now I climb down—“Oh dear,”—I mew,<br/></span> <span class="i2">“Which end goes first—what shall I do?<br/></span> <span class="i0">Oh, good Kind Gardener, big and brown,<br/></span> <span class="i2">Please come and help this Kitten down.”<br/></span></div> </div></div> <hr style="width: 65%;" /> <p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_34" id="Page_34"></SPAN></span></p> <div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/kgv20.jpg" width-obs="500" height-obs="491" alt="A kitten stands on a chair to reach a fish and pull it from the table" /></div> <p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[Pg 35]</SPAN></span></p> <h2>The Whole Duty of Kittens</h2> <div class="cpoem"> <div class="poem"> <div class="stanza"> <span class="i0">When Human Folk at Table eat,<br/></span> <span class="i2">A Kitten must not mew for meat,<br/></span> <span class="i0">Or jump to grab it from the Dish,<br/></span> <span class="i2">(<em>Unless it happens to be fish</em>).<br/></span></div> </div></div> <hr style="width: 65%;" /> <p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_36" id="Page_36"></SPAN></span></p> <div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/kgv21.jpg" width-obs="404" height-obs="500" alt="A kitten sits in a clump of daisies watching a cow eating grass" /></div> <p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[Pg 37]</SPAN></span></p> <h2>The Outing</h2> <div class="cpoem"> <div class="poem"> <div class="stanza"> <span class="i0">My Bed is like a little Bark,<br/></span> <span class="i2">The hatch is battened down,<br/></span> <span class="i0">And in the basket cabin dark<br/></span> <span class="i2">I sail away from Town.<br/></span></div> <div class="stanza"> <span class="i0">Now, when they lift the lid, a scene<br/></span> <span class="i2">Of wonder meets my eyes,<br/></span> <span class="i0">Tall waving Feather-Dusters green,<br/></span> <span class="i2">That seem to touch the skies.<br/></span></div> <div class="stanza"> <span class="i0">And over all the Ground is spread<br/></span> <span class="i2">A Rug of Emerald sweet,<br/></span> <span class="i0">Most deep enough to hide my head<br/></span> <span class="i2">And tickly to my feet.<br/></span></div> <div class="stanza"> <span class="i0">And here’s the Cow, calm-eyed stands she,<br/></span> <span class="i2">The Genie of the Jug,<br/></span> <span class="i0">Beneath the Feather-Duster Tree,<br/></span> <span class="i2">And eats the Emerald Rug.<br/></span></div> </div></div> <hr style="width: 65%;" /> <p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_38" id="Page_38"></SPAN></span></p> <div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/kgv22.jpg" width-obs="467" height-obs="500" alt="A kitten looks worried, as a puppy destroys a flower bed while it's trying to catch its own tail" /></div> <p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[Pg 39]</SPAN></span></p> <h2>The Puppy</h2> <div class="cpoem"> <div class="poem"> <div class="stanza"> <span class="i0">The Puppy cannot mew or talk,<br/></span> <span class="i2">He has a funny kind of walk,<br/></span> <span class="i0">His tail is difficult to wag<br/></span> <span class="i2">And that’s what makes him walk zigzag.<br/></span></div> <div class="stanza"> <span class="i0">He is the Kitten of a Dog,<br/></span> <span class="i2">From morn till night he’s all agog—<br/></span> <span class="i0">Forever seeking something new<br/></span> <span class="i2">That’s good but isn’t meant to chew.<br/></span></div> <div class="stanza"> <span class="i0">He romps about the Tulip bed,<br/></span> <span class="i2">And chews the Flowers white and red,<br/></span> <span class="i0">And when the Gardener comes to see<br/></span> <span class="i2">He’s sure to blame mamma or me.<br/></span></div> <div class="stanza"> <span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[Pg 40]</SPAN></span> <span class="i0">One game that cannot ever fail<br/></span> <span class="i2">To please him is to chase his tail—<br/></span> <span class="i0">(To catch one’s tail, ’twixt me and you,<br/></span> <span class="i2">Is not an easy thing to do.)<br/></span></div> <div class="stanza"> <span class="i0">If he has not a pretty face<br/></span> <span class="i2">The Puppy’s heart is in its place.<br/></span> <span class="i0">I’m sorry he must grow into<br/></span> <span class="i2">A Horrid, Noisy Dog, aren’t you?<br/></span></div> </div></div> <hr style="width: 65%;" /> <p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_41" id="Page_41"></SPAN></span></p> <div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/kgv23.jpg" width-obs="180" height-obs="250" alt="A black and white puppy" /></div> <hr style="width: 65%;" /> <p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_42" id="Page_42"></SPAN></span></p> <div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/kgv24.jpg" width-obs="454" height-obs="500" alt="A kitten looks round from a window, while the moon shines outside" /></div> <p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[Pg 43]</SPAN></span></p> <h2>The Moon</h2> <div class="cpoem"> <div class="poem"> <div class="stanza"> <span class="i0">The Moon is like a big round cheese<br/></span> <span class="i2">That shines above the garden trees,<br/></span> <span class="i0">And like a cheese grows less each night,<br/></span> <span class="i2">As though some one had had a bite.