Dot and Tot of Merryland

by L. Frank Baum

  CHAPTER 15 The Valley of Pussycats

  Tot wasn't a bit frightened when a gentle looking pussy of uncertainage came up to him and said:

  "I am Cousin Tabby, and as you are to be my guest please follow me tonumber 16."

  The boy laughed at the idea of entering a cat's house, but he walkedafter the softly-moving pussy, who, when she reached number 16,sprang upon the shelf and said:

  "Climb in, please."

  This was hard work, for the shelf was nearly as high as his chin. ButTot had already learned to climb the trees at home, so he managed insome way to pull himself up, with the result that he lost his balanceand fell head foremost inside the house.

  To his surprise he alighted on a soft cushion, and then he scrambledquickly to his feet and looked around him.

  The room was dimly lighted by the square doorway, but after his eyesgot accustomed to the twilight he saw that upon the floor was a softcarpet, while big cushions lay around in every direction. At the sideof the room was a long, low table, not higher than Tot's knee, andstanding in a row upon this table were four white bowls. There was acupboard in one corner, a big fireplace at the end of the room, andin a second corner two little gray kittens lay asleep upon a cushion.

  While the boy looked at these things there sprang through the doorwayanother gray kitten, older and larger than the others, and Mrs. Tabbysaid, politely:

  "This is my niece, Miss Flitter, who lives with me; and these twolittle ones, who were too young to go and welcome the Queen, belongto Mrs. Mewling. She has such a large family that I have adoptedthese children, for my house is much too large for myself andFlitter."

  "Oh," returned Tot, who was rather bewildered. Then, as Cousin Tabbyseemed to expect some further reply, he added: "all right."

  "Now, if you will please make yourself comfortable," continued thepussy, in a soft, purring voice, "I will get our dinner ready."

  She took a white apron from the peg near the fireplace and tied itaround her waist. Then she placed another bowl on the table for Tot,and busied herself about the work while the boy lay on the softcarpet and stroked the silk-like fur of the two gray kittens.

  While Tot was being thus entertained, Dot was led by Uncle Palladiusto number 9, where he lived. Uncle Palladius was a great black pussy,and was one of those who wore spectacles, giving him a comicalappearance.

  Dot had harder work than Tot to climb through the square doorway ofthe house, but she succeeded after a struggle and was pleased withthe cozy appearance of the room.

  Uncle Palladius was the head of a large family, and as strangers wererare in their Valley they all gathered around the girl and looked ather curiously, while one pure white kitten came softly up and rubbedits back against Dot's leg. She stooped down, and picking up thepretty kitten snuggled it close in her arms and gently caressed it.Then she sat down upon a cushion, while the other kittens gatheredaround her or stretched themselves lazily upon the carpet near by.

  All this delighted the girl, for she was especially fond ofpussycats, although her invalid mother did not like them and hadalways declared she "would not have a cat in the house."

  So the child had often longed in vain for a pet of this kind, and wasnow very happy to be able to play with so many.

  She leaned down and pressed her cheek against the white kitten, whileshe whispered: "You sweet little darling!"

  "I've got a new ribbon," said the kitten, proudly.

  "So I see," replied Dot, who had noticed this. Then she asked:

  "How old are you, dear?"

  "It's pink," said the white kitty.

  "What is pink?" enquired the child.

  "My ribbon."

  "Oh, yes. But tell me," she added "is Uncle Palladius your father, oryour grandfather?"

  "It's got a bow-knot on it," purred the kitten softly, with halfclosed eyes.

  "What has a bow-knot on it?" asked Dot.

  "My ribbon."

  "Yes, dear; but we'll talk of something else," said the girl. "Areall these other kitties your sisters and brothers?"

  "Mamma gave it to me," sang the white kitten, contentedly.

  "Gave you what, dear?"

  "My ribbon."

  "Don't mind her," said another of the pussys, in a rathercontemptuous voice; "it's her first ribbon, and she's so vain she canthink of nothing else. Put her down and take one of us; we can talkto you in a sensible way."

  "Well, let us talk, then," said the child, but she still held thevain kitten cuddled in her arms--it was so soft and pretty, shethought. "Tell me about Uncle Palladius."

  "He is our grandfather," said one that had white fur with big blackspots scattered over it, and which, moreover, presented a curiousappearance, because one eye was surrounded by a black spot and theother by pure white fur.

  "Uncle Palladius is very old and wise, and is uncle to half thepussys in our Valley. Our mother, who is named Snowball, lives withhim, as he has at present no family of his own."

  "Here is mother, now!" cried another kitten, and Dot looked up andsaw a pussy entering the room that was by far the most beautiful shehad ever seen. Snowball was large and very graceful, and her fur wasthe purest white, without a black mark anywhere. She sat down nearDot and asked: "Have my children been bothering you?"

  "Oh, no!" declared Dot; "they are the loveliest pussys in the world."

  Snowball smiled in a gratified way.

