Page 27 - The Adventures of Puss in Boots, Jr.

"Oh, that's nothing," replied Puss. "I once belonged to a circus."

"You did?" cried the little boy. "Tell me about it."

"Well," said Puss, "there isn't much to tell. I was walking along one day and came up to a big tent. A man
asked me if I would not like to join, and I said yes."

"What did you do?" asked the little boy.

"Oh, I rode a horse around the ring. I jumped through hoops covered with tissue-paper, and I never slipped
off. It was pretty good fun," sighed Puss, Jr. "But, dear me, I'm so hungry! Can't you get me some milk?"

"Of course I can," replied the little boy; "you just sit down and see that the candle doesn't blow out, and I'll
run and tell mother." In a few minutes he returned, followed by a motherly-looking woman.

"Why, it's Puss in Boots!" she said.

"No, madam," replied Puss; "but I'm his son, and have been these many months trying to find my dear father."

"And you haven't found him yet?" said the good woman.

"No, not yet," replied our little hero, "but I hope to very soon."

"Well, you shall have a good supper," said the kind woman, "for my little boy tells me you are hungry."

In a few minutes Puss was eating a hearty supper, and then he followed the little boy up to his bedroom,
where they both slept soundly all night long after mother had blown out the light.

OLD KING COLE'S FIDDLERS ARE RATHER RUDE TO PUSS

Old King Cole was a merry old soul, And a merry old soul was he; And he called for his pipe, And he called
for his bowl, And he called for his fiddlers three. And every fiddler, he had a fine fiddle, And a very fine
fiddle had he; "Tweedle dee, tweedle dee," said the fiddlers; "Oh, there's none so rare as can compare, With
Old King Cole and his fiddlers three."

Cole Castle was a very magnificent one. Puss looked up at the great walls and sighed. "I wish I would find my
dear father here, but I suppose I won't."

"No, you won't," cried a voice, and one of the three fiddlers poked his head out of a window and laughed loud
and long. "There are no cats in this castle."

"No cats allowed here," cried the third fiddler, appearing at the postern gate.

Puss, Jr., almost felt like crying. "Did you ever hear of Puss in Boots?" he asked.

"Certainly," replied all three fiddlers at once, "but he doesn't live here. No cats do. We make all the noise in
this castle. You don't think for a moment Old King Cole could stand any more noise, do you?"

"My father wouldn't make any noise," replied Puss, Jr., indignantly.

"I never heard of a cat that didn't," said one of the fiddlers.