Bow-Wow and Mew-Mew

"Get out of the way," said a little fat dog, as he came near the fire.

"I shall not get out of your way," said the white puss, who had got the best place first. "Do you keep out of my way!"

"You are as bad a cat as ever I saw," cried the dog, in a rage.

The dog's name was Bow-Wow.

"I am not half so bad a cat as you are a dog," said Mew-Mew.

Bow-Wow and Mew-Mew were a very young dog and cat.

They did not know how to be good. No one had told them.

They did not use kind words the one to the other.

They led a sad life, and were cross all day long.

Bow-Wow said that Mew-Mew was idle, vain, and cross, and of no use to any one.

And Mew-Mew said of Bow-Wow, that he was only fit to bark, that he was all for himself and ever in the way.

Thus they used to go on all day.

It was quite a treat when they fell asleep. That was the only time that there was peace with them.

Bow-Wow and Mew-Mew did not love each other. But you must know that they did not find good in any thing.

All was bad alike to them.

They did not like the house they lived in; they did not like the lady they lived with; nor the food they had to eat.

They said they did not have what was good for them to eat or to drink.

Bow-Wow wanted other little dogs about the place, so that he could have a good game of play.

Mew-Mew sat with her eyes half shut for hours, to think what a shame it was no other cat ever came to see her.

"Now if I had a real home," Mew-Mew would say, "I would have a lot of young cats in it.

I would have a fire in every room, a cup of warm milk on each floor, and all the meat in the house should be cut up into little bits.

And I would kill Bow-Wow and all the dogs that came near my house."

Mew-Mew would think of such a life till she grew quite glad.

She would begin to purr, and so sing herself off to sleep.

"Did ever any one see such a cat?" Bow-Wow said, when Mew-Mew acted in this way.

"She sings as if she were out of her wits.

I have seen much in my life" (he was quite young), "but I have never seen so silly a cat as Mew-Mew is."

Then he would go to Mew-Mew and give her a blow on the side of her head to wake her up.

Mew-Mew would spring up like a shot.

And if Bow-Wow did not take to his heels with all his might, which he very often did, Mew-Mew would use her paws in such a way as to make him wish he had left her to have her sleep out.

Bow-Wow and Mew-Mew lived in a farm-house.

You shall hear how this dog and cat were often put out, and how much they had to bear.

First, there were the chicks.

"They eat all day long," said Mew-Mew.

"I cannot bear them; I wish I might eat them."

Then there were the pigs.

Bow-Wow did not like the pigs.

For one day he had gone into their sty to bark at them. But they did not fear him and did not try to get away.

In fact, they trod on him till he was well-nigh dead.

He kept away from the pigs after that; at any rate, he did not go into their sty again.

Then the ducks.

If there was one thing Mew-Mew did not like, it was the ducks.

The ducks made a great deal too much noise, they did not even know how to walk, and they had a very bad way of going into the water.

The horse and the cow were much too big.

It was not safe to go near them.

They had a way of using their feet, which Bow-Wow and Mew-Mew did not like at all.

The dog and cat had not one thing which they did like.

The lady was not quite so bad as the rest. Still she was to blame that there were not fires in every room, cups of warm milk on every floor, and bits of good meat in the dish.

It came about one day that Bow-Wow was badly hurt.

He had gone into the barn-yard "for no harm at all," he said, but to bark at the chicks, and put them in fear of their lives.

He had great fun with one chick, which ran away from him, and flew up to its perch.

Bow-Wow went after it and made leaps into the air to get it, and was just as glad as he could be.

But all at once he could jump no more.

A large log of wood fell on him. He felt great pain.

This made him cry, so that one could hear him half a mile away.

The lady ran out to see why Bow-Wow cried so loud. She took the wood off him.

Then she found that the bone of one leg was hurt.

A man was sent for to dress the leg, and Bow-Wow was put to bed.

As soon as Bow-Wow was in bed, Mew-Mew came into the room.

She was as glad as she could be to see poor Bow-Wow in pain.

"Well, you are a fine sort of dog, you are," she said; "why could you not leave the chicks alone?

It is a pity you did not break all your legs.

I wish you had done so.

Anyhow, it will be a long time before you get about again.

I shall have the nice warm fire all to myself now."

"Oh—h—h!" cried Bow-Wow, for the poor little dog felt very ill.

Then the bad Mew-Mew put up her paw and gave Bow-Wow such a blow that it made him cry loud again with pain.

The lady came into the room to find out why the dog had called out.

