Well, just then, all of a sudden, a boy ran down the street with a little pig under his arm.
"Tom, Tom, the Piper's Son,
Stole a pig and away he run,"
screamed a green poll parrot from her cage.
"Why, it's Piggie Porker," cried Little Sir Cat, "the little pig I helped through the fence. O, please let him go. It's Piggie Porker."
"Piggie what?" asked Tom, scratching his head.
"I want to go home to mother," squealed Piggie, and this so surprised Tom that he dropped Piggie, who, quick as a wink, darted between his legs and ran away. And, would you believe it? Little Sir Cat jumped on his back, and off they went down the street to the country. Pretty soon Piggie stopped to rest, and Little Sir Cat jumped down to the ground. "How did you ever get caught?" he asked.
"I disobeyed mother," answered Piggie when able to speak, for he was all out of breath with running, you see. "I squeezed through the fence and ran out to the road, and then that bad boy caught me. Oh, dear, oh, dear!"
Poor little Piggie's pink nose was very red and his cheeks wet with tears. "Don't cry," said Little Sir Cat kindly, "you can't be far from home." And then together they ran across the meadow to the wood to look for the path that led to Piggie's cabin. And pretty soon Piggie found it, so off he scampered.
"I hope mother won't scold me for being away so long—I hope she won't."
In the distance he could see the stout figure of his mother standing in the cabin door. At the sight of her Piggie began to cry, he was so glad to be home again.