BOW-WOW AND MEW-MEW

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Bow-Wow and Mew-Mew

I BOW-WOW AND MEW-MEW

"Get out of the way," said a little fat dog, as he came near the fire.

"I shall not get out of your way,"[8] said the white puss, who had got the best place first. "Do you keep out of my way!"

"You are as bad a cat as ever I saw," cried the dog, in a rage.

The dog's name was Bow-Wow.

"I am not half so bad a cat as you are a dog," said Mew-Mew.

Bow-Wow and Mew-Mew were a very young dog and cat.

They did not know how to be good. No one had told them.

They did not use kind words the one to the other.

They led a sad life, and were cross all day long.

Bow-Wow said that Mew-Mew was idle, vain, and cross, and of no use to any one.

And Mew-Mew said of Bow-Wow, that he was only fit to bark, that he[9] was all for himself and ever in the way.

Thus they used to go on all day.

It was quite a treat when they fell asleep. That was the only time that there was peace with them.

II BOW-WOW AND MEW-MEW ARE NOT HAPPY

Bow-Wow and Mew-Mew did not love each other. But you must know that they did not find good in any thing.

All was bad alike to them.

They did not like the house they lived in; they did not like the lady they lived with; nor the food they had to eat.

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They said they did not have what was good for them to eat or to drink.

Bow-Wow wanted other little dogs about the place, so that he could have a good game of play.

Mew-Mew sat with her eyes half shut for hours, to think what a shame it was no other cat ever came to see her.

"Now if I had a real home," Mew-Mew would say, "I would have a lot of young cats in it.

I would have a fire in every room, a cup of warm milk on each floor, and all the meat in the house should be cut up into little bits.

And I would kill Bow-Wow and all the dogs that came near my house."

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III MEW-MEW FALLS ASLEEP

Mew-Mew would think of such a life till she grew quite glad.

She would begin to purr, and so sing herself off to sleep.

"Did ever any one see such a cat?" Bow-Wow said, when Mew-Mew acted in this way.

"She sings as if she were out of her wits.

I have seen much in my life" (he was quite young), "but I have never seen so silly a cat as Mew-Mew is."

Then he would go to Mew-Mew and give her a blow on the side of her head to wake her up.

Mew-Mew would spring up like a shot.

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And if Bow-Wow did not take to his heels with all his might, which he very often did, Mew-Mew would use her paws in such a way as to make him wish he had left her to have her sleep out.

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Bow-Wow and Mew-Mew lived in a farm-house.

You shall hear how this dog and cat were often put out, and how much they had to bear.

IV THE CHICKS, THE PIGS, THE DUCKS

First, there were the chicks.

"They eat all day long," said Mew-Mew.

"I cannot bear them; I wish I might eat them."

Then there were the pigs.

Bow-Wow did not like the pigs.

For one day he had gone into their sty to bark at them. But they did not fear him and did not try to get away.

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In fact, they trod on him till he was well-nigh dead.

He kept away from the pigs after that; at any rate, he did not go into their sty again.

Then the ducks.

If there was one thing Mew-Mew did not like, it was the ducks.

The ducks made a great deal too much noise, they did not even know[15] how to walk, and they had a very bad way of going into the water.

The horse and the cow were much too big.

It was not safe to go near them.

They had a way of using their feet, which Bow-Wow and Mew-Mew did not like at all.

The dog and cat had not one thing which they did like.

The lady was not quite so bad as the rest. Still she was to blame that there were not fires in every room, cups of warm milk on every floor, and bits of good meat in the dish.

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V BOW-WOW IS HURT

It came about one day that Bow-Wow was badly hurt.

He had gone into the barn-yard "for no harm at all," he said, but to bark at the chicks, and put them in fear of their lives.

He had great fun with one chick, which ran away from him, and flew up to its perch.

Bow-Wow went after it and made leaps into the air to get it, and was just as glad as he could be.

But all at once he could jump no more.

A large log of wood fell on him. He felt great pain.

This made him cry, so that one[17] could hear him half a mile away.

The lady ran out to see why Bow-Wow cried so loud. She took the wood off him.

Then she found that the bone of one leg was hurt.

A man was sent for to dress the leg, and Bow-Wow was put to bed.

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VI BOW-WOW IN BED

As soon as Bow-Wow was in bed, Mew-Mew came into the room.

She was as glad as she could be to see poor Bow-Wow in pain.

"Well, you are a fine sort of dog, you are," she said; "why could you not leave the chicks alone?

It is a pity you did not break all your legs.

I wish you had done so.

Anyhow, it will be a long time before you get about again.

I shall have the nice warm fire all to myself now."

"Oh—h—h!" cried Bow-Wow, for the poor little dog felt very ill.

Then the bad Mew-Mew put up her[19] paw and gave Bow-Wow such a blow that it made him cry loud again with pain.

The lady came into the room to find out why the dog had called out.

Then Mew-Mew, who, to tell the truth, knew that she had not done what was right, crept out by the open door. (See picture on page 2.)

She took care to keep out of the way for the rest of the day.

It was only when it was quite dark, and the lady had gone to bed, that she dared to come into the room again, and take her place before the fire.

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VII MEW-MEW BY THE FIRE

Bow-Wow was in his little bed. Great care had been taken of him.

He had not gone to sleep, for his leg hurt him so much that he could not get to sleep at all.

When he saw Mew-Mew come into the room he was in such fear that he did not know what to do.

She had been such a bad cat in the day, that Bow-Wow did not feel at all sure but that now, when the lady was in bed, Mew-Mew might kill him.

It was a sad case for Bow-Wow. He shut his eyes, all but the least bit.

He kept them just far enough open, to see what Mew-Mew was doing, and then he lay quite still.

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Mew-Mew gave one look at Bow-Wow's bed.

"Bow-Wow is asleep," she said. "I will not be unkind to him again."

Then she went to the fire, and sat with her back to Bow-Wow, that he might not see her; and she began to wash her coat.

This was such a long task that she soon forgot all about Bow-Wow.

She sat for a long time in the same place, even after the fire had gone out.

VIII BOW-WOW IN GREAT PAIN

Mew-Mew had a nice coat, white as milk.

She kept it very clean, for she[22] washed it for a good many hours each day.

Bow-Wow used to say, "Why, you will wash it all away."

Mew-Mew did not mind that a bit, for she knew that Bow-Wow only said this when he felt vexed that he had not a nice white coat.

Bow-Wow's coat was black as coal.

Mew-Mew sat by the fire and washed her coat.

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Bow-Wow did not dare to go to sleep, for fear of what the cat might do.

At last he was quite worn out.

His leg was very painful, too.

After the cat had washed and washed for an hour and a half, Bow-Wow could bear it no longer.

He turned himself in bed and gave a great groan.

Mew-Mew left off washing at once.

"I will groan again," said Bow-Wow; "I may as well, as I have done so once."

He did groan again, and over and over again.

If he were to be killed, he could not help it, and the pain did not seem so bad while he groaned.

"Oh! you are awake, are you?" said Mew-Mew.

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"Oh—h—h! yes, I am awake," and Bow-Wow gave another great groan.