THE HUNTING PARTY
Mrs. Pussy, sleek and fat,
With her kittens four,
Went to sleep upon a mat
By the kitchen door.
Mrs. Pussy heard a noise;
Up she sprang in glee.
“Kittens, maybe it’s a mouse—
Let us go and see.”
Creeping, creeping, soft and low,
Silently they stole,
But the little mouse had crept
Back into its hole.
“Well,” said Mrs. Pussy then,
“Homeward let us go;
We shall find our supper there,
That I surely know.”
Home went hungry Mrs. Puss
With her kittens four,
Found their supper on a plate
By the kitchen door.
—Selected.