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"The lady came into the room to find out why the dog hadcalled out. Mew-Mew ... crept out." _Page 19._]
BOW-WOW AND MEW-MEW
BY GEORGIANA M. CRAIK
EDITED BY JOSEPH C. SINDELAR
_Author of_ NIXIE BUNNY IN MANNERS-LAND NIXIE BUNNY IN WORKADAY-LAND NIXIE BUNNY IN HOLIDAY-LAND NIXIE BUNNY IN FARAWAY-LANDS FATHER THRIFT AND HIS ANIMAL FRIENDS MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR BEST MEMORY GEMS
BECKLEY-CARDY COMPANY CHICAGO
COPYRIGHT, 1914, BY JOSEPH C. SINDELAR
_Made in U. S. A._
CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE I BOW-WOW AND MEW-MEW 7 II BOW-WOW AND MEW-MEW ARE NOT HAPPY 9 III MEW-MEW FALLS ASLEEP 11 IV THE CHICKS, THE PIGS, THE DUCKS 13 V BOW-WOW IS HURT 16 VI BOW-WOW IN BED 18 VII MEW-MEW BY THE FIRE 20 VIII BOW-WOW IN GREAT PAIN 21 IX MEW-MEW A NURSE 24 X BOW-WOW FEELS VERY ILL 27 XI WILL BOW-WOW DIE? 29 XII BOW-WOW AND MEW-MEW BECOME FRIENDS 31 XIII MEW-MEW SEEKS SOME FOOD 34 XIV BOW-WOW DOES NOT DIE 37 XV BOW-WOW AND MEW-MEW ARE VERY GREAT FRIENDS 39 XVI BOW-WOW AND MEW-MEW WILL GO AWAY 41 XVII SHALL THEY START SO SOON? 44 XVIII SAYING "GOOD-BY" 46 XIX BOW-WOW AND MEW-MEW SET OFF 48 XX RUNNING AWAY 51 XXI IS IT GOOD FUN? 52 XXII IN THE FIELDS 55 XXIII PUSS FALLS LAME 57 XXIV IN THE CORN-FIELD 59 XXV THE FIRST MEAL 62 XXVI THE WORK OF EACH RUNAWAY 64 XXVII THE BIG SHEEP-DOG 66 XXVIII BOW-WOW IS BADLY HURT 69 XXIX PUSS TURNS NURSE 71 XXX CROSS WORDS 73 XXXI HOW THE RUNAWAYS FARED 76 XXXII KIND FRIENDS 78 XXXIII BAD BLOWS 80 XXXIV THOUGHTS OF HOME 83 XXXV WHERE WAS HOME? 85 XXXVI PUSS FALLS ILL 87 XXXVII THE OLD FARM-HOUSE 88 XXXVIII HOME 90 XXXIX TELL US MORE 92 ABOUT THE BOOK 95
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," said the white puss, who had gotthe 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 toany one.
And Mew-Mew said of Bow-Wow, that he was only fit to bark, that he wasall 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 thatthere 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 thatthey 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 ladythey lived with; nor the food they had to eat.
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 havea good game of play.
Mew-Mew sat with her eyes half shut for hours, to think what a shame itwas no other cat ever came to see her.
"Now if I had a real home," Mew-Mew would say, "I would have a lot ofyoung 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."
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 inthis 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 neverseen 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 headto wake her up.
Mew-Mew would spring up like a shot.
And if Bow-Wow did not take to his heels with all his might, which hevery often did, Mew-Mew would use her paws in such a way as to make himwish he had left her to have her sleep out.
Bow-Wow and Mew-Mew lived in a farm-house.
You shall hear how this dog and cat were often put out, and how muchthey 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 didnot fear him and did not try to get away.
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 intotheir 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 howto 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 notlike 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 thatthere were not fires in every room, cups of warm milk on every floor,and bits of good meat in the dish.
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 tobark 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 upto its perch.
Bow-Wow went after it and made leaps into the air to get it, and wasjust 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 could hear him half a mile away.
The lady ran out to see why Bow-Wow cried so loud. She took the woodoff 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.
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 younot 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 paw and gave Bow-Wow such a blow thatit 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 whatwas 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, thatshe dared to come into the room again, and take her place before thefire.
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 couldnot get to sleep at all.
When he saw Mew-Mew come into the room he was in such fear that he didnot know what to do.
She had been such a bad cat in the day, that Bow-Wow did not feel atall 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, andthen he lay quite still.
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 hemight 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 goneout.
VIII
BOW-WOW IN GREAT PAIN
Mew-Mew had a nice coat, white as milk.
She kept it very clean, for she washed it for a good many hours eachday.
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 saidthis 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.
