The Cat

So little Dick Whittington had a warm, dry place to sleep near the kitchen cooking fire--right next to the big bricked bin where the firewood was kept--and part of his job was to keep plenty of the right sort of firewood handy for the cook. 

He also peeled vegetables and washed the dishes, pots and pans and cooking tools. 

He was even allowed to polish the silverware when the adults were certain he was no thief.

In fact, he slowly became a handy young person to have around. He might have learned to read a little bit and to calculate numbers so he could count the silver spoons.

And one lucky day, he found a cat--or more likely, a cat found him.

One tradition says  that Dick polished a gentleman's shoes for a coin and bought the cat, but I rather think that some stray alley-cat wandering by the warm kitchen, smelled the good food and decided that he would befriend the boy.

However it happened, Dick "owned" a cat as the story goes--and the cat was Dick's only possession.

I would like to name this cat--Morganstern maybe or Felix or Cato, but in the old story, the cat is always and only called "Dick Whittington's Cat--so that is what we will have to call him.

...

ATrue Story

You might ask, Dearest One of All, if this story is true.

Yes, this story is true.

Part of it is true like two apples plus two apples is four apples-- and part of it is true like the immense dragon that lives under the ground and sometimes moves his tremendous tail so that the earth quakes-- but it is all true. 

This story of Dick Whittington and His Cat was read to me long ago when I myself was a little boy-- before I could write or read-- and I liked it so well that now I am telling it to you in the same way it was told to me, but I will add a few details which I think will make it more interesting to someone like yourself in this new age of electronic communication. 

So, as our story goes,  poor little Dick Whittington found himself somehow in the great old City of London--without parents, friends or family  to care for him or love him, probably cold, hungry and wet--sitting on the pavement in front of one of the great old houses and probably crying.

Now it happened that in this same great house there lived a rich and powerful merchant-- a man whose name has also come down to us, a certain Mr Fitzwarren.

This Mr. Fitzwarren noticed the child on the curb and saw something in this sad little outcast so he sent one of his servants to invite the boy in for some warm food.

Observing the waif eat, Mr. Fitzwarren felt pity and also a certain strange admiration for him and so told his servant to offer the child food and a warm place to sleep in exchange for work in the kitchen.

This the servant did and so Dick experienced kindness and his first stroke of good luck in the great city.

...

London, Dick Whittington, and Cat

This story, Dearest One of All, is about a boy, a cat and a great city.

The city is London--the London of long ago. 

London long before computers were invented, before cars and buses--even before trains. 

At the time of this long-ago story, London taxis were carriages pulled by horses and the narrow streets of the city were crowded with huge wagons  drawn by huge draft horses, big carts pulled by big mules, little donkey wagons, and lots and lots of all kinds of people.

One of the people at the time of our story was a little orphan boy so small he could hardly be called a people. He had no mother or father or sister or brother--in fact he had nothing at all except a name and his name was a rather grand one: Dick Whittington. 

No one now knows how he got to own his  splendid name but it is a fact that from the very  beginning of this old story the boy was known as Richard, or Dick, Whittington.

The other character in our story is a cat.

This cat is quite famous-- in fact if you ever go to Highgate in the great City of London today, near the very old Bow church, you can see a statue of this remarkable cat.

We don't know the personal name of this cat. It is only known as "The Cat"-- so that is what we will call him--but you will know that THIS cat is the very famous cat in the good old story-- the story of Dick Whittington and His Cat. 

...

Crooked Intermission

Crooked

Once a crooked man

Walked a crooked mile, 

And found a crooked six-pence

Upon a crooked stile.

He bought a crooked cat

Which caught a crooked mouse.

And they all lived together 

In his little crooked house.

I seem to remember this crooked rhyme from my early crooked childhood. TW

...

Away

"WOLF!" Shouted a half dozen voices

"WOLF!!" Screamed a dozen more.

"Yipe!!!" Dog and Wolf barked at the same time--as yelling people scrambled and fled through doors and windows as fast as ever they could. 

Mothers grabbed their children, young lovers grabbed each other and for the rest-- it was every man for himself!

In less time than it takes to tell, the house was empty and Dog and Wolf were alone.

"Now you've done it." Dog said.

"I couldn't help myself." Wolf whimpered.

"Well, we're finished here." Dog said. "The men will be back soon with every kind of weapon.  We would certainly be fools to wait for them. Let's head for the hills NOW! ARE you coming, Wolf?"

"Are YOU coming, Dog?" Wolf asked.


"Yes! I have had it with these humans!" Dog said. "You have showed me what a good life is possible out in the woods and I am ready to join you! Lets get out of here while we can!"


And both animals scampered safely away as fast as they could run.


When the men returned with their weapons there was no trace of Wolf OR  Dog and the two fugitives never were seen by human eyes again.


Wolf and Dog? They lived free together in the endless forest for the rest of their long and happy lives.

And we wish the same freedom and happiness to you too, Dearest of All.

...

.

The Party

That night Dog and Wolf met at the party houses' back door and Wolf was smuggled in and under the main food table without being detected.
 
Soon guests began to arrive bringing choice food and drink. 

Then a guitar and a violin tuned up and the music started. The people started talking merrily, laughing, eating and drinking, singing and dancing.

It was a great party and Dog was feted in every way--patted and congratulated for his daring and noble deed--and given all kinds of good things to eat! And, of course, he was able to sneak lots of the best food to Wolf hiding under the table!

There were delicious baked things, roasted things, stewed  things and fried things--ahh, it was truly pig heaven for an always famished animal like Wolf!

So Dog was happy and Wolf was absolutely blissed out. 


"This is the best party ever!" said Wolf to Dog under the table, "and I am feeling so good, I am going to sing!"


"Oh, no!" said Dog! "Don't do it! Your voice is so distinctive  the people might panic if they thought a wolf was at the party!"


"I can't help it--I HAVE to SING!" Wolf said--and he lifted his nose, opened his mouth and gave a long, wolf howl!

...

Invitation

"Wolf! Wolf!" Dog called as he ran through the trees in the part of the forest where he knew Wolf was usually hunting in the early morning.

"Dog!" responded Wolf from nearby and they were soon together.

"What's up, Buddy?" Wolf asked.


"There is going to be a huge celebration party tonight at the house where the baby that I rescued lives." Dog said excitedly.

"They think I am some kind of wonder-worker for saving the baby and they have invited everyone to share their happiness and I want YOU to come!"

"ME? Well, it would be a good joke--but is it possible?"

"Yes! I will meet you just after dark at the back door of the same house where you snatched the baby.  That's where the party is. I will sneak you into the house and under the table where the food will be. There will be a big tablecloth covering the table and hanging down to the floor so you can hide right there and enjoy everything and I will secretly slip you lots of food since everybody will be petting me and giving me their best tidbits as a reward for my miraculous rescue."

"Ho, ho! I like it Dog! An inspired scam! We are fabulous rascals, truly!"


"Then you will be there, Wolf?"
 
"I wouldn't miss it for the world, Dog!"

...