Then Mew-Mew, who, to tell the truth, knew that she had not done what was right, crept out by the open door. (See picture on page 2.)

She took care to keep out of the way for the rest of the day.

It was only when it was quite dark, and the lady had gone to bed, that she dared to come into the room again, and take her place before the fire.

Bow-Wow was in his little bed. Great care had been taken of him.

He had not gone to sleep, for his leg hurt him so much that he could not get to sleep at all.

When he saw Mew-Mew come into the room he was in such fear that he did not know what to do.

She had been such a bad cat in the day, that Bow-Wow did not feel at all sure but that now, when the lady was in bed, Mew-Mew might kill him.

It was a sad case for Bow-Wow. He shut his eyes, all but the least bit.

He kept them just far enough open, to see what Mew-Mew was doing, and then he lay quite still.

Mew-Mew gave one look at Bow-Wow's bed.

"Bow-Wow is asleep," she said. "I will not be unkind to him again."

Then she went to the fire, and sat with her back to Bow-Wow, that he might not see her; and she began to wash her coat.

This was such a long task that she soon forgot all about Bow-Wow.

She sat for a long time in the same place, even after the fire had gone out.

Mew-Mew had a nice coat, white as milk.

She kept it very clean, for she washed it for a good many hours each day.

Bow-Wow used to say, "Why, you will wash it all away."

Mew-Mew did not mind that a bit, for she knew that Bow-Wow only said this when he felt vexed that he had not a nice white coat.

Bow-Wow's coat was black as coal.

Mew-Mew sat by the fire and washed her coat.

Bow-Wow did not dare to go to sleep, for fear of what the cat might do.

At last he was quite worn out.

His leg was very painful, too.

After the cat had washed and washed for an hour and a half, Bow-Wow could bear it no longer.

He turned himself in bed and gave a great groan.

Mew-Mew left off washing at once.

"I will groan again," said Bow-Wow; "I may as well, as I have done so once."

He did groan again, and over and over again.

If he were to be killed, he could not help it, and the pain did not seem so bad while he groaned.

"Oh! you are awake, are you?" said Mew-Mew.

"Oh—h—h! yes, I am awake," and Bow-Wow gave another great groan.

"Do you mean to make that noise all night?" said the cat, in a very sharp way.

"I do not know. I hope not. I wish I could lose this bad pain."

"You are a bad dog," said Mew-Mew.

"You have a nice warm bed to lie on; great care has been taken of you; you have had good food to eat; what more can you want?

"Yet you lie there and groan.

"As for poor me, all I have to lie on is an old bit of rug.

I think it is I that ought to groan."

"I wish you had my leg," said Bow-Wow.

"Oh, we shall never hear the last of that leg now." Then, as she had no more to say, she went to her rug to sleep.

But she had only slept for a little while, and had fallen into a nice dream about a mouse, when Bow-Wow gave a great cry.

"Why do you call out in that way?" said Mew-Mew, in a rage.

"I am so hot," cried Bow-Wow, "that I think I shall die."

"I wish you were dead," said the cat.

"Why did you wake me from my first sleep and let that fat mouse get away from me?

Am I to be kept awake all night to nurse you?"

"I only want you to take the rug off me," said Bow-Wow.

"Oh, dear! dear!" cried Mew-Mew.

But she took off the rug, and put it near the fire.

It would make her a nice soft bed. The rug she had was not so good and soft as this.

"Well, will that do?" said Mew-Mew.

"Oh, I do not know; I am very ill."

"I dare say you are not a bit worse than I am; you have not a bad cold as I have."

"A bad cold! What is a bad cold to a leg as full of pain as mine is?"

"Oh! there you are! all about the leg again!"

Mew-Mew went off to her rug, and was soon fast asleep.

She slept this time for a good long while, and Bow-Wow slept too; but as break of day came, Bow-Wow made a very loud cry.

"Dear me! dear me! what is it now?" said Mew-Mew.

"I cannot bear this great pain any longer. You must come and help me with my bad leg."

"Anything for peace," said Mew-Mew, and up she came and bit through what was on the leg and took it off.

"Well, are you all right now?"

"I am better," said Bow-Wow. But he lay back, for he could not hold up his head.

"You do not look to me as if you would live," said the cat, after she had had a long look at him.

"Not look as if I should live?" said Bow-Wow.

"No, I do not think you will live;" and with that, she sat down before the dog, with her eyes fixed on his face, as if she meant to wait there and see the end of him.

"Is there anything I can do?" asked the dog.

"Oh! I do not know of anything. You must just wait."

