And noo  me.

    tern ters to. And it s in all ts of all t once; and spring stopped dead in its tracks and migime, not come at all; and tle and t ed for he loss of love.

    And rudge drearily off to dirty ss and a mean supper of bread and ceal  at least ts a y appetite no of mortals; for t time since t fateful morning, sleeps sound. But sleep comes o Puss tonigakes a midnigroll across tably discusses a c cod abby friend found among turns to otters.

    quot;Rats!quot; s;And take your boots off, you uncout fles;

    tle, I ask  s;ratsquot; of o me. er must pose as a rat-catc marmalade rat-trap. s t ravage miladys bedco fetc, and s leisure for, if t, it is a rat and sill t rat is off t. Oabby one, sack is sulate y ionate cuffs round t, ubiquitous Puss, here and everywhere, whos your Figaro?

    Master applauds t ploy; but, as to ts to arrive in t place? he queries.

    quot;Notty soubrette res sed about t particularly, t of to be done tomorroaloon rides out to fetcs. By good fortune, do-catc abide eit or a cat, it falls to milady to escort t-catcrepid er, myself, to te of tation.

    quot;Once youre in  knoo do, t ;

    quot;Keep your foul ts to yourself, Puss.quot;

    Some t from humour.

    Sure enoug at five in t morning, I observe atoes to rake in S; and in ter, I  acall ourselves under a certain stered  pile of traps s us, top t determined look of a sworn enemy of vermin.

    eve not ed more teen minutes -- and just as -plagued Bergamots approac easily dissuaded from employing us -- y scream. t, flings uitous to find , at tly, ical gutters of rils as, s ttus domesticus dead in he Missus room.

    So Signor Furioso and ing Puss are uso tuary of ttishhoooo!!!

    S and pleasant in a morning go tattoo of my boot  recovers instantly and tate to sniffle more t;Aint I seen t cat before?quot;

    quot;Not a c; says my master. quot; yesterday ;

    So so make do .

    My tabs airs s; s somet killed but crippled; a big black beastie s ourkey carpet, Puss, pounce! Betate, I can tell you, ts a most praiseed presence of mind, being, I guess, a young woman of no small grasp so, per already.

    My master goes down on he bed.

    quot;My god!quot; ;t ing, I ever sas gat, ready to storm to arms!quot;

    But, for all error, to leave ter and me alone to deal s; ss ters, ters until milady assures  scenes of rising pandemonium:

    quot;I say  Signor Furioso doesnt make off rinkets. You go and recover yourself  come back until I call.quot;

    ts; quick as a flasurns tly laugy one.

    Dusting t-fluff from ands slo mar t, delirious encounter of t it. (Poor soul, remble!)

    Accustomed as I am to t offers no concealment of t soul made manifest in ttle moved by t reticence y sates to divest itself of its clutter of concealing rags in t, ttle, as if to say quot;range to meet you ; uncertain of a loving ill. And do I deceive myself, or do I see a tear a-t eps to? uned to t music of ts, indeed! Does s aged to kiss , t a pretty bluseps back; nos urn to take teps forhe saraband of Eros.

    I could le faster; te?

    rembling, upon ially more ant, sequentially more purposeful, upon range trance breaks; t sentimental o it ite. As if t into trip eac, , scores an instant bullseye. Bravo! Never can t old bed orm before. And t cterings, poor t;I never. . .quot; quot;My darling. . .quot; quot;More. . .quot; And etc. etc. Enougo melt t .

    me: quot;Mimic ts, Puss! Mask t clamour of Diana!quot;

    A-ing , I play catccabs dead rats, giving t vigour to droravagant screec break fort (e young er.)

    At t, ttering at ts going on? ? And ttles on its hinges.

    quot;Peace!quot; cries Signer Furioso. quot; I just no ;

    But miladys in no o don akes ime about it; so full of pleasure gratified er prettily ts tacip of raongue and sticks it back on s o t modest and irreproache world.

    quot;See! Puss ered all ts.quot;

    I ruso greet tantly, ;; s quite blinded yet, by p from all tions on account of iful) ws.

    quot;Puss y battle  beast you ever sa you see tains on ts? And no;

    quot;A s,quot; says I, quick as a flaser, left to ake nothing.

    quot;ts tire ; wails avarices well-chosen accomplice.

    quot;And s  of ; I see turdy backbone in ttle lady. quot;Go, pay te savings t I kno youve skimmed off t;

    Muttering and moaning but not except to do as sake off a laundry basket full of dead rats as souvenir -- , plop! in t se doo one dinner ly paid for, for a wonder.

    But te aside, laugime and time and time again, goes to to stare at tters be scrubs tabs rests from ions. s, for a  ook to ing poetry.

    quot;I must and will ; he exclaims.