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-Wowcould 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 soonce."
He did groan again, and over and over again.
If he were to be killed, he could not help it, and the pain did notseem so bad while he groaned.
"Oh! you are awake, are you?" said Mew-Mew.
"Oh--h--h! yes, I am awake," and Bow-Wow gave another great groan.
IX
MEW-MEW A NURSE
"Do you mean to make that noise all night?" said the cat, in a verysharp way.
"I do not know. I hope not. I wish I could lose this bad pain."
"You _are_ a bad dog," said Mew-Mew.
"You have a nice warm bed to lie on; great care has been taken of you;you have had good food to eat; what more can you want?
"Yet you lie there and groan.
"As for poor me, all I have to lie on is an old bit of rug.
I think it is I that ought to groan."
"I wish you had my leg," said Bow-Wow.
"Oh, we shall never hear the last of that leg now." Then, as she had nomore to say, she went to her rug to sleep.
But she had only slept for a little while, and had fallen into a nicedream about a mouse, when Bow-Wow gave a great cry.
"Why do you call out in that way?" said Mew-Mew, in a rage.
"I am so hot," cried Bow-Wow, "that I think I shall die."
"I wish you were dead," said the cat.
"Why did you wake me from my first sleep and let that fat mouse getaway from me?
Am I to be kept awake all night to nurse you?"
"I only want you to take the rug off me," said Bow-Wow.
"Oh, dear! dear!" cried Mew-Mew.
But she took off the rug, and put it near the fire.
It would make her a nice soft bed. The rug she had was not so good andsoft as this.
X
BOW-WOW FEELS VERY ILL
"Well, will that do?" said Mew-Mew.
"Oh, I do not know; I am very ill."
"I dare say you are not a bit worse than I am; you have not a bad coldas I have."
"A bad cold! What is a bad cold to a leg as full of pain as mine is?"
"Oh! there you are! all about the leg again!"
Mew-Mew went off to her rug, and was soon fast asleep.
She slept this time for a good long while, and Bow-Wow slept too; butas break of day came, Bow-Wow made a very loud cry.
"Dear me! dear me! what is it now?" said Mew-Mew.
"I cannot bear this great pain any longer. You must come and help mewith my bad leg."
"Anything for peace," said Mew-Mew, and up she came and bit throughwhat was on the leg and took it off.
"Well, are you all right now?"
"I am better," said Bow-Wow. But he lay back, for he could not hold uphis head.
"You do not look to me as if you would live," said the cat, after shehad had a long look at him.
"Not look as if I should live?" said Bow-Wow.
"No, I do not think you will live;" and with that, she sat down beforethe dog, with her eyes fixed on his face, as if she meant to wait thereand see the end of him.
XI
WILL BOW-WOW DIE?
"Is there anything I can do?" asked the dog.
"Oh! I do not know of anything. You must just wait."
Then Mew-Mew shut her eyes for a little more sleep.
"But Mew-Mew! Mew-Mew!" cried poor Bow-Wow, "you must not go to sleep.
Oh, Mew-Mew! I have no one to speak to but you."
"It will not help you to speak," said Mew-Mew.
"You are much too fond of your own voice; I have told you that over andover again."
"Yes, Mew-Mew, so you have. But you would not have me die, would you?
I have so many things I should like to say to you.
What will you do without me when I am gone?"
The poor little dog gave such a sad look into Mew-Mew's face, as hespoke these words, that Mew-Mew did not quite know what to say.
To tell the truth, though she tried to think that she was very glad atgetting rid of Bow-Wow for good and all, yet she was not quite sureabout it.
After all, she did not know what she should do without him.
But she did not wish to show that she was so weak as to care for him;so when he asked "What will you do when I am gone?" she said:
r /> "Oh! I shall do much as I do now."
And she began to wash a speck off one of her white paws.
XII
BOW-WOW AND MEW-MEW BECOME FRIENDS
But poor little Bow-Wow could not bear this.
"What!" he said, "you will go on as you do now when I am gone?
You will go on just the same, when you will never have me to lookat--or to speak to--or to fight with?"
Bow-Wow's voice quite broke down. "Oh, Mew-Mew! you _are_ not kind tome."
"Me not kind! If it comes to that, you are much more unkind than I am.
You do not care a bit for me; not a bit more than if I was a chick or apig.
You would not sit up with _me_, as I am doing with you now--no, not ifI had hurt ten legs," said Mew-Mew.
"Oh, Mew-Mew! how can you say such things?" cried Bow-Wow. "Oh,Mew-Mew! how _can_ you, and with me dying!"
"You would not care if _I_ were dying ten times over," said the cat.And she put her paw over her face, and began to cry.