"You have a wonderful pipe," said little Puss, Junior. "I've never seen one like it."
"There are lots of strange things in Mother Goose Land," answered the little old man. "If you are a traveler, as I think you are, you will meet with many strange adventures."
Then with a bow he turned in at the gate of a little pink-and-blue cottage, at the rear of which stood a pigeon house on top of a tall pole. As Puss turned around for a last look, again the smoke from the little old man's pipe changed into a pigeon, which flew straight toward the little pigeon house.
Well, after that Puss rode along for some time, and by and by the moon came out and dimly lighted the road, which now led through a forest. It was very quiet, except for the tooting of an owl or the cry of a tree toad.
Little Puss commenced to whistle when, all of a sudden, the Good Gray Horse jumped to the side of the road, and there, right in front of him, stood a tiny fairy, dressed in green. "Halt, Sir Cat!" he cried, waving his silver wand.
THE HOLD-UP
"OH, who is so merry, so merry, heigh ho!
As the light-hearted fairy, heigh ho, heigh ho!"
As soon as the little fairy I mentioned in the last story finished his song Puss, Junior's, Good Gray Horse stood up on his hind legs, for he wasn't used to these little people of the forest, you see.