THE NAUGHTY CAT.
LITTLE JACK.
'Tis such a naughty, naughty cat!
Old Tab, that's owned by aunty Gray:
She growls, and spits, and shows her claws,
As sharp as needles in her paws;
And, if I try with her to play,
She always seems so full of spite,
She's sure to scratch me, or to bite.
My hands,—they were a frightful sight
When I came home last Saturday;
I'm sure that she would be no loss,
If she were killed, she is so cross;
Now, when I see her, "Scat, scat, scat!"
I mean to say, "you naughty cat!"
LITTLE JANE.
What, call my poor old Tabby cross!
I'm sure she's very good with me;
For, when I go to aunty Gray's,
She always close beside me stays.
If I sit down, she climbs my knee,
And rubs her head against my cheek,
And acts as though she'd like to speak,
And say she wants my friend to be.
I'd rather have her for my own
Than all the cats I've ever known:
Black, yellow, Maltese, large and small,
Old Tab's the nicest of them all.
JAMES.
Yes, Tabby is a knowing cat.
When you have been at aunty Gray's,
She's proved you both, and learned your ways:
She finds that Jack would never fail
To try and swing her by the tail,
While Jane will softly stroke her fur;
So she will answer by a purr,
To show Jane's gentle touch she likes,
But Jack, with her sharp claws, she strikes.
My mother says we ought to treat
With love each living thing we meet,
And even pussy-cats can tell
Who are the ones that use them well.
MARIAN DOUGLAS.
