custom to disguise himself in mealbag powder and walk about the country to see what he could see, and see it without being known.

“One cloudy morning soon before a storm—the time when our race are liveliest—Mouseroun called Phi, his wisdom cat, and the two set forth upon their travels. After proceeding quite a distance they came in sight of a small boy with a porridge pot, sitting under a tree, eating porridge. A white cat close to his feet begged for the porridge, and a big dog stood by and licked the boy’s face and begged for porridge, and put his nose in the boy’s bread-bag.‘Of what kind is the boy?’ asked Mouseroun of Phi.“‘Of the good kind,’ replied Phi.“‘How knowest thou that, oh Phi?’“‘Because the dog and cat come close and show no fear. They ask for food, sure of getting it.’“‘Tell me, oh learned Phi, why a boy has long claws only on his fore legs.’“‘Because his hind legs are for walking and standing,’ replied Phi; ‘and for walking and standing, short claws are better than long claws.’“‘Tell me further,’ inquired Mouseroun, ‘why a cat mews and a dog barks.’“‘For the same reason that a cow moos and a horse neighs, and a pig squeals, and a bird sings, and a frog croaks, and people speak,’ answered Phi. ‘Of course all these would mew if they could, but as they cannot mew they must do what they can do.’“‘And why, oh Phi, are some cats born white, and others black, and others gray, and others of divers colors?’“‘Because,’ answered Phi, ‘it takes all kinds of cats to make a world.’“Just at this moment a young black-and-white cat came up and began spitting at the dog, and clawing the cat, and biting the boy’s toes. When the dog growled, the cross cat ran out of sight.“‘Shall we go on and observe what that ill behaved creature will do next?’ asked Phi.‘By all means,’ answered Mouseroun, ‘but look where at yonder window a ribboned white cat sits stiff and straight, gazing at something afar. Let us hasten thither.’They hastened, and when they reached the window Mouseroun asked of the ribboned white cat: ‘Oh, ribboned white cat, sitting stiff and straight gazing at something afar, at what art thou gazing, and what is thy name?’‘I am gazing at flies,’ answered the ribboned white cat, ‘and I am called Cupep the Careful.’‘Mouseroun made a sign to Phi to ask of the ribboned white cat why he was called Cupep the Careful. Phi did so.‘Because I can be trusted,’ replied the ribboned white cat to Phi, ‘and trusted in any place, among china, glass, pictures, bottles, papers, no matter how high the shelf, how narrow, or how full. I step in and out so carefully that no harm is ever done. Nobody minds even if I step on the baby’s face. You see I am allowed here with papers and a bottle and feather, easy to 

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