Children Stories - The Greedy Cat

Summah night an' sighin' breeze, 'Long de lovah's lane; Frien'ly, shadder-mekin' trees, 'Long de lovah's lane. White folks' wo'k all done up gran'-- Me an' 'Mandy han'-in-han' Struttin' lak we owned de lan', 'Long de lovah's lane. ... Read more of Lover's Lane at Martin Luther King.ca

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The Greedy Cat

from Boys And Girls Bookshelf - STORIES FROM SCANDINAVIA

Once on a time there was a man who had a Cat, and she was so awfully
big, and such a beast to eat, he couldn't keep her any longer. So she
was to go down to the river with a stone round her neck, but before she
started she was to have a meal of meat. So the goody set before her a
bowl of porridge and a little trough of fat. That the creature crammed
into her, and ran off and jumped through the window. Outside stood the
goodman by the barn-door threshing.

"Good day, goodman," said the Cat.

"Good day, pussy," said the goodman; "have you had any food to-day?"

"Oh, I've had a little, but I'm 'most fasting," said the Cat; "it was
only a bowl of porridge and a trough of fat--and, now I think of it,
I'll take you, too," and so she took the goodman and gobbled him up.

When she had done that, she went into the byre, and there sat the goody
milking.

"Good day, goody," said the Cat.

"Good day, pussy," said the goody; "are you here, and have you eaten up
your food yet?"

"Oh, I've eaten a little to-day, but I'm 'most fasting," said pussy; "it
was only a bowl of porridge, and a trough of fat, and the goodman--and,
now I think of it, I'll take you, too," and so she took the goody and
gobbled her up.

"Good day, you cow at the manger," said the Cat to Daisy the cow.

"Good day, pussy," said the bell-cow; "have you had any food to-day?"

"Oh, I've had a little, but I'm 'most fasting," said the Cat; "I've only
had a bowl of porridge, and a trough of fat, and the goodman, and the
goody--and, now I think of it, I'll take you, too," and so she took the
cow and gobbled her up.

Then off she set into the home-field, and there stood a man picking up
leaves.

"Good day, you leaf-picker in the field," said the Cat.

"Good day, pussy; have you had anything to eat to-day?" said the
leaf-picker.

"Oh, I've had a little, but I'm 'most fasting," said the Cat; "it was
only a bowl of porridge, and a trough of fat, and the goodman, and the
goody, and Daisy the cow--and, now I think of it, I'll take you, too."
So she took the leaf-picker and gobbled him up.

Then she came to a heap of stones, and there stood a stoat and peeped
out.

"Good day, Mr. Stoat of Stoneheap," said the Cat.

"Good day, Mrs. Pussy; have you had anything to eat to-day?"

"Oh, I've had a little, but I'm 'most fasting," said the Cat; "it was
only a bowl of porridge, and a trough of fat, and the goodman, and the
goody, and the cow, and the leaf-picker--and, now I think of it, I'll
take you, too." So she took the stoat and gobbled him up.

When she had gone a bit farther, she came to a hazel-brake, and there
sat a squirrel gathering nuts.

"Good day, Sir Squirrel of the Brake," said the Cat.

"Good day, Mrs. Pussy; have you had anything to eat to-day?"

"Oh, I've had a little, but I'm 'most fasting," said the Cat; "it was
only a bowl of porridge, and a trough of fat, and the goodman, and the
goody, and the cow, and the leaf-picker, and the stoat--and, now I think
of it, I'll take you, too." So she took the squirrel and gobbled him up.

When she had gone a little farther, she saw Reynard the fox, who was
prowling about by the woodside.

"Good day, Reynard Slyboots," said the Cat.

"Good day, Mrs. Pussy; have you had anything to eat to-day?"

"Oh, I've had a little, but I'm 'most fasting," said the Cat; "it was
only a bowl of porridge, and a trough of fat, and the goodman, and
the goody, and the cow, and the leaf-picker, and the stoat, and the
squirrel--and, now I think of it, I'll take you, too." So she took
Reynard and gobbled him up.

When she had gone a little farther she met Long Ears, the hare.

"Good day, Mr. Hopper the hare," said the Cat.

"Good day, Mrs. Pussy; have you had anything to eat to-day?"

"Oh, I've had a little, but I'm 'most fasting," said the Cat; "it was
only a bowl of porridge, and a trough of fat, and the goodman, and
the goody, and the cow, and the leaf-picker, and the stoat, and the
squirrel, and the fox--and, now I think of it, I'll take you, too." So
she took the hare and gobbled him up.

When she had gone a bit farther she met a wolf.

"Good day, you Greedy Graylegs," said the Cat.

"Good day, Mrs. Pussy; have you had anything to eat to-day?"

"Oh, I've had a little, but I'm 'most fasting," said the Cat; "it was
only a bowl of porridge, and a trough of fat, and the goodman, and
the goody, and the cow, and the leaf-picker, and the stoat, and the
squirrel, and the fox, and the hare--and now I think of it, I may as
well take you, too." So she took and gobbled up Graylegs, too.

So she went on into the wood, and when she had gone far and farther than
far, o'er hill and dale, she met a bear-cub.

"Good day, you bare-breeched bear," said the Cat.

"Good day, Mrs. Pussy," said the bear-cub; "have you had anything to eat
to-day?"

"Oh, I've had a little, but I'm 'most fasting," said the Cat; "it was
only a bowl of porridge, and a trough of fat, and the goodman, and
the goody, and the cow, and the leaf-picker, and the stoat, and the
squirrel, and the fox, and the hare, and the wolf--and, now I think of
it, I may as well take you, too." And so she took the bear-cub and
gobbled him up.

When the Cat had gone a bit farther, she met a she-bear, who was tearing
away at a stump till the splinters flew, so angry was she at having lost
her cub.

