THE OREGON DAILY JOURNAL, PORTLAND, SATURDAY EVUWUSG, FEBRUARY 22, 1903
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TT7ID2N Did Wlu'ttingtoa was yet very Ettia
" Jjr Jis father and mother died, leaving him
pecaQesifiCtof dayja he-wu going from doorfto
door teggjnf Jot food, ragged and ill-kept, be met a
nan drfria a wagon to London- Dick bad beard
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that the streets of London were paved with gold, tlx)
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1 be wu vr moch pleated wben tbejmaa egrted . to
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take him witfe ttlm.'But, poor boy, be was ttrf touch
disappointed 'when be aaw the streets OTerd with
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dirt, initea4 of gold, and found himself in a itrangt
fjace, without friend and money.
Diclj wil Tery eoM and hungry, at4 wished hi
was Uik In (tit coonVy igvln tn good, warm kitchen.
At tm ef thj houlci il wch U M4 ninty ake4 for
help, man mM ."Oo to wotk, ymj kit wgm.'1
thil I 0t" iW1tnittingtonlifc"with aU my
hsari If ymt will Cnl? ghra me something to do."
iTTCP? "
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THE man thought this a saucy answer, and gar
the lad aj blow with a stick. 4
Fainting for want of food, and unable to go fur,
ther, he threw himself down at the door of bouse
further on. ( The cook saw him and ordered'him to go
on, just as her master, sir. Fitzwarren," a' merchant,
came up the street "Go off to work, you beggar,1
be said.
"Ill be glad enough to work If anybody will em
ploy me,- said Dick. . IU then told Mr. Fittwarren
how he had not eated any food for three days,' and be,
ing only a poor country boy he knew nobody and
could not get any work to do. i He made an effort to
get up, but he was so weak that be fell back, exhausted
Mr. Fitzwsrren pitied the boy when he aaw how
weak he was, and . told the cook to take him in and
give him something to eat "Let him stsy and help
you in the kitchen." he said to the cook.
TT7HITTTN0T0N would hire been rery happy
now had be not been knocked about st every
turn by the- cross cook , Little sleep did he get, for
the garret where he slept was full of .rats and mice,
and kept Kim awake running orer him.
One day a gentleman who' was stopping with his
master gart VVluttington a penny, for brushing his
shoes. As luck would have it,' that day he met a
woman in the street carrying a black cat in her arms.
"She is a good mouser," the woman said and at rtrst
, scorned his offer to buy her for a penny She finally;
however, gave Wbittington the cat, and he took her
at once to his garret, for fear the cook would beat het
it she should see her in the kitchen.
tTbo rats and rnios left shortly after pussy's ad
vent, and thereafter Dick slept as soundly as a top.
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SOME lima later frnierchanV.who'fuidl Bx&y
-ready to sail for foreign partacalkd hi ict&
ants, as wu his 'custom. -in crdcrthateach ofithenj,
might send something to try their luck.,. AS camtf but
Wbittington, who could not think of anything to send,
Miss Alice, thcmerchant's dsaghter, who'alwsy
befriended Whittingtonj offered to. give him ' some
thing, but her father ssilj I "That will not do; it most
be something of his own,"
WTiereupon poor,' Wbittington said: "I havo
nothing in the world but my black cat"
"Fetch your cat boy," said the merchant, "and
send her."'
Wbittington brought puss and gave her ta tho
captain, with tears in his eyea,
Wbittington, after this, was so badly treated by
the cook that at last he made np his mind to run away.
Early one morning he packed up the few things he had
and slipped away.
HE walked as far as HaHoway. where, while
seated on a stone, be heard the church bells
of Bow. . As they rang out he thought they said to
bim:
"Turn again, WUttington,
Thrice Lord Mayor of London f
"Lord Mayor of London P said he to himself t
"what would I not endurt to be Lord Mayor of Lon
don. Wall. IU go back again and gladly bear the
besting from the cook, rather than miss the chance of
being Lord Mayor," and home be went 1
4 We must now follow Miss Puss lo the coast of
Africa. The ship on which she sailed was driven out
Of tht course by winds, and finally landed on the coast
of Barbary, a place inhabited by Moors, and unknown
then to the English people.
The captain and bis men were received with kind
meat, and the king invited the captain to dinner at his
palace. Scarcely had the dishes been placed on the
table when a great number of rats and mice ran from
all quarters upon the table and quickly ate up all the
food. The captain, of coarse, was very ,much sur
ristd.' '
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"O
KING ! why do you not get rid of these ver
min'?" he asked.
"I will give half my treasure to be free of them,"
the king replied
Then the captain remembered Whittington's cat
and said to the king: "I have a creature on board the
ship that will kill all these rats and mice in a short
time."
VBring the creature to me," he said,, "and I will
load your ship with gold and jewels in exchange for
her."
"I cannot part with the puss, but you may have
the kittens". the captain replied.
The king agreed and gave the captain a box of
jewels, which were worth a great fortune. They then
took leave of the king and his court and sailed for England
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kN arriving in London, the captain hastened to
Mr. Fitswarren with the good news.
Wben they told him the adventures of the cat and
showed him the box of jewels, which belonged to Whit,
tington, he cried out in greal earnestnessi "Go, send
bim in, and call him Mr. Wbittington by name."
Afr. Wbittington was at this time cleaning the
kitchen, and wished tfo excuse himself from going into
the counting house. 1 The merchant, however, insisted,
and ordered a chair for him.
Dick, thinking they Intendiedo make " sport : of
him, said "Do not mock a poor, simple fellow. Let
me go about my business."
The merchant took nim by the hand and said: "In
deed, Mr. Whittingtoni J am In earnestYour eat has
made for you much more . ranney than tt myself ram
worth. Msy you long enjoy it and be happy." -
WBITTINGTON begged bis master to iccjt tt
himself, but Mr. Fitzwamn refused tq touch
it. Mr. Fitzwamn offered him his. bouse to lire in
until he could get one for himself. -1
With his face washed and his hair curled, an J In '
fine clothes, Wbittington was a very gcnteej-looking : 4
young Yellow, and as wealth hejpi very much to give 4 .
man confidence, in a abort time he asked Miss 'Alice' to
be his wife. They had a fine wedding and lived very
happily. r t j -;' ) r,
WWttington was made Sheriff Of Loodonirsl and
later." Lord Mayor three time; V , ,
King Henry V, oviiif respect for his good charac .
ter, later knighted him: Sit IUchard Whittington.
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V Copyright 9Q8h J W. Lang.
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