Then Mew-Mew shut her eyes for a little more sleep.

"But Mew-Mew! Mew-Mew!" cried poor Bow-Wow, "you must not go to sleep.

Oh, Mew-Mew! I have no one to speak to but you."

"It will not help you to speak," said Mew-Mew.

"You are much too fond of your own voice; I have told you that over and over again."

"Yes, Mew-Mew, so you have. But you would not have me die, would you?

I have so many things I should like to say to you.

What will you do without me when I am gone?"

The poor little dog gave such a sad look into Mew-Mew's face, as he spoke these words, that Mew-Mew did not quite know what to say.

To tell the truth, though she tried to think that she was very glad at getting rid of Bow-Wow for good and all, yet she was not quite sure about it.

After all, she did not know what she should do without him.

But she did not wish to show that she was so weak as to care for him; so when he asked "What will you do when I am gone?" she said:

"Oh! I shall do much as I do now."

And she began to wash a speck off one of her white paws.

But poor little Bow-Wow could not bear this.

"What!" he said, "you will go on as you do now when I am gone?

You will go on just the same, when you will never have me to look at—or to speak to—or to fight with?"

Bow-Wow's voice quite broke down. "Oh, Mew-Mew! you are not kind to me."

"Me not kind! If it comes to that, you are much more unkind than I am.

You do not care a bit for me; not a bit more than if I was a chick or a pig.

You would not sit up with me, as I am doing with you now—no, not if I had hurt ten legs," said Mew-Mew.

"Oh, Mew-Mew! how can you say such things?" cried Bow-Wow. "Oh, Mew-Mew! how can you, and with me dying!"

"You would not care if I were dying ten times over," said the cat. And she put her paw over her face, and began to cry.

"I—I—I should," said Bow-Wow; "I am sure I should care very much."

"Well, well," said Mew-Mew, "I do not wish to be cross with you, now that you are about to die."

"Let us be friends then," said Bow-Wow.

"We will," said Mew-Mew.

Then they were quite still for some time. They did not know what to make of being friends.

They did not speak, for they did not know what to say.

Mew-Mew was the first to speak.

"How are you now, Bow-Wow?" she said.

"How do I look?" said the dog.

"Ah! not very well. There is a look in your eyes I do not like."

"Oh, if it is only my eyes," said Bow-Wow, "I can change that.... Look at me now, Mew-Mew."

"That is not the same look at all," said the cat. "Your eyes are as bright as mine now, Bow-Wow."

"No, no—not so bright as yours. No other eyes could be as bright as yours, Mew-Mew.

But I do feel a good deal better now, and I think, dear Mew-Mew, that if I could get a long sleep and some nice food—"

"Should you like a mouse?" cried Mew-Mew.

"Ah! I fear a mouse would get away from me.

I do not know how to deal with a mouse as you do, Mew-Mew, even when I am well.

I should like some cold meat."

"Well, I will see what I can do," said Mew-Mew.

Away she went; but the only food that she could find was some cold pork.

She had two or three bites at this, to make sure it was good, and then went back to Bow-Wow with her prize.

"What is it, Mew-Mew?"

"Cold pork: very nice." And she put it before him.

"Please have some too, Mew-Mew."

"Well, I do not care if I do," said the cat.

They both set to work with a good will. In a very short time the cold pork was all gone.

"It was very good," said Bow-Wow, with a sigh.

"It has done me a great deal of good. Is there any more of it?"

"Not a bit more," said Mew-Mew.

"Well, it cannot be helped. Shall I try now to go to sleep?"

"Yes, do, and I will make up your bed for you."

This she did, and the dog lay down and shut his eyes.

"I will just give my coat a wash, and then try to go to sleep too," said Mew-Mew.

"Be sure you call me if you feel worse, dear Bow-Wow."

The little boys and girls who read this book will be glad to know that in spite of all the fright which Bow-Wow and Mew-Mew had, the dog was in no danger of dying at all.

He had to stay in bed for a whole week, and for ten days more was very weak, and had to take care what he ate, and where he went.

Yet by the end of a month he was as strong as ever, and would bark at the pigs and hunt the chicks just as he had done before.

Bow-Wow and Mew-Mew were now great friends.

Mew-Mew said that she had saved Bow-Wow's life when he was ill.

She said this so often, that Bow-Wow came to think it was true, and looked upon her as the best friend he had in the world.

As for Mew-Mew, she grew very fond of Bow-Wow; she did not like to have him out of her sight.

