Fairy Tales Author:Howard Pyle Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: THE HISTORY OF SIR R. WHITTINGTON AND HIS CAT DICHARD WHITTINGTON was supposed to - have been an outcast, for he did not know his parents, who either died, or... more » had left him to the parish of Taunton Dean, in Somersetshire. He there became displeased with the cruel usage of his nurse, ran away from her at seven years of age, and travelled about the country, living upon the charity of well-disposed persons, till he grew up to be a fine sturdy youth. At last, being threatened with a whipping if he continued in that idle course of life, he resolved to go to London, whose streets he heard were paved with gold. Not knowing the way, he followed the carrier; and at night, for the little services he did him in rubbing his horses, he got from him a supper. When he arrived in this famous city, the carrier, supposing he would become a troublesome hanger-on, told him plainly he must leave the inn, and immediately seek out some employment. He then gave him a groat, and with this poor Whitting- ton wandered about, not knowing any one. Being in a tattered garb, some pitied him as a forlorn wretch, but few gave him anything. What he had got being soon spent, his stomach craved supply; but nothaving anything to satisfy it, he resolved rather to starve than steal. After two hungry days, and lying on the bulkheads at night, weary and faint, he got to a merchant's house in Leadenhall Street, where he made many signs of his distressed condition. The ill-natured cook was ready to kick him from the door, saying, "If you tarry here, I will kick you in the kennel." This put him almost into despair, so he laid him down on the ground, being unable to go any further. In the meantime, Mr Fitzwarren, whose house it was, came from the Royal Exchange, and, seeing him there in that condition, demanded...« less