  "I think, myself," she said, "that no house has a prettier or lazierlot of kittens than number 9. We can outsleep any other family I knowof, and when it comes to our midnight concerts Uncle Palladius' voiceis so strong it can be heard above all the rest."

  "What are these midnight concerts like?" asked the girl.

  "Oh, they are wonderfully entertaining," answered Snowball, "and Iwish you could hear one of them. Perhaps you have noticed therailings around the roofs of our houses. Well, in the middle of thenight we all sit upon these railings and have a grand concert. Thereare no people to throw stones or bootjacks at us, so we enjoyourselves immensely. The house that can produce the loudest chorus,with the most varied sound, is considered the most aristocratic inthe Valley, and I am proud to say that Uncle Palladius and I have thereputation of fully holding our own."

  "Yes, yes!" spoke up Uncle Palladius, in a deep, bass voice; "Iflatter myself I can be heard throughout the whole Valley."

  "But the kittens cannot jump to the roofs of the houses, can they?"asked Dot.

  "No, indeed," replied Snowball; "only those who are old enough andstrong enough to jump to the roofs are considered worthy to take partin the concerts. But the little ones have the pleasure of lyinginside before the fire and listening to us."

  "Do you have fires?" enquired the child.

  "Yes; we consider nothing more cozy and comfortable than lying beforea glowing grate fire. When the evenings are chilly there is a fire inevery house, and we pussys lie before it upon our cushions and enjoyits warmth. Usually we sleep all day long, and most of the night,except during the concert, which lasts from midnight until dawn."

  "You must enjoy yourselves very much," said Dot, earnestly.

  "Oh, we do, indeed!" replied the white pussycat; "but I see thatdinner is now ready, so please come to the table."

  The girl walked toward the low table with some curiosity to know howthese pussys ate, and what they had for food. She found a row ofwhite bowls sitting upon a white cloth, and each bowl was filled withfresh milk. At the ends of the table were plates of light bread withdeep brown crusts.

  The kittens all brought cushions to the sides of the table and satupon them, their heads being then just high enough to reach thebowls. Dot was placed at one end of the table, with Snowball at herright hand, and Uncle Palladius sat at the other end.

  "Where do you get such nice milk?" asked the girl.

  "We have several springs in the Valley," answered Snowball, "where itbubbles up constantly."

  "And where do you get the bread?" Dot next enquired.

  "That grows upon the tall t
rees you see scattered about. We climb thebread-trees every day and gather fresh loaves."

  "Don't you catch mice?" asked Dot.

  "Mercy, no!" replied Snowball, in a horrified voice. "Do you supposemice would be foolish enough to come into a Valley of Pussycats?"

  "No, I suppose not," replied the girl; "but I always thought pussysliked mice."

  "I have never seen the horrid animals," returned the white cat; "butthere is a tradition in the Valley that some of our forefathers foundmice here at one time and quickly destroyed them. They may have eatenthem, for all I know; no one can be certain what his forefathers did.But none of us now living here has ever eaten anything but bread andmilk, of that I am positive."

  "It's such nice bread and milk," said Dot, "that I should think youwould prefer it to anything else."

  "We do, for there's nothing else to prefer," was the answer.

  After dinner the kittens washed their faces carefully and then all ofthem, accompanied by Dot, left the room and walked to King Felis'house where they found Tot and the Queen surrounded by a crowd ofpussys.

  "Oh, Dot!" cried Tot, when he saw the girl. "I held the gray kittensafter dinner, an' never dropped 'em once!"

  "Was he good?" Dot asked Cousin Tabby. "Yes, he behaved very nicely,"answered Cousin Tabby. "We must now bid our friends farewell," saidthe Queen, "for it is time to proceed upon our journey."

  So they returned to the boat, and all the pussys, headed by KingFelis and Uncle Palladius, went with them and politely bade themgood-bye.

  When they were floating in the river again the Queen asked Dot, "Howdid you like the pussycats?"

  "They're lovely!" exclaimed the girl. "I should have liked to stayall night with them."

  "Well, I wouldn't," rejoined the Queen. "The last time I passed thenight in this Valley the pussys screamed so loudly at their midnightconcert that the noise cracked my wax. They are much nicer to visitin the daytime."

  "Why is the King named Felis?" enquired Dot, after a moment'sthought.

  "Because that is the name of his race. All our names have somemeaning in Merryland," answered the Queen.

  "I suppose your own name has a meaning, if only we knew what it was,"said Dot, slyly.

  "Good gracious!" cried the Queen; "haven't I told you my name yet?"

  "No," said Dot.

  "Then I must have forgotten that you asked it. It was very stupid ofme, and I assure you I didn't mean to be rude." Then her Majestyturned to Tot and asked:

  "How did you like the Valley of Pussys?"

  "Fine!" said the boy. "The kitties were soft an' fuzzy, an' the breadand milk was good. But the doors," he added, solemnly, "are built toohigh up to be 'zactly comf'table."