The Greedy Cat

: STORIES FROM SCANDINAVIA
: Boys And Girls Bookshelf

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.



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