"TICK, TACK, TOO"
ONE day Puss, Junior's, Good Gray Horse lost a shoe.
"Gracious me! I must find a smithy," said Puss, Junior, anxiously. Luckily there was a small village near by, and pretty soon he drew rein in front of a blacksmith shop. But, oh, dear me! there was no one there except a small boy.
Jack Jingle went 'prentice
To make a horseshoe;
He wasted the iron
Till it would not do.
His master came in
And began for to rail.
Said Jack, "The shoe's spoiled,
But 'twill still make a nail."
He tried at the nail,
But, chancing to miss,
Said, "If it won't make a nail,
It shall yet make a hiss."
Then into the water
Threw the hot iron, smack,
"Hiss!" quoth the iron.
"I thought so," said Jack.
"You good for nothing!" cried the blacksmith, coming into the shop, "here's a customer at hand and you have no shoe for his horse."
"How long will it take to make one?" asked Puss, Junior.
"All day and maybe longer," said the smith—"that is, if you depend on that clumsy lad."
"Well, I don't want to depend on him," said Puss, with a grin; "neither do I want to take chances with my good horse."
"Neither shall you, my Lord Cat," replied the smith. "I will see that your horse is well shod, for he is indeed a fine beast."
"He has good legs, has he not?" asked Puss, running his paw down the foreleg of the big gray horse, like a professional horseman.
"He has that," said the blacksmith, "and a fine head, too."
"He's a good roadster," added Puss, seating himself on a three-legged stool while the smith lifted the horse's leg and held it between his knees.
"Yes, he has good feet," said the smith, "and he shall have a fine shoe."
Here a nail, and there a nail, tick, tack, too.
As soon as the shoe was on, Puss, Junior, mounted and rode away. But before he left he turned to Jack and said:
"If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.
Tick, tack, too; learn to make a shoe!
Some day you may turn out ten
If you don't get blue."