Little Miss Puss Cat was once walking out on the road. She was mewing so sadly and seemed so full of sorrow that it was very pitiful. As she went along, she met an old goat.
“What are you mewing so for?” asked the old goat, nodding his head as is the manner of goats.
Miss Puss Cat paid no attention to him but kept on with her mewing. This the good old goat thought was so distressing that he asked again, “What are you mewing so for, little Miss?” and again he nodded his head as is the manner of goats.
Still Miss Puss Cat made no answer but mewed and mewed even more sorrowfully than before. It seemed now to the good old goat that he could not stand this any longer, so very kindly he asked for the third time, “What are you mewing so for, you poor little Miss Puss Cat?” And again he nodded his head as is the manner of goats.
Then the cat became very angry and all out of patience with the stupid old goat because he wouldn’t let her mew about her sorrow in peace as she had wished to do. She began to hiss and screech at him, jumping about in a funny zigzag fashion.
“Isch, sptss, yeow!” This frightened the poor old goat so that he bleated with terror, “Maa-aa-aa-! Maaa-Maa-aa-aa!” While he was bleating, he began to run away, jumping about in a funny zigzag fashion as fast as he could, and getting over the ground at a great rate.
Now little Miss Puss Cat had never in her life seen anything so comical as this, and she had to laugh. “Hi hi hi! Isch! Hi hi hi!” Indeed, she laughed so heartily and so long that when at last she stopped laughing, she had altogether forgotten what it was she had been mewing so sorrowfully about!
But perhaps it is only cat-sorrow that can be forgotten because one meets an old goat that nods his head and dances zigzag and bleats, “Maa-aa-aa! Maa! Maa-aa-aa!”
