PETER, PATTY, AND MR PIP.

Otago Witness, Issue 4031, 16 June 1931, Page 70

PETER, PATTY, AND MR PIP.

KIDNAPPED I (Special fob the Otago Witness.)

“ Now, my darlings,” purred Mother Puss, “it is a lovely day, so I will take you for a nice ride in the gardens.” “ Thank you, mother,” piped the kitties. “ That will be beautiful.” So Mother Puss and her babies set out. But the Kitties were rather drowsy, and very soon they were fast asleep. . . ’ ‘ “ Bless me, how quickly the children have gone off,” mused Mother Puss. “ Come to think of it, I could do with a nap myself.” Pulling the shade over the sleeping babies, she jumped up on to a sunny wall and nodded sleepily. Now Peter, Patty, Mr Pip, and Kitty happened to be walking in the gardens, too. “ Look,” said Patty, “at that lovely white pussy. Let’s go over and speak to her.”

•Softly Peter aiid Patty approached the carriage, wjth a side glance at Mother Puss, who by this time was fast asleep. “What’s in the pram?” asked Peter. “No need to ask,” grinned Mr Pip, as two smiling black pussy faces peered over the top. “Aren’t they darlings,” whispered Patty, looking again at the sleeping mother cat. “Let’s run away with them.” “ Let’s,” said Peter. “ Let’s,” echoed Mr Pip and Kitty. “ Where are we going?” inquired the two little kittens. “ To the Land of Fun,” Mr Pip told them.

“ Here we are,” said Patty at last. “ Now you may get out of the pram, babies.” Out jumped the kittens. “What shall we do now?” they asked. “Can you skip?” Kitty inquired. “Rather!” the black kittens assured her. Like lightning they jumped over and over the rope, and Patty and Kitty grew tired before they did! But Mr Pip was thinking. “I wonder what their poor mother will do when she wakes up and finds them And then he crept towards the empty perambulator.

Going very softly, not to disturb the skippers, Mr Pip pushed the perambulator up the hill, for he really meant to do a good turn to Mother Puss and tell her'where her babies were. Meantime the little black kittens were running races, each breathlessly trying to beat the other, while Peter and Patty looked on and encouraged them. When Mr Pip' arrived at the sunny wall on which Mother Puss was asleep, he tapped her gently on the shoulder and cried: “Wake up! Wake up! Your children have gone!” “ Gone! ” screamed Mother Puss, sitting bolt upright. “ Gone where? ” “Where?” eehoed Mr Pip, a mischievous idea suddenly rushing into his head, “Why—they’re kidnapped! They were stolen half an hour ago.”

Then naughty Mr Pip showed Mother-Puss the empty perambulator, pointing sorrowfully to the pillows on which two. little black heads had recently rested. At first he had intended merely to fetch Mother Puss to her children; but now the Spirit of Mischief had entered his head “You mean to say my children have been kidnapped—stolen—torn away from me?” yelled Mother Puss, almost beside herself by now. “I do,” said Mr Pip solemnly. And then he repented. “But I know where they are,” he said kindly. “Don’t worry any more. I’ll take you to them. Little Pip’s a VERY good dog.” Mother Puss climbed into the carriage, and soon they were careering wildly down the hill. But not quickly enough for Mother Puss. “Hurry! Hurry!” she kept shouting. “Oh, why are you so slow?”

At last they reached the place where the baby kittens were enjoying the best time of their little lives. “Bother!” exclaimed one, looking up suddenly. “Here’s mother, and now we’ll have to stop.” “ Come to me at once,” hissed Mother Puss. “ Don’t you know you’ve been kidnapped-—stolen—cruelly torn away from your loving mother?” “ Oh, but we liked it,” the black babies assured her in chorus, “ and we don’t want to go home.” Mother Puss said no more. She just picked them up, one at a time, by the scruff of the neck, bundled them into the pram, and stalked away, with never so much as a “Thank you” to poor Mr Pip. “And that,” sighed Mr Pip, “is the gratitude of cats!” “Steady!” warned Kitty, with a fierce glint in her eye. “Sorry! ” growled Mr Pip, “seems as though I can do nothing right to-day.” And he stalked off too!