They loved each other so much that if you had told them they were once cross and unkind they would have said:

"Oh, no! that must have been some other dog and cat, it could not have been we."

But though they were now such good friends, they did not like the rest of the world a bit more than they had done before.

One night, after the lady had gone to bed, Bow-Wow and Mew-Mew met to have a talk before the fire.

Bow-Wow was very sad.

"Why are you so sad, Bow-Wow?" said Mew-Mew.

"It is the pigs!"

"What have they been doing?"

"I heard them grunt as I came past the sty!"

"But they did you no harm, did they?"

"They would have done if they could."

"Well, pigs are no good anywhere, I own," said Mew-Mew, "but do you know, when I come to think of it, I am not sure but that chicks are worse."

"Chicks are bad, if you like, but not so bad as pigs.

You may be right, yet I do not know but that out of the whole set, ducks are the very worst of all," said Bow-Wow.

And then he began to groan.

As soon as he gave a groan Mew-Mew gave one too, and they kept on for some time.

"I have a good mind not to bear it," said Bow-Wow at last.

"Dear me! you must bear it, how can you help it?"

"I can go away."

"Where to?"

"Anywhere."

Mew-Mew was so put out with the thought of Bow-Wow going away, that for a time she could not speak.

At last she said, "Oh, Bow-Wow, you would not leave me, would you?"

"Would you not come with me?" he asked.

"Yes, that I would, anywhere, to the end of the world."

"Then we will go," said Bow-Wow. "It must be a good change, that is clear; in no place can we be as badly off as we are here."

"Yes, that is quite clear," said the cat. "When shall we set off?"

"Now, at once," said Bow-Wow.

"But we cannot get out yet; the doors are not open."

To tell the truth, Mew-Mew did not care about getting away, as Bow-Wow did.

She liked to stay at home.

And on this night she felt that she must have a long sleep.

So she said, "We must not start yet, for I have not given my coat a good wash."

"Cannot you live one night without giving your coat a wash?" said Bow-Wow, in a rage.

"I should think not. Would you have me to go out into the world with dust and dirt on my coat?

And before we set out, I should like to get a thing or two that we may want to take with us.

Let us have a sound sleep to-night. We may hope then to start in good time."

"Well, well, as you please," said Bow-Wow, who now felt glad, too, that they had not to leave their warm place by the fire just then.

They lay down side by side on the rug, and went to sleep.

Next day Bow-Wow went for a walk round the farm.

First he had a look at the pigs; he did not go into their sty, but he barked at them and said:

"I am sad for you, that you can never get out for a walk, but must be ever in that sty. Do you not wish you had been born dogs?"

And the pigs, with a grunt, said: "Go away, you little dog; we do not wish to talk to you. Our home is a very nice one; we do not want to make any change."

He gave a bark at the chicks, not so much to harm them as to bid them good-by.

He went to the pond to get a drink and to say as his last words to the ducks:

"Why do you not be wise and stay on the land? You can come to no harm here, but I am sure you will take cold by being so much in the water, and that may be the death of you!"

But the ducks said: "Quack! quack! run off, you bad dog. You do not at all know what is good for us."

In the night Mew-Mew had made her coat quite white.

She stole a roast chick out of the house, and hid it in the dust-bin.

And she took one or two other things which they might want.

They did not start till the lady had given them two meals that day.

At the set time they met at the dust-bin.

"But who was to carry the chick?"

Bow-Wow said he could not, Mew-Mew said the same.

Then said Bow-Wow: "Had we better not eat it now? It is no use to leave it here."

They set to work, and ate the chick to the very last bone.

Then they did not feel quite so fit to take a long walk as they had hoped.

Still they made their way to the gate of the farm and out into the road.

"Now we have done it," said Bow-Wow.

"Yes, we have done it," said Mew-Mew who did not feel at all gay.

"We must step out as fast as we can," said Bow-Wow, "for I dare say they will be after us in half an hour."

"Oh! as fast as you please," said Mew-Mew; but she wished all the time that she was back on her rug before the fire.

So they set off at full speed.

They left the farm by the gate and got on the road.

Bow-Wow wished to run very fast, for "I dare say they will be after us in half an hour," he said.

He did not think but that they would soon be missed, though he said, "No one has ever given us much care."

"Our loss," he said, "will make the lady sad and she will send out the men to find us."

Bow-Wow and Mew-Mew ran fast, so fast that the cat was soon out of breath.

Mew-Mew could run fast for a little way, but she was not used to long races.

She had not gone half a mile before she began to feel quite ill.