<br/></span></div> <div class="stanza"> <span class="i0">The Mouse delights to nibble cheese,<br/></span> <span class="i2">The Dog bites anything he sees—<br/></span> <span class="i0">But how could they bite off the Moon<br/></span> <span class="i2">Unless they went in a balloon?<br/></span></div> <div class="stanza"> <span class="i0">And Human People, when they eat<br/></span> <span class="i2">They think it rude to bite their meat,<br/></span> <span class="i0">They use a Knife or Fork or Spoon;<br/></span> <span class="i2">Who is it then that bites the moon?<br/></span></div> </div></div> <hr style="width: 65%;" /> <p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_44" id="Page_44"></SPAN></span></p> <div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/kgv25.jpg" width-obs="446" height-obs="500" alt="A kitten stretches and yawns in its basket while the sun shines outside" /></div> <p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[Pg 45]</SPAN></span></p> <h2>The Golden Cat</h2> <div class="cpoem"> <div class="poem"> <div class="stanza"> <span class="i0">Great is the Golden Cat who treads<br/></span> <span class="i2">The Blue Roof Garden o’er our heads,<br/></span> <span class="i0">The never tired smiling One<br/></span> <span class="i2">That Human People call the Sun.<br/></span></div> <div class="stanza"> <span class="i0">He stretches forth his paw at dawn<br/></span> <span class="i2">And though the blinds are closely drawn<br/></span> <span class="i0">His claws peep through like Rays of Light,<br/></span> <span class="i2">To catch the fluttering Bird of Night.<br/></span></div> <div class="stanza"> <span class="i0">He smiles into the Hayloft dim<br/></span> <span class="i2">And the brown Hay smiles back at him,<br/></span> <span class="i0">And when he strokes the Earth’s green fur<br/></span> <span class="i2">He makes the Fields and Meadows purr.<br/></span></div> <div class="stanza"> <span class="i0">His face is one big Golden smile,<br/></span> <span class="i2">It measures round, at least a mile—<br/></span> <span class="i0">How dull our World would be, and flat,<br/></span> <span class="i2">Without the Golden Pussy Cat.<br/></span></div> </div></div> <hr style="width: 65%;" /> <p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_46" id="Page_46"></SPAN></span></p> <div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/kgv26.jpg" width-obs="402" height-obs="500" alt="A kitten sits and looks up at a bird on a branch" /></div> <p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[Pg 47]</SPAN></span></p> <h2>An Inquiry</h2> <div class="cpoem"> <div class="poem"> <div class="stanza"> <span class="i0">A Birdie cocked his little head,<br/></span> <span class="i2">Winked his eye at me and said,<br/></span> <span class="i0">“Say, are you a Pussy Willer,<br/></span> <span class="i2">Or just a Kitty-Catty pillar?”<br/></span></div> </div></div> <hr style="width: 65%;" /> <p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_48" id="Page_48"></SPAN></span></p> <div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/kgv27.jpg" width-obs="386" height-obs="500" alt="A kitten sits up on its haunches, looking up at a branch of pussy willow" /></div> <p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[Pg 49]</SPAN></span></p> <h2>A Kitten’s Fancy</h2> <div class="cpoem"> <div class="poem"> <div class="stanza"> <span class="i0">The Kitten mews outside the Door,<br/></span> <span class="i2">The Cat-bird in the Tree,<br/></span> <span class="i0">The Sea-mew mews upon the Shore,<br/></span> <span class="i2">The Catfish in the Sea.<br/></span></div> <div class="stanza"> <span class="i0">The Emu with his feathers queer<br/></span> <span class="i2">Is mewing in the Zoo.<br/></span> <span class="i0">Why is it that I never hear<br/></span> <span class="i2">A Pussy-willow mew?<br/></span></div> </div></div> <hr style="width: 65%;" /> <p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_50" id="Page_50"></SPAN></span></p> <div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/kgv28.jpg" width-obs="477" height-obs="500" alt="A kitten creeps along underneath a table" /></div> <p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[Pg 51]</SPAN></span></p> <h2>In Darkest Africa</h2> <div class="cpoem"> <div class="poem"> <div class="stanza"> <span class="i0">At evening when the lamp is lit,<br/></span> <span class="i2">The tired Human People sit<br/></span> <span class="i0">And doze, or turn with solemn looks<br/></span> <span class="i2">The speckled pages of their books.<br/></span></div> <div class="stanza"> <span class="i0">Then I, the Dangerous Kitten, prowl<br/></span> <span class="i2">And in the Shadows softly growl,<br/></span> <span class="i0">And roam about the farthest floor<br/></span> <span class="i2">Where Kitten never trod before.