The Robber Kitten

 kitten once to its mother said,
“I’ll never more be good;
But I’ll go and be a robber fierce,
And live in a dreary wood,

So off it went to the dreary wood,
And there it met a cock,
And blew its hat, with a pistol, off,
Which gave it an awful shock!

It climbed a tree to rob a nest
Of young and tender owls
But the branch broke off and the kitten fell,
With six tremendous howls!

Soon after that it met a cat;
“Now, give to me  your purse;
Or I’ll shoot you through, and stab you too,
And kill you, which is worse!

One day it met a Robber Dog,
And they sat down to drink;
The dog did joke, and laugh and sing
Which made the kitten wink,

At last they quarrelled; then they fought,
Beneath the greenwood tree;
Till puss was felled with an awful club,
Most terrible to see!

When puss got up, its eye was shut,
And swelled, and black, and blue;
Moreover, all its bones were sore,
So it began to mew!

Then up it rose, and scratched its nose,
And went home and said;
“Oh! Mother dear, behold me here,
I’ll never more be bad.”