"Good day, you Mrs. Bruin," said the Cat.

"Good day, Mrs. Pussy; have you had anything to eat to-day?"

"Oh, I've had a little, but I'm 'most fasting," said the Cat; "it
was only a bowl of porridge, and a trough of fat, and the goodman,
and the goody, and the cow, and the leaf-picker, and the stoat,
and the squirrel, and the fox, and the hare, and the wolf, and the
bear-cub--and, now I think of it, I'll take you, too," and so she took
Mrs. Bruin and gobbled her up, too.

When the Cat got still farther on, she met Baron Bruin himself.

"Good day, you Baron Bruin," said the Cat.

"Good day, Mrs. Pussy," said Bruin; "have you had anything to eat
to-day?"

"Oh, I've had a little, but I'm 'most fasting," said the Cat; "it was
only a bowl of porridge, and a trough of fat, and the goodman, and
the goody, and the cow, and the leaf-picker, and the stoat, and the
squirrel, and the fox, and the hare, and the wolf, and the bear-cub, and
the she-bear--and, now I think of it, I'll take you, too," and so she
took Bruin and ate him up, too.

So the Cat went on and on, and farther than far, till she came to the
abodes of men again, and there she met a bridal train on the road.

"Good day, you bridal train on the king's highway," said she.

"Good day, Mrs. Pussy; have you had anything to eat to-day?"

"Oh, I've had a little, but I'm 'most fasting," said the Cat; "it was
only a bowl of porridge, and a trough of fat, and the goodman, and
the goody, and the cow, and the leaf-picker, and the stoat, and the
squirrel, and the fox, and the hare, and the wolf, and the bear-cub, and
the she-bear, and the he-bear--and, now I think of it, I'll take you,
too," and so she rushed at them, and gobbled up both the bride and
bridegroom, and the whole train, with the cook and the fiddler, and the
horses and all.

When she had gone still farther, she came to a church, and there she met
a funeral.

"Good day, you funeral train," said she.

"Good day, Mrs. Pussy; have you had anything to eat to-day?"

"Oh, I've had a little, but I'm 'most fasting," said the Cat; "it was
only a bowl of porridge, and a trough of fat, and the goodman, and
the goody, and the cow, and the leaf-picker, and the stoat, and the
squirrel, and the fox, and the hare, and the wolf, and the bear-cub, and
the she-bear, and the he-bear, and the bride and bridegroom, and the
whole train--and, now, I don't mind if I take you, too," and so she fell
on the funeral train and gobbled up both the body and the bearers.

Now when the Cat had got the body in her, she was taken up to the sky,
and when she had gone a long, long way, she met the moon.

"Good day, Mrs. Moon," said the Cat.

"Good day, Mrs. Pussy; have you had anything to eat to-day?"

"Oh, I've had a little but I'm 'most fasting," said the Cat; "it was
only a bowl of porridge, and a trough of fat, and the goodman, and
the goody, and the cow, and the leaf-picker, and the stoat, and the
squirrel, and the fox, and the hare, and the wolf, and the bear-cub, and
the she-bear, and the he-bear, and the bride and bridegroom, and the
whole train, and the funeral train--and, now I think of it, I don't mind
if I take you, too," and so she seized hold of the moon, and gobbled her
up, both new and full.

So the Cat went a long way still, and then she met the sun.

"Good day, you sun in heaven."

"Good day, Mrs. Pussy," said the sun; "have you had anything to eat
to-day?"

"Oh, I've had a little, but I'm 'most fasting," said the Cat; "it was
only a bowl of porridge, and a trough of fat, and the goodman, and
the goody, and the cow, and the leaf-picker, and the stoat, and the
squirrel, and the fox, and the hare, and the wolf, and the bear-cub, and
the she-bear, and the he-bear, and the bride and bridegroom, and the
whole train, and the funeral train, and the moon--and, now I think of
it, I don't mind if I take you, too," and so she rushed at the sun in
heaven and gobbled him up.

So the Cat went far and farther than far, till she came to a bridge, and
on it she met a big billy-goat.

"Good day, you Billy-goat on Broad-bridge," said the Cat.

"Good day, Mrs. Pussy; have you had anything to eat to-day?" said the
billy-goat.

"Oh, I've had a little, but I'm 'most fasting; I've only had a bowl of
porridge, and a trough of fat, and the goodman, and the goody in the
byre, and Daisy the cow at the manger, and the leaf-picker in the
home-field, and Mr. Stoat of Stoneheap, and Sir Squirrel of the Brake,
and Reynard Slyboots, and Mr. Hopper the hare, and Greedy Graylegs the
wolf, and Bare-breech the bear-cub, and Mrs. Bruin, and Baron Bruin, and
a bridal train on the king's highway, and a funeral at the church, and
Lady Moon in the sky, and Lord Sun in heaven--and, now I think of it,
I'll take you, too."

"That we'll fight about," said the billy-goat, and butted at the Cat
till she fell right over the bridge into the river, and there she burst.

So they all crept out one after the other, and went about their
business, and were just as good as ever, all that the Cat had gobbled
up. The goodman of the house, and the goody in the byre, and Daisy the
cow at the manger, and the leaf-picker in the home-field, and Mr. Stoat
of Stoneheap, and Sir Squirrel of the Brake, and Reynard Slyboots, and
Mr. Hopper the hare, and Greedy Graylegs the wolf, and Bare-breech the
bear-cub, and Mrs. Bruin, and Baron Bruin, and the bridal train on the
highway, and the funeral train at the church, and Lady Moon in the sky,
and Lord Sun in heaven.

Next: Gudbrand On The Hillside
Previous: How Cats Came To Purr

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The Greedy Cat