<br/></span></div> <div class="stanza"> <span class="i0">And, crouching in the jungle damp,<br/></span> <span class="i2">I watch the Human Hunter’s camp,<br/></span> <span class="i0">Ready to spring with fearful roar<br/></span> <span class="i2">As soon as I shall hear them snore.<br/></span></div> <div class="stanza"> <span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[Pg 52]</SPAN></span> <span class="i0">And then with stealthy tread I crawl<br/></span> <span class="i2">Into the dark and trackless hall,<br/></span> <span class="i0">Where ’neath the Hat-tree’s shadows deep<br/></span> <span class="i2">Umbrellas fold their wings and sleep.<br/></span></div> <div class="stanza"> <span class="i0">A cuckoo calls—and to their dens<br/></span> <span class="i2">The People climb like frightened hens,<br/></span> <span class="i0">And I’m alone—and no one cares<br/></span> <span class="i2">In Darkest Africa—down stairs.<br/></span></div> </div></div> <hr style="width: 65%;" /> <p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_53" id="Page_53"></SPAN></span></p> <div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/kgv29.jpg" width-obs="250" height-obs="200" alt="A small black fuzzy kitten" /></div> <hr style="width: 65%;" /> <p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_54" id="Page_54"></SPAN></span></p> <div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/kgv30.jpg" width-obs="420" height-obs="500" alt="A kitten sits aloof, while a woman sits with a puppy on her lap watching a dog playing" /></div> <p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[Pg 55]</SPAN></span></p> <h2>The Dog</h2> <div class="cpoem"> <div class="poem"> <div class="stanza"> <span class="i0">The Dog is black or white or brown<br/></span> <span class="i2">And sometimes spotted like a clown.<br/></span> <span class="i0">He loves to make a foolish noise<br/></span> <span class="i2">And Human Company enjoys.<br/></span></div> <div class="stanza"> <span class="i0">The Human People pat his head<br/></span> <span class="i2">And teach him to pretend he’s dead,<br/></span> <span class="i0">And beg, and fetch and carry too;<br/></span> <span class="i2">Things that no well-bred Cat will do.<br/></span></div> <div class="stanza"> <span class="i0">At Human jokes, however stale,<br/></span> <span class="i2">He jumps about and wags his tail,<br/></span> <span class="i0">And Human People clap their hands<br/></span> <span class="i2">And think he really understands.<br/></span></div> <div class="stanza"> <span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[Pg 56]</SPAN></span> <span class="i0">They say “Good Dog” to him. To us<br/></span> <span class="i2">They say “Poor Puss,” and make no fuss.<br/></span> <span class="i0">Why Dogs are “good” and Cats are “poor”<br/></span> <span class="i2">I fail to understand, I’m sure.<br/></span></div> <div class="stanza"> <span class="i0">To Someone very Good and Just,<br/></span> <span class="i2">Who has proved worthy of her trust,<br/></span> <span class="i0">A Cat will <em>sometimes</em> condescend—<br/></span> <span class="i2">The Dog is Everybody’s friend.<br/></span></div> </div></div> <hr style="width: 65%;" /> <p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_57" id="Page_57"></SPAN></span></p> <div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/kgv31.jpg" width-obs="169" height-obs="250" alt="A dog sits up on his haunches holding a newspaper in his mouth" /></div> <hr style="width: 65%;" /> <p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_58" id="Page_58"></SPAN></span></p> <div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/kgv32.jpg" width-obs="432" height-obs="500" alt="A kitten plays with a ball of wool" /></div> <p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[Pg 59]</SPAN></span></p> <h2>The Game</h2> <div class="cpoem"> <div class="poem"> <div class="stanza"> <span class="i0">Watching a ball on the end of a string,<br/></span> <span class="i2">Watching it swing back and to,<br/></span> <span class="i0">Oh, I do think it the pleasantest thing<br/></span> <span class="i2">Ever a Kitten can do.<br/></span></div> <div class="stanza"> <span class="i0">First it goes this way, then it goes that,<br/></span> <span class="i2">Just like a bird on the wing.<br/></span> <span class="i0">And all of a tremble I crouch on the mat<br/></span> <span class="i2">Like a Lion, preparing to spring.<br/></span></div> <div class="stanza"> <span class="i0">And now with a terrible deafening mew,<br/></span> <span class="i2">Like a Tiger I leap on my prey,<br/></span> <span class="i0">And just when I think I have torn it in two<br/></span> <span class="i2">It is up in the air and away.<br/></span></div> </div></div> <hr style="width: 65%;" /> <div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/kgv33.jpg" width-obs="362" height-obs="500" alt="Back cover of the book" /></div> <SPAN name="endofbook"></SPAN> <div style="break-after:column;"></div><br />

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