The Story-Book of the Fields 



him eat his bone in peace. Puss, the great 

 red cat, does not agree with this. He 

 approaches, with fur on end and a tail the 

 size of your arm, with the object of frighten- 

 ing Rover and taking aw r ay his food. With- 

 out dropping the bone Rover growls and 

 raises one paw. It is enough, and the cat 

 runs away. But, you impudent pussy, what 

 business had you here ? The bone is not 

 for you, and your teeth are not strong enough 

 to bite it. Run away ; Martha is calling 

 you to give you some crumbs soaked in sauce, 

 which will suit you better than a bone as 

 hard as a stone. 



Other guests are arriving. The door is 

 open, and the fowis come in from the poultry 

 yard and pick up the crumbs that have 

 fallen from the table. Rover would not 

 touch these crumbs ; they are too small 

 for him. Neither would the cat care for 

 them, because they are too floury ; but 

 they are a feast for the fowls. 



And so the men, the dog, the cat and the 

 fowis all dine at once ; only each one must 

 put up with something that is not wanted by 

 the others. Rover is satisfied with the bone 

 thrown away by big Jim, and the cat with a 

 little crumbs and sauce, which would not be 



214 