"It is fine fun, is it not, Mew-Mew?" Bow-Wow called out in great joy.

He had often run a long race and did not mind this run a bit.

"Yes, it is fine fun," said Mew-Mew, two or three times.

But at last, when for about the tenth time Bow-Wow said, "Is it not fine fun?" Mew-Mew could only gasp out:—

"Yes—yes—it is—good fun—but—can we not—just—rest a little?"

"What! rest so soon?" said Bow-Wow.

"Yes—just—for—a little time."

"Oh, well, if you wish it," and Bow-Wow stood still.

"But what is the matter with you? Have you hurt one of your paws?"

"Oh no—not that," said Mew-Mew. "We have run so fast that I have lost my breath."

"That is sad," said Bow-Wow. "I do not know how you will be able to move about much in the world, if you so soon lose your breath."

"But we are not to be ever on the run, are we?" said Mew-Mew, with a wild look in her eyes.

"Well, no, not ever on the run.

But there will be a good deal of it. We must do the best we can."

"Have you had a rest now, Mew-Mew?" said Bow-Wow.

"Oh yes," said the cat, as she got on her legs again. "We will not go quite so fast now, will we?"

"As you please. If the men from the farm come after us, and take us back, it will not be I that am to blame."

They set off once more.

They did not keep to the road, for fear of those who might be on the lookout for them.

Some fields were much more easy to cross than others. The best of all were those of nice soft short grass.

The fields in which the corn had been cut, were very hard to get over. The short stems of the corn were sharp to their paws.

The field of large green leaves was not so bad to cross.

Still it was not nice to be out of sight the whole time, and only to know where the other was by calling out every now and then.

They could not run so fast as on the road, and though they did stop many times to rest, it was hard work for Mew-Mew.

She was short of breath, as you know. But, worse than that, her paws had become so large that she could only just get along.

"Oh, dear me!" she said, "what can have made my paws swell in this way, and what makes them so full of pain?"

Mew-Mew went on but a little way. She then could not even limp along any more.

"Well, I did think you could run better than this," said Bow-Wow, not in a very sweet temper, when he saw her lie down.

"Oh, I shall be well soon," the cat said, "it is only my paws. Oh, Bow-Wow, do your paws never hurt?"

"I should think not," said Bow-Wow.

"Well, but just look at mine."

And they did look odd, for they were as big again as they ought to be, and quite black.

"Have you some thorns in them?" asked Bow-Wow. "You must put them into water and wash them."

"Put my paws in water! I would not do such a thing for the world."

"What will you do with them, then?"

"I mean to lick them."

"It will take you a long time to lick those paws white. But if you mean to do it you had better begin, for we shall not walk any more to-night.

Let us creep under this corn in the field. You will not mind if I go to sleep, will you, Mew-Mew?"

"Oh dear, no," said the cat.

"I should like some food before I go to sleep," Bow-Wow said to himself. "I do not at all know where to get any.

I must go without my supper for once."

This he did, and was soon fast asleep.

As for poor Mew-Mew, she had two hours' good work, before she could get rid of the pain in her paws, and make them look white, as they did before she set out.

Then she made herself into a ball, and slept well till the sun was up.

I dare say she would have slept half the next day, had not Bow-Wow called,—

"Up! up! wake up, Mew-Mew!"

Mew-Mew did her best to get up, and to keep her eyes open.

She had never had such a day as the last.

"No time to lose!" said Bow-Wow. "We must have some food!"

"Oh, yes," said Mew-Mew, "we will have some birds. Wait till I have washed—".

"Till I have washed my coat," she was going to say, but before she had got the last words out, she heard such a noise, all at once, in the trees near, that it quite put them out of her head.

She looked up to see the cause of it, and then cried:—

"Oh! look at the birds! Oh! dear me! Bow-Wow! look at the birds!

Oh! look at them! look at them!"

She had never seen so many birds, at one time, in her life before.

"Well, I see them," said Bow-Wow. "Why do you not go and get some, and not talk so much about them?"

The truth was that Bow-Wow did not much care to hear about birds.

Mew-Mew had but to lie in wait for them and she could get nice tid-bits for herself.

But Bow-Wow might look and wait, and as soon as he made a jump, the bird was sure to fly away.

The sight of Mew-Mew's little feasts had of old been more than Bow-Wow was able to bear.

"Why do you not get some?" said Bow-Wow.

"Oh! I will get them," said Mew-Mew, "all alive."

And she lost no time about it, for she had two poor little birds in no time.

Bow-Wow ate one, she ate the other.

