George Haven Putnam

“ The old cook turned round as fast as she could, which wasn’t very fast, for she was rather a heavy woman and she had been quite taken by surprise, and she saw lying right across the door-way, fast asleep in the sun, old Mouser, the cat. ”

“ NE day, the cook went into the kitchen to make some gingerbread. She took some flour and water, and treacle and ginger, and mixed them all well together, and she put in some more water to make it thin, and then some more flour to make it thick, and a little salt and some spice, and then she rolled it out into a beautiful, smooth, dark-yellow dough.
Then she took the square tins and cut out some square cakes for the little boys, and with some round tins she cut out some round [2] cakes for the little girls, and then she said, “I’m going to make a little gingerbread man for little Bobby.” ”

“ But just as the dog jumped up, the little gingerbread man, who had been watching for the chance, quietly slipped between his legs, and climbed up on the top of the stone wall, so that Towser saw nothing but the cat running towards him down the walk, and behind the cat the cook, now quite out of breath.
[9]
He thought at once that the cat must [10] have stolen something, and that it was the cat the cook wanted him to stop. ”