The Project Gutenberg EBook of Bow-Wow and Mew-Mew, by Georgiana M. Craik This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org Title: Bow-Wow and Mew-Mew Author: Georgiana M. Craik Editor: Joseph C. Sindelar Release Date: February 15, 2014 [EBook #44914] Language: English Character set encoding: ASCII *** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BOW-WOW AND MEW-MEW *** Produced by David Edwards, Emmy and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive) cover Transcriber's Note: This cover has been created by the transcriber using images from the original text and is placed in the public domain. [2] Lady looking at the pets "The lady came into the room to find out why the dog had called out. Mew-Mew . . . crept out." Page 19. BOW-WOW AND MEW-MEW BY GEORGIANA M. CRAIK EDITED BY JOSEPH C. SINDELAR Author of Nixie Bunny in Manners-Land Nixie Bunny in Workaday-Land Nixie Bunny in Holiday-Land Nixie Bunny in Faraway-Lands Father Thrift and His Animal Friends Morning Exercises for All the Year Best Memory Gems BECKLEY-CARDY COMPANY CHICAGO COPYRIGHT, 1914, BY JOSEPH C. SINDELAR Made in U. S. A. [3] [4] [Transcriber's Note: Obvious punctuation errors have been repaired however the unusual use of quotation marks in continuing paragraphs was retained as printed.] Cat hanging over CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I Bow-Wow and Mew-Mew 7 II Bow-Wow and Mew-Mew Are Not Happy 9 III Mew-Mew Falls Asleep 11 IV The Chicks, the Pigs, the Ducks 13 V Bow-Wow Is Hurt 16 VI Bow-Wow in Bed 18 VII Mew-Mew by the Fire 20 VIII Bow-Wow in Great Pain 21 IX Mew-Mew a Nurse 24 X Bow-Wow Feels Very Ill 27 XI Will Bow-Wow Die? 29 XII Bow-Wow and Mew-Mew Become Friends 31 XIII Mew-Mew Seeks Some Food 34 XIV Bow-Wow Does Not Die 37 XV Bow-Wow and Mew-Mew Are Very Great Friends 39 XVI Bow-Wow and Mew-Mew Will Go Away 41 XVII Shall They Start So Soon? 44 XVIII Saying "Good-By" 46 XIX Bow-Wow and Mew-Mew Set Off 48 XX Running Away 51 XXI Is It Good Fun? 52 XXII In the Fields 55 XXIII Puss Falls Lame 57 XXIV In the Corn-Field 59 XXV The First Meal 62 XXVI The Work of Each Runaway 64 XXVII The Big Sheep-Dog 66 XXVIII Bow-Wow Is Badly Hurt 69 XXIX Puss Turns Nurse 71 XXX Cross Words 73 XXXI How the Runaways Fared 76 XXXII Kind Friends 78 XXXIII Bad Blows 80 XXXIV Thoughts of Home 83 XXXV Where Was Home? 85 XXXVI Puss Falls Ill 87 XXXVII The Old Farm-House 88 XXXVIII Home 90 XXXIX Tell Us More 92 About the Book 95 [5] [6] Bow-Wow Bow-Wow and Mew-Mew They meet in front of the fire I 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. II BOW-WOW AND MEW-MEW ARE NOT HAPPY 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. [7] [8] [9] [10] 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." III MEW-MEW FALLS ASLEEP 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. Mew-Mew chasing Bow-Wow 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. IV THE CHICKS, THE PIGS, THE DUCKS 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. [11] [12] [13] 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. Bow-Wow with the pigs 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. V BOW-WOW IS HURT 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. [14] [15] [16] [17] Bow-Wow and the rooster 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. VI BOW-WOW IN 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. VII MEW-MEW BY 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. [18] [19] [20] 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. VIII BOW-WOW IN GREAT PAIN 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 tucked in bed, Mew-Mew on rug in front of fire 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. [21] [22] [23] [24] IX MEW-MEW A NURSE "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. Mew-Mew taking the rug off 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. X BOW-WOW FEELS VERY ILL "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!" [25] [26] [27] 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. Bow-Wow lying back in his bed "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. XI WILL BOW-WOW DIE? "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." [28] [29] [30] [31] And she began to wash a speck off one of her white paws. XII BOW-WOW AND MEW-MEW BECOME FRIENDS 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!" Mew-Mew with paw over her face crying "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. XIII MEW-MEW SEEKS SOME FOOD 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. [32] [33] [34] [35] 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. Mew-Mew on cupboard in kitchen 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. XIV BOW-WOW DOES NOT DIE 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. [36] [37] [38] Bow-Wow chasing chickens 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. XV BOW-WOW AND MEW-MEW ARE VERY GREAT FRIENDS 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!" Bow-Wow and Mew-Mew talking in front of fire "But they did you no harm, did they?" "They would have done if they could." [39] [40] [41] XVI BOW-WOW AND MEW-MEW WILL GO AWAY "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. XVII SHALL THEY START SO SOON? "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. [42] [43] [44] [45]