Kitabı oku: «Baby Nightcaps», sayfa 5

JACK AND HIS FRIENDS

Once upon a time, there was a little boy, named Jack. He lived in a house with his papa and mamma, who were so fat that they had to be very good-natured, because you know, it don't answer at all for fat people to be cross, it makes them feel so very uncomfortable. So it does everybody else, for the matter of that! Who likes to see any one cross or angry, with a face flaming with rage, and talking in so sharp a voice that it sounds like a pack of fire-crackers, going off? Why, nobody. So, suppose you and I try which can keep the brightest and sweetest face all this next year. Will you? you dear little thing!

Well, Jack had a pretty little brown dog, named Carlo, and a nice little white cat, named Minnie; and Jack the boy, and Carlo the dog, and Minnie the cat, were the best friends, and had the greatest fun together, that ever a boy, and a cat, and a dog had, since the world began, and a little before.

When Jack had eaten his pudding, and Carlo had munched his bones, and Minnie had lapped her milk, they would all rush out in the garden together, as if they were distracted with joy; and then such a hurrying, and a scurrying, and a scampering, and a scattering, and a cutting round corners, and a hiding under bushes, and a jumping out of unexpected places, was never seen or heard of, I do believe. Wasn't it funny? Did you ever have such fun?

One day, Jack's father and mother had gone out to spend the day with Mr. and Mrs. Thingumbob, and the cook forgot to give the poor little boy his dinner.

Into the kitchen he rushed, and nearly tumbled head first into a tub full of soap-suds. If he had, I couldn't have finished this story, which would have been a pity. But he did not fall in; for he immediately shouted out – "Mary! Mary! Mary! I want a piece of bread and butter! I want my dinner!"

"But you can't have your dinner yet," said the cook; "I'm just making the dumpling; the baker has not come, and there isn't a speck of bread in the house."

"Well, give me a piece of cake then," said Jack.

"Haven't got any cake," said the cook.

"Well, candy then," said Jack.

"Haven't got any candy," said the cook.

"Well, sugar, or sweetmeats, or something; I'm just as hungry as a little bear," said Jack.

"Haven't got 'em, Master Jack," said the cook; "but I tell you what! here is a penny; go to the baker that lives on top of the hill, and buy a loaf of bread for yourself."

"Oh, yes! so I will!" shouted Jack, jumping over a chair and upsetting the knife-board, and all the knives which the cook had just been cleaning; and this provoked her so, that she caught up the broomstick, and ran after him, and fell over the wash-tub herself; so Jack got off safe. Aren't you glad?

Then he called Carlo, the dog, and said – "Look here, Carlo; do you want to go to the baker's with me to buy a loaf of bread?"

"Bow, wow, wow," said Carlo; which meant, "Of course I do. Hurrah!"

Then he called Minnie, the cat, and said – "Look here, Minnie, do you want to go to the baker's with us to buy a loaf of bread?"

Minnie opened her eyes, stiffened her tail, and made her back as round as a hoop, and said, miau! miau! miau! which was cat-talk for "Of course I do. Hurrah!"

So they all started off together in a state of perfect delight. Presently, they came to where Bunny the rabbit lived.

"Bunny, Bunny," called Jack. Out popped little Bunny, flapping his long ears, and winking his red eyes, and gave a funny little squeak; which meant, "How-de-do, Jack, what do you want?"

"Bunny," said Jack, "do you want to go to the baker's with us to buy a loaf of bread?"

"Oh! of course I do," squeaked Bunny. So Jack the boy, and Carlo the dog, and Minnie the cat, and Bunny the rabbit, made quite a party.

Pretty soon they came to Jenny Wren's house, high up in a tree. "Jenny, Jenny," called Jack.

Out she popped from her nest, where she was sitting on top of her children, and jumped on a branch, and wagged her little head, and fluttered her little wings, and cocked up her little tail in the air, to show how glad she was to see her friend Jack.

"Jenny," said Jack, "do you want to go to the baker's with us to buy a loaf of bread?"

"Chip, chip, chip," said Jenny; which was bird-talk for "Oh! of course I do."

"Well, come along, then," said Jack. Down flew Jenny, and hopped along with the rest. So Jack the boy, and Carlo the dog, and Minnie the cat, and Bunny the rabbit, and Jenny the wren, made a jolly little party, all going to the baker's together. I wish I had been there, don't you?

Pretty soon they came to where Ninny the goose lived. "Ninny, Ninny," called Jack; "do you want to go to the baker's with us to buy a loaf of bread?"

"Gabble, gabble, gabble," said Ninny; which was goose-talk for "Oh! of course I do;" and she flapped her wings, and stretched out her long neck, and made more of a goose of herself than ever, and was so glad at getting the invitation, that she created quite a hullabaloo with her gabbling; but for all that, Jack the boy, and Carlo the dog, and Minnie the cat, and Bunny the rabbit, and Jenny the wren, and Ninny the goose, all talking together, made a most enchanting party. They were all nice people; no owls, or tigers, or cross old cooks with broomsticks, or grisly bears. No, indeed! They were all perfect darlings; and were quite ready to travel to the very top of the North Pole, if there was any fun to be found there.

But the baker lived considerably this side of the North Pole, on the very top of a steep hill; and up they all ran, and hopped, and leaped, and jumped, till they got to the house.

But when they arrived there, they found the front door locked.

So Jack began to knock, and Carlo began to bark, and Minnie began to mew, and Bunny began to squeak, and Jenny began to chip, and Ninny began to gabble; but for all the knocking, and barking, and mewing, and squeaking, and chipping, and gabbling, nobody came to the door; and poor little Jack began to think he would never get his loaf of bread after all.

All of a sudden, Jack thought of the back door. Off they hopped, and ran, and leaped, and jumped, to the back of the house.

The hill went down on this side perfectly straight, like the side of a house, and there was scarcely room for them to stand.

Dear me! that door was locked too. So they each began again to knock, and bark, and mew, and squeak, and chirp, and gabble, as hard as ever they could; all crowding round the door in a bunch.

Just as they were making all the noise they could, suddenly – open flew the door! and out jumped a tremendous DOG!!! right into the middle of them, growling, and barking, and making his great white teeth snap together like a pistol shot!!

Frightened to death, Jack tumbled backwards over Carlo; Carlo tumbled backwards over Minnie; Minnie tumbled backwards over Bunny; Bunny tumbled backwards over Jenny; Jenny tumbled backwards over Ninny; and they all tumbled head over heels down the steep hill, with the tremendous DOG on top of the heap; and that's the last I ever heard of them.

"Oh! aren't you sorry?"