"Will you have one more?" said Mew-Mew.

"Yes, if you please," said the dog.

Mew-Mew could get these birds with great ease.

They had three birds each, and then as they could eat no more, they lay down again for a time.

"It is very warm," said Mew-Mew. "I wish I had a little milk."

"Milk! Oh, you will get no milk here," said Bow-Wow.

"Get no milk!" said the cat.

"There is no milk," said the dog, "but you can have water."

"I would not take a drop of water to save my life," said Mew-Mew.

"Well, well," said Bow-Wow, seeing that all the hair on her back was on end, "we will hope to find some milk as we go along.

But I want to speak to you. I think, dear Mew-Mew, that as you can get birds so well,—you know how they fly away from me,—I cannot do better than leave you to find our food each day."

"I am sure, if I can please you," said Mew-Mew, "I shall only be too glad to do so."

"Very well," said Bow-Wow. "I will pick out our road and say when we shall rest, and where we shall sleep; and you can come to me at any time that you want help."

"I will," said Mew-Mew.

"And now let us set off," said Bow-Wow.

"Yes," said Mew-Mew. "I hope we shall find some milk as we go on."

They went on for a long way, through the fields and woods, and kept out of the way of men and boys.

At last, at a time when they had not looked well ahead, they heard a loud bark, and saw a great sheep-dog racing after them, as if he would break his neck.

"Oh!" cried Bow-Wow.

"Oh—h!" cried Mew-Mew.

They did not know what to do.

"We must run up a tree," said the cat.

"But I cannot run up a tree," said the dog.

"I am sure I cannot help you," cried Mew-Mew, and she ran with all her might.

There was a large tree close by; Mew-Mew flew up it, and was quite safe.

What would poor Bow-Wow do?

The great dog came up. He did not give Bow-Wow time to speak, but fell on him, and began to roll him over and over on the hard ground.

"Oh, Mew-Mew! Mew-Mew!" cried he, calling upon the only friend he had.

"What do you mean by 'Mew-Mew'?" said the big dog.

And he laid hold of Bow-Wow's neck, and gave him such a shake, as if he would shake his life out of him.

Mew-Mew, up in the tree, you may be sure, sat as still as a mouse.

"Oh! let me go! and I will never—never—" cried Bow-Wow, with his voice getting fainter at each word.

The big dog had such a hold of Bow-Wow, that he was not able to say what it was that he would never do.

"It is all over with me," he said to himself; and he shut his eyes and gave himself up for lost.

Just then a loud call was heard.

"Come off, Rex! Do you hear? Come off, lad!"

The big dog just lifted his head at the sound, and so gave Bow-Wow time to get his breath, but he kept him fast on the ground.

"Come off, you bad dog!" said the man again.

It was not till he had called a good many times, that the big dog gave poor Bow-Wow a last shake, and then ran off to the man.

As soon as he was quite gone, Bow-Wow, who had not dared open his lips before, began to groan with all his might.

"Oh!" he said. "Oh! oh!"

They were such sad groans, that they made Mew-Mew's heart, as she sat in the tree, quite come into her mouth.

"What shall I do? Shall I come down, Bow-Wow?" she said.

But Bow-Wow would not hear her, and only groaned more and more.

"Oh, dear! dear! I do think he is dying," cried Mew-Mew; and she came down from the tree, though she could but just stand for fear.

"Bow-Wow! can you speak?" she called out, as soon as she was down.

"Do not come near me," said the little dog, in a low voice.

Mew-Mew gave a look all round, and as the sheep-dog was nowhere in sight, she came to where Bow-Wow lay.

"Go away! leave me!" said Bow-Wow.

"Leave you! Never!" cried the cat. "Oh! my poor dear, dear Bow-Wow! Why, you are badly hurt!"

"If I am badly hurt you are quite safe, at any rate," said Bow-Wow.

"You run away, and leave your friend to get badly hurt, do you not?"

"Ah! but is it not a good thing that I did run away?

Who would nurse you now if I were hurt too?"

There was something in that, so Bow-Wow said no more about it.

Mew-Mew began to run over the things she could do for Bow-Wow: how she would put him to bed, get him some drink, and kill a bird for him.

Bow-Wow said he would like some food, and that if he had a very fine bird, he would try to eat some of it.

Mew-Mew went off to find a fine bird.

But go where she would, up and down, not a bird could she get.

The land just there had few trees. There did not seem to be a bird in the place.

She ran up the trees, she hid in the wheat, yet she saw but six birds in an hour, and these all got away.