    I see my plan o notisfaction  satisfied  soul tiable . I fall to toilette of my s, my favourite stance ing the world.

    quot; ;

    You did so for ty-seven years, sir, and never missed .

    quot;Im burning ;

    the expense of fires.

    quot;I seal o live ;

    quot; do you propse to live on, sir?quot;

    quot;Kisses,quot; ractedly. quot;Embraces.quot;

    quot;ell, you  gro on t, sir; to feed.quot;

    quot;Im sick and tired of your foul-mout;  my  is moved, for now oric of love and wo o  I? Scheme, loyal Puss, scheme!

    My ep out across to visit t cly into my orammelled  s and ty ion to see me; and, o neell me! Ne and personal nature, t turns my mind to ts of ture, and, yes, domestic plans of most familial nature. Srotter, a rotter to ! Masticating, I muse.

    quot;Recapitulate,quot; I suggest, quot;tions of Sir Pantaloon w ;

    t ts. Up at ts off yesterdays crusts and a cup of cold er, to spare ting it up. Doo ing-ing out il a boered gruel at midday. ternoon es to usury, bankrupting, radesman, t. Dinners luxurious, at four; soup,  of rancid beef or a toug  --  cakes unsold stock off urn for a s mout a pie t . From four-ty until five-ty, ters and lets , o I knoes t set tion!)

    And led to one little extravagance. Anot of Adams ale ucks besides Missus and, since ss to finger tle. ates ; a good bargain!quot; Alack, can do no more, not e ural essence. And so drifts off to sinless slumber amid ts of tomorrows gold.

    quot;;

    quot;Croesus.quot;

    quot;Enougo keep t;

    quot;Sumptuous.quot;

    Early in to to place  upon t volatile fur of a sabby cat --

    quot;You read my ts, my love.quot;

    I say to my master: quot;No yourself a doctors goa all complete or Im done ;

    quot;s t;

    quot;Do as I say and never mind tter.quot;

    So s on a black goe collar and ion, makes  announces, y, tore: Aced, bones set, graduate of Bologna, praordinary. o knoo give o her bedroom?

    quot;Ill clasp  of too sriple somersault of love.quot;

    quot;You just mind your o me mind it for you after my own fas;

    Anoty morning!  is, and dreary; but tands, grave as a sermon in  people come ers and ter Id foretfully stoato to sell for   umbled on a profitable profession for future pursuit, if my present plans miscarry?)

    Until dale yet  trikes six. At t stroke, t famous door flies open once again and -- eeeeeeeeeeeeecs rip.

    quot;Oor, oor, come quick as you can; our good mans taken a sorry tumble!quot;

    And  to float a smack, s see tors apprentice is most colourfully and completely furred and whiskered.

    t out at t of tair,  an acute angle t migurn cill, grinned in  o ed on voyage. And Missus, in ty air of concern.

    quot;A fall --quot; sor but stops s ably do ers stock-in-trade and ;You, again,quot; s forbear to giggle. But too blubbered to hear.

    My master puts o t and sakes t and puts it to t a breat. Oh, sad! Oh, sorrowful!

    quot;Dead, is ; sobs t;Broke ;

    And stle grab for te of rated distress; but Missus slaps her hand and she gives over.

    quot;Lets get o a softer bed,quot; says Master.

    aloft to taloon docaps a kneecap, feels a pulse.

    quot;Dead as a doornail,quot; ;Its not a doctor you , its an undertaker.quot;

    Missus ifully and correctly to her eyes.

    quot;You just run along and get one,quot; so ;And t tten you, t. O;

    So off goes ed Cmases spring so fast. As soon as t alone, no trifling, time; t it, ongs, do since t, in and out urn at top.

    toujours discret, Puss occupies ening tters and to tiful beginning of morning in  air ive nostrils catc and vernal  of spring. In a fes, my dear friend joins me. I notice already -- or is it only my fond imagination? -- a cliness in , o so elastic, so spring- upon tectors of t, a fat and cosy cus, sing to ttle at last amid tary joys of a domesticity wo, she and I, have so richly earned.

    ture rouse me from t revery.

    turellement, tender if outrageous moment to return aker in opper, plus a brace of mutes black as beetles, glum as bailiffs, bearing to take t t ted spectacle before terlude amidst roars of approbation and torrents of applause.

    But  til ter cuity. (Mean sensible young  to catcug it from  the keys secure, shes in charge of all.)

    quot;No; so ;If I  a  to go along ; -- flouris;I am a ric; -- indicating to all my bare yet blissful master -- quot;is t;

    eleone  er from, s a squeak more, pocketed a fat sum ook ;murderquot; neiter comes into a great fortune and Missus rounding out already and they as happy as pigs in plunk.

    But my tabs beat o it, since cats dont take mucime about engendering; ted ginger kittens, all complete fronts, tumble in tangle Missuss knitting and put a smile on every face, not just tabs and I smile all day long and, t our s in it.

    So may all your ty; and all your  ts as wily, perspicacious and resourceful as:

    PUSS-IN-BOOtS.