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Stories and ballads for young folks cover

Stories and ballads for young folks

Chapter 43: PUSS IN A QUANDARY.
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About This Book

A mixed collection of short narratives and lyrical pieces aimed at young readers, blending domestic vignettes, playful adventures, and brief moral sketches. Many items focus on childhood scenes—games, family interactions, small acts of kindness and perseverance—while others drift into fairy-tale or fanciful territory with giants, princesses, and imaginative escapades. Interspersed ballads and poems celebrate nature, simple joys, and consolation, shifting tone between humor, tenderness, and gentle instruction. The pieces are concise and varied, alternating story and verse to amuse, soothe, and offer mild ethical reflections appropriate for a youthful audience.

PUSS IN A QUANDARY.

The table is spread, my daughter dear,
Let us just climb up—there’s no one near—
And help ourselves to the best that’s here.
Wouldn’t you like a piece of trout?
Ow! but the bones should have been picked out.
Here’s a savory dish of meat.
Ah, this omelet is a treat!
Don’t be dainty—a feast so gay
Isn’t granted us every day.
(Enter the master—“Out of that!
Scamper! off with you! s-s-s-scat!”)
Oh, the wearisome life of a cat!
Mew, mew, meou, ow!
I think it’s curious, anyhow.
Where people can come and go so free,
Why, and I wonder, shouldn’t we?
What’s the reason these two-legged fry
Are any better than you and I?