She went back to Bow-Wow with a sad face.

"You have come back at last," Bow-Wow said as soon as he saw her. "Come! make haste. Where are the birds?"

"Oh, Bow-Wow, I cannot find any."

"You cannot find any birds?"

"Not one! It is the worst place I ever was in," and she began to sob as if her heart would break.

"You ought to have done better," said Bow-Wow.

"It is your work to find food. I told you so."

"And it is your part to take care of us on the way, and you have done that well, have you not?" said Mew-Mew.

"You have not much to talk about, anyhow," said Bow-Wow.

"If I have not, I might have had, for all your good lookout," said the cat.

Thus they grew very cross.

I dare say they might even have come to blows, if it had not been that Bow-Wow was not able to stand.

After a while they made up their cross words.

As poor Bow-Wow felt ill, they could not go on.

No food was to be had.

They lay down just in that place, each rolled into a tight ball, and soon fell asleep.

They slept the rest of that day.

In the night rain began to fall. This made them wake up.

Bow-Wow was just able to walk to a tree, the same tree that Mew-Mew had used to hide in. The rain did not come so hard, close up to the trunk of the tree.

It would take too long to tell you of all this little dog and cat had to bear, for many days.

Often without food, in the wind and the rain, and on the cold ground at night, what a change after the good home they had left!

Day by day they grew more thin and weak.

Bow-Wow's black coat was all rusty and dusty; his bones looked as if they must come through his skin.

As for Mew-Mew's fur, you would not think it ever could have been white at all, it was in such a sad state.

She used to wash her paws, and her face, two or three times a day; she would have done more if she could.

Once they went near a house, in the hope that some food might be given them, but some bad boys cast stones at them, and drove them away.

They had to run for their lives.

One night, after they had had no food all day, they saw a little boy and girl on the road, and the boy and girl saw them.

They did not run away at the sight of a dog, as some boys and girls would have done.

When they saw how thin and poor the dog and cat were, they took out of their bag some bread, which they had left from dinner, and fed them.

Bow-Wow and Mew-Mew were very glad to have the food, and would have gone home with their young friends.

But the boy said, "No, you must not come home with us. We do not know you.

We have a big dog in the yard at home. Rex would kill you, if you came to our house."

The one thing in their minds now was, how to get home once more.

They could never agree who was most to blame that they had run away.

Mew-Mew said that all the blame lay with Bow-Wow; and Bow-Wow said that Mew-Mew was quite as much to blame as he was, and more so.

Mew-Mew could not bear this.

Weak as she was, she made a spring at Bow-Wow, and gave him such a box on the ears, that he, being very weak too, fell right down.

When he got on his legs again, he flew at Mew-Mew.

One might think they would have killed each other on the spot; but they were not so strong as they had been, and could not fight long.

After they could fight no more, they would not speak a word for half an hour.

Then Mew-Mew, with her kind heart, said, "I am sure I did not mean to hurt you, Bow-Wow!"

And Bow-Wow said, "Let us not think or say any more about it.

It is very sad that we cannot live without cross words and bad blows.

But what are we to do? How are we to live?"

"I wish we were dead," said Mew-Mew.

"We soon shall be," said Bow-Wow.

"But why did we ever, ever run away?" asked Mew-Mew.

Mew-Mew had asked this a good many times before and Bow-Wow had said, "We did it for the best."

To-day he only gave a great groan.

"We had such a good home!" said Mew-Mew.

"We had!" said Bow-Wow.

"There was food for us at all times."

"There was!"

"We had a fire all the year round to keep us warm."

"It got too warm sometimes."

"It never was too warm for me."

"There were the chicks in the yard, that we did not like."

"Yes, and the pigs."

"And the ducks, and the horse, and the cow. Yet they did us no harm."

"Well, no! I cannot say they did; that is, if we left them alone."

Bow-Wow did not forget how the pigs trod on him in the sty.

Mew-Mew went on: "But we gave up our good home, we left the lady who was so kind to us, and here we are with no food, cold, and wet, and nearly dead. Oh! Bow-Wow."

"Oh! Mew-Mew!"

They each had as sad a face as you ever saw in your life.

"We may get home yet," said the dog.

"Ah, if we could!" said the cat.

In what way did home lie? They had gone now to the right hand, now to the left hand, now to the north, now to the south.

How to find the way by which they had come first, they could not tell.

They could but walk on, and on, and on; and their poor little weak legs felt many a pain.

"We can but go on till we die, Bow-Wow," said Mew-Mew.

