Page:St. Nicholas (serial) (IA stnicholasserial321dodg).pdf/490



had been out skating, and the cold wind which swept down over the frozen lake made his toes and fingers tingle, so that when he got home he hurried to get warm. Kneeling down close in front of the coal fire, which flamed and crackled in the open fireplace, while his brother and sister looked over their Chrisimas portfolio of pictures, he gazed into the glowing coals in the grate. By and by he climbed up into an arm-chair. The heat made him sleepy. and he closed his eyes. He opened them in great astonishment a moment later, when he heard a shrill “Cock-a-doodie-doo!” which sounded very close to him. He knew there were no chickens in the room, because the chickens were all out on the farm in the country, and he was just beginning to think that he had been dreaming, when he heard the “Cock-a-doodle-doo” again. This time it seemed to come from in front of him, and he looked into the fireplace, though how a “cock-a-doodle-doo” could come from the midst of the fire he did not know, As his eyes fell on the fire he gave a jump in the chair and stared as hard as he could. There, in front of him, perched on a piece of coal, was a comical little rooster.

“Well,” said the rooster, “you are the slowest boy to get awake that I ever knew, and I have wakened all kinds of boys in my life. I am the Cock that Crew in the Morn.”

“Did the Priest all Shaven and Shorn wake up?” asked Walter, eagerly.

“Of course he did,” answered the rooster; “else how could he marry the Milkmaid to the Man all ‘Tattered and Torn?”

“Of course,” said Walter, “I might have thought of that.”

“We thought of it,” said another voice. “We were at the wedding.” And a big black-and-white cat crawled out from a hole in the coals and stood beside the rooster, “I am the Cat. that Caught the Rat,” said he. “Once upon a time I wore boots, and helped my master to  marry the Princess.”

“Bow - wow - wow!” barked a little dog, which came running from a corner.

The cat jumped nimbly to the top of a big piece of coal, where she put up her back at the dog and made a great hissing noise.

“Oho!” said Walter. “I guess you must be the Dog that Worried the Cat, are n’t you?”