Now, what do you think the minister told them? "Some dreadful, dismal story, full of dreadful, wicked children, who were sent to prison, I suppose; or an account of how, if they ever dared to run down stairs, or look out of the window, or sneeze in church, on Sundays, they never would get to Heaven!" perhaps you will say. Not a bit of it. He just trotted Luly up and down on his knee, and told them these funny verses:
"Three little kittens from home ran away,
Oh dear! oh dear!
And did you not hear
All that befell them on that day?
Dilly, and Dolly, and Poppledy-polly—
Did you ever hear, in your life, of such folly!
"Out they ran from their mother's door,
And skipped, and tripped,
And danced, and dipped,
Way down the road, where they'd ne'er been before!
Dilly, and Dolly, and Poppledy-polly,
Oh deary! what will be the end of their folly?
"'Come let us go into this barn for mice!'
'Oh don't!' 'Oh stuff!
I'm hungry enough
To eat anything that is sav'ry and nice!'
So quoth little Dolly and Poppledy-polly,
While Dilly looked on, quite aghast at their folly!
"So in it they went, quite full of their fun,
And stared, and glared,
And meauoed, and scared
The poor little mice till they made them all run!
Dilly, and Dolly, and Poppledy-polly;
For Dilly, I'm sorry to say, shared their folly.
"But, alas! while the kittens were hunting up mice,
And munching, and crunching
Their smoking-hot lunching,
A boy came and caught them all up in a trice!
Dilly, and Dolly, and Poppledy-polly;
Oh! oh! OH! what a shocking climax to their folly!
"Oh, how they struggled and mewed in their fright!
And scratched, and snatched
At the dismal old patched
Bag they were thrust into, twisted up tight!
Dilly, and Dolly, and Poppledy-polly;
I warrant, they felt bad enough for their folly.
"Soon to a stranger house they came;
'Oh, ma'! oh, ma'!
Now, only see thar!'
Their captor cried out to an elderly dame;
While Dilly, and Dolly, and Poppledy-polly
Pricked up their ears, and lamented their folly.
"'What, have you brought in a parcel of cats?
Go straight to the pond
And get 'em all drowned!!
I won't have them here, I can tell you; now s'cats!'
Poor Dilly, and Dolly, and Poppledy-polly
Set up a loud howl of distress at their folly!
"Off scampered the boy till he came to the bank
Of a very deep pool;
Oh, wasn't it cruel!
And tossed in the bag!! To the bottom it sank!!!
With Dilly (oh!), and Dolly (oh!), and Poppledy-polly (oh! oh!),
And that was the end of their fun and their folly!"
MORAL.
"So, children, I solemnly beg and implore,
Whatever you do,
(And you're torments a few,)
You'll never slip out of your dear mother's door;
Or, like Dilly, and Dolly, and Poppledy-polly,
You'll surely be made to repent of your folly!"
The children were very much amused with this woful history, bursting out laughing without any kind of fail when Poppledy-polly, of comical memory and name, was mentioned. Luly said, "Oh, me yike that name! me want to call Dody Popply-polly." This made Kitty laugh more than ever, and they had a great time chasing Dody round the hall, and catching her, to bawl in her ears "Poppledy-polly!" by way of kindly informing her that was to be her new name.
Dody didn't seem to like it much, for she jumped out of Luly's arms with a squeal and a flourish of her long tail, and scampered off faster than ever each time. After watching them, and laughing for a while, Mr. Lacy rose to go, saying:
"Good-by, Little Mother; I must go and see some of the big mothers now. Don't forget me on any account, and tell your mamma, when she comes home, that I approve your style of housekeeping very much indeed."
"Good-by, Mr. Lacy," said Kitty. "Thank you for your funny story."
"Tank 'ou—funny 'tory!" repeated Luly after her sister.