They went on, and never knew the least bit in the world where they were going.

Sometimes when the sun rose, they had not the heart to get up at all.

They would lie still, with their eyes shut, and try to sleep as long as they could, that they might not think of their pains.

When they had gone long with no food, they could not sleep, but would creep close to each other, or would sit and look at each other in a kind of fear.

At last one night came, when poor little Mew-Mew lay quite flat on the ground, and put out her four paws.

She said in a very quiet way, "I can walk no more.

When the day comes, you must say good-by to me and go on alone."

"Oh! Mew-Mew," cried Bow-Wow, and he went to her side and sat down.

The tears came into his eyes so fast that he could not see.

"I will stay here if you must stay, Mew-Mew," said Bow-Wow. "I will stay here and die too."

"Oh, no, dear Bow-Wow; you may get home yet."

"What good would it do me to get home alone?"

"You could tell the lady how hard we tried to get home.

I should like to have her know how hard we tried, and how sorry we were."

"But she will never know it," said Bow-Wow. "I shall never find her. I cannot go on alone. I will not leave you."

They lay down to sleep. It was a dark cold night. They crept close, that they might not feel the cold so much.

Bow-Wow could not sleep: he thought every hour would be Mew-Mew's last.

But the hours passed on, and she still drew her breath in the same short way.

She was alive when the sun rose.

It had been night when they had come to this place—quite dark.

When the light came, what do you think Bow-Wow saw?

As soon as his eyes were open, and this was just as the birds began to sing, he saw, not far off, the farm-house at home.

There it was; and the sun shone on the warm tile roof, and on the old stone walls.

There it was, with the barn-yard and the stacks of hay.

Bow-Wow knew them every one.

He gave one long look, and then such a bark, that even made poor sick Mew-Mew wake.

"Oh, Bow-Wow, what is it?" she said.

But Bow-Wow could not tell.

Not a word would come from him save one.

He ran round and round as if he were wild.

"Home! Home! Home!" he cried.

Yes, it was home at last.

Mew-Mew could see it. There it was, the red house lit up by the sun.

But poor Mew-Mew could not walk to it.

Bow-Wow ran off to the house, and in some way or other, as dogs often will, made one of the men come to the place where Mew-Mew lay.

He took Mew-Mew in his arms, to her long-lost home.

But some little boy or girl will say, "Tell us more.

Tell me,—did Mew-Mew die?

Did the lady take Bow-Wow and Mew-Mew into the house again?

What did she do for them, if she took them in?

Did puss ever get her white coat again?

And if they both got quite well again, were they good or bad afterward?"

I will tell you.

The lady was very glad to see her pets home once more.

They were in such a sad way that she did not whip them.

She gave Mew-Mew a cup of warm milk before the fire.

Bow-Wow had a great lump of meat with no bone.

Then each of them had a warm bath, and Mew-Mew was put to bed.

As to Mew-Mew's coat, she washed it so often, and took such care of it, that in a few weeks it grew long and was quite white again.

And I am glad to be able to add, that Bow-Wow and Mew-Mew were as good a little dog and cat ever after, as you and I could wish them to be.

Bow-Wow and Mew-Mew is one of the few books for beginners in reading that may be classed as literature. Written in words of mostly one syllable, it has a story to tell, which is related in so attractive a manner as to immediately win the favor of young children. It teaches English and English literature to the child in the natural way: through a love for the reading matter. It is the character of story that will, in the not distant future, replace the ordinary primer or reader with detached sentences, and which seldom possesses any relation to literature.

The ultimate objects of any story can only be effected through the love for a story. The prominent point in this story is development of good character, which may well be regarded as the highest purpose of education. The transformation from bad to good traits in the dog and cat cannot but have a desirable effect on every child that reads the story. Bow-Wow and Mew-Mew become dissatisfied with their home and their surroundings, and ungrateful toward their benefactress. As the story tells, "They did not find good in any thing." But after running away and suffering hunger, neglect, and bad treatment, their characters begin to change. They naturally come to reflect their mistress's goodness. They learn the value of companionship and friendship, and the appreciation of a home. However, the ethical thoughts in the story are presented without a moral. The child really lives the scenes described. He has the emotions of the characters and feels their convictions. And this determines the worth of a story as an agent in character development.

The narrative furnishes, further, the proper kind of exercise for the imagination. It affords abundant opportunity for the play of the dramatic instinct in the child, and effects a happy union of the "home world" and the "school world." The illustrations, drawn by Miss Hodge, have been planned and executed with considerable care.

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