<h2><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_113" id="Page_113">[113]</SPAN></span> <SPAN name="wedding2" id="wedding2"></SPAN>PUSS AND SEVERAL ACQUAINTANCES JOURNEY TO THE WEDDING</h2>
<div class="block22">
<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
<p class="cap nmb">Robin rose up early,</p>
<span class="i3 nmt">Before the break of day;<br/></span>
<span class="i0">He flew to Jenny Wren's house,<br/></span>
<span class="i2">To sing a roundelay.<br/></span></div>
<div class="stanza">
<span class="i0">He met the Cock and Hen,<br/></span>
<span class="i2">And bade the Cock declare,<br/></span>
<span class="i0">This should be his wedding-day,<br/></span>
<span class="i2">With Jenny Wren, the fair.<br/></span></div>
<div class="stanza">
<span class="i0">The Cock then blew his horn,<br/></span>
<span class="i2">To let the neighbors know<br/></span>
<span class="i0">This was Robin's wedding-day,<br/></span>
<span class="i2">And they might see the show.<br/></span></div>
</div></div>
<p>Puss, Jr., was also up bright and early. He carefully polished his
red-top boots and dusted his cap with the long feather in it. Then he
started out for the woods.</p>
<p>"Cock-a-doodle-do!" cried the rooster.</p>
<p>"How do you doodle-do, my noble Sir Chanticleer?" asked Puss, bowing. "I
am on my way to Cock Robin's wedding; he has given me an<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[114]</SPAN></span> invitation,"
he added, as the rooster stopped crowing to listen.</p>
<p>A little squirrel ran down from his tree and stood upright on his hind
legs as Puss came to the edge of the woods. "Follow me," said Puss.
"There is to be a fine wedding in your forest city this morning." So the
little squirrel ran after Puss.</p>
<p>Presently they came to a little pond. On a big log sat a very
friendly-looking old bullfrog. "Ker-chunk, ker-chunk!" he cried.</p>
<p>"Get off your log and come with us," said Puss, Jr. "There is to be a
grand wedding in the woods."</p>
<p>The bullfrog jumped off his log into the water with a great splash and
swam to the shore. Scrambling up the bank, he followed Puss and the
squirrel. The three had only gone a little ways when they came to a
chipmunk.</p>
<p>"Hello, Chip!" cried the little squirrel. "Don't you want to join us?"</p>
<p>"Where are you going?"</p>
<p>"To a wedding," said Puss, Jr.</p>
<p>"All right," said the chipmunk, and he ran up and joined Puss, Jr.'s,
little party. After going for some distance they came to a brook.</p>
<p>"How shall we get across?" asked Puss, Jr.</p>
<p>"I'm all right," said the bullfrog. "I'll swim." And with a beautiful
dive he landed in the middle<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[115]</SPAN></span> of the stream and swam away to the other
bank.</p>
<p>"I wish my boots were rubber," said Puss. "I might wade across and carry
you two on my back."</p>
<p>While they were wondering what to do, a muskrat swam up to the bank and
said: "Why don't you walk over Beaver Dam? It's only a little distance
from here."</p>
<p>"Will it be perfectly safe?" asked the little squirrel, timidly.</p>
<p>"Certainly, my dear friends," replied the muskrat. "You run along the
bank and I'll show you the way."</p>
<p>So Puss and his small comrades followed the little muskrat till they
reached Beaver Dam.</p>
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