Tale # 29 --The Cat Who Wanted Boots

"When will school be out?" Bandit asked. He was getting bored.

"Relax, young whippersnapper," Oreo said. "Ben will get here when he gets here."

"What is that Oracle thing, anyway, and why does David McDougall want to take a course about it?" Bandit complained. "Doesn't he care about us?"

"It's something about computers," Oreo said. "It will help him with his work. He has to work so he can afford cat food for us."

"There's something wrong with the world," Bandit said. "We deserve more attention."

"At least David McDougall got Ben to cat-sit," Oreo said. "He does an excellent job of brushing me."

"I liked it better when Dancing Bear was here," Bandit said.

"Can you remember one of her stories?" Oreo asked. "That would help to pass the time."

Bandit thought. "Well, I remember one about a cat with boots."

"A cat with boots?" Oreo asked. "Why would a cat want boots? A cat with boots can't climb trees."

"I don't know," Bandit said. "Maybe his feet were cold."

"Tell me more," Oreo said.

"A miller had two sons," Bandit said. "When he died, he left his mill to the older son, and his cat to the younger one."

"What kind of mill?" Oreo asked.

"I guess it was a pulp and paper mill," Bandit said.

"Pulp and paper mills smell like rotten eggs," Oreo said. "The younger son was lucky to get the cat."

"This cat knew human speech," Bandit said. "He asked his master for a pair of boots. His master told him he had no cash. If he wanted boots, he'd have to come up with a plan for raising some money."

"So what did he do?" Oreo asked.

"He went downtown and snuck into offices and listened to people talking," Bandit said. "He found out which stocks were the best investment. On his way home, he danced in the street and sang some songs. When a crowd gathered, he passed his hat around."

"He had a hat?" Oreo asked.

"Of course he did," Bandit said. "Haven't you heard about the Cat in the Hat? He was in a movie."

"You mean to tell me that this was the same cat?" Oreo asked.

"Well, it could have been," Bandid answered.

"So, what happened next?" Oreo asked.

"The cat brought home a hatful of cash and took his master out for supper." Bandit said. "The next day, the man took out a bank loan and bought some stock."

"A bank loan?" Oreo said. "What did he use for collateral?"

"The cat, of course," Bandit said.

"And then?" Oreo asked.

"Well," Bandit said. "The stock went up and the man made enough money to get an apartment, some cat food, and a three-piece suit."

"What about the boots?" Oreo asked.

"Yes, yes -- he got the cat some nice red cowboy boots," Bandit said. "But when the cat tried to sneak into offices with his boots on, he made too much noise and everybody noticed him. So he only wore them when he went line-dancing. That's how Dancing Bear met him."

"Dancing Bear met the Cat in the Hat while they were line-dancing?" Oreo asked. "Are you sure?"

"Well, anything is possible, isn't it?" Bandit asked.