"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, nowthat 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 tomake 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.... Lookat me now, Mew-Mew."
"That is not the same look at all," said the cat. "Your eyes are asbright as mine now, Bow-Wow."
"No, no--not so bright as yours. No other eyes could be as bright asyours, Mew-Mew.
But I do feel a good deal better now, and I think, dear Mew-Mew, thatif 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 Iam 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 coldpork.
She had two or three bites at this, to make sure it was good, and thenwent 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 coldpork 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 thatin spite of all the fright which Bow-Wow and Mew-Mew had, the dog wasin no danger of dying at all.
He had to stay in bed for a whole week, and for ten days more was veryweak, 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 atthe 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, andlooked 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 havehim out of her sight.
They loved each other so much that if you had told them they were oncecross and unkind they would have said:
"Oh, no! that must have been some other dog and cat, it could not havebeen we."
But though they were now such good friends, they did not like the restof 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 tohave 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."
XVI
BOW-WOW AND MEW-MEW WILL GO AWAY
"Well, pigs are no good anywhere, I own," said Mew-Mew, "but do youknow, when I come to think of it, I am not sure but that chicks areworse."
"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 forsome 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, thatfor 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 isclear; 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-Wowdid.
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 agood wash."
"Cannot you live one night without giving your coat a wash?" saidBow-Wow, in a rage.
"I should think not. Would you have me to go out into the world withdust and dirt on my coat?
And before we set out, I should like to get a thing or two that we maywant to take with us.
Let us have a sound sleep to-night. We may hope then to start in goodtime."
"Well, well, as you please," said Bow-Wow, who now felt glad, too, thatthey 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.
XVIII
SAYING "GOOD-BY"
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 hebarked at them and said:
"I am sad for you, that you can never get out for a walk, but must beever 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 notwish to talk to you. Our home is a very nice one; we do not want tomake any change."
He gave a bark at the chicks, not so much to harm them as to bid themgood-by.
He went to the pond to get a drink and to say as his last words to theducks:
"Why do you not be wise and stay on the land? You can come to no harmhere, 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 atall know what is good for us."
XIX
BOW-WOW AND MEW-MEW SET OFF
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 leaveit 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 hadhoped.
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 saythey will be after us in half an hour."
"Oh! as fast as you please," said Mew-Mew; but she wished all the timethat she was back on her rug before the fire.
So they set off at full speed.
XX
RUNNING AWAY
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 usin 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 themen to find us."
Bow-Wow and Mew-Mew ran fast, so fast that the cat was soon out ofbreath.
Mew-Mew could run fast for a little way, but she was not used to longraces.
She had not gone half a mile before she began to feel quite ill.
XXI
IS IT GOOD FUN?
"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 notfine 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 lostmy breath."
"That is sad," said Bow-Wow. "I do not know how you will be able tomove 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 awild 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."
XXII
IN THE FIELDS
"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 goquite so fast now, will we?"
"As you please. If the men from the farm come after us, and take usback, 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 thelookout for them.
Some fields were much more easy to cross than others. The best of allwere 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 toknow 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 stopmany times to rest, it was hard work for Mew-Mew.
She was short of breath, as you know. But, worse than that, her pawshad 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?"
XXIII
PUSS FALLS LAME
Mew-Mew went on but a little way. She then could not even limp alongany more.
"Well, I did think you could run better than this," said Bow-Wow, notin 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 intowater 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 meanto 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 goto sleep, will you, Mew-Mew?"
"Oh dear, no," said the cat.
XXIV
IN THE CORN-FIELD
"I should like some food before I go to sleep," Bow-Wow said tohimself. "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 couldget rid of the pain in her paws, and make them look white, as they didbefore 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-Wowcalled,--
"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 havewashed--".
"Till I have washed my coat," she was going to say, but before she hadgot the last words out, she heard such a noise, all at once, in thetrees 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!"
XXV
THE FIRST MEAL
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, andnot 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-bitsfor herself.
But Bow-Wow might look and wait, and as soon as he made a jump, thebird was sure to fly away.
The sight of Mew-Mew's little feasts had of old been more than Bow-Wowwas 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 notime.
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 laydown again for a time.
"It is very warm," said Mew-Mew. "I wish I had a little milk."
XXVI
THE WORK OF EACH RUNAWAY
"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 wason 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 getbirds so well,--you know how they fly away from me,--I cannot do betterthan leave you to find our food each day."
"I am sure, if I can please you," said Mew-Mew, "I shall only be tooglad to do so."
"Very well," said Bow-Wow. "I will pick out our road and say whe
n weshall rest, and where we shall sleep; and you can come to me at anytime 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 outof the way of men and boys.
XXVII
THE BIG SHEEP-DOG
At last, at a time when they had not looked well ahead, they heard aloud bark, and saw a great sheep-dog racing after them, as if he wouldbreak 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 hermight.
Bow-Wow and Mew-Mew Page 2