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FAINT PRAISE.
 
 

FAINT PRAISE.

Our Tabby she is very wise,
And also very nice,
But I must say that I despise
Her way of eating mice:
For if I was a cat
I would n't do that!
She lies with head so low and meek
Between her paws of silk,
But then she has a thievish trick
Of lapping at the milk;
And if I was a cat
I would n't do that!
'T is well enough to know your strength;
But she abuses power,
And worries at a mouse the length
Sometimes of half an hour.
Now if I was a cat
I would n't do that!
Her coat is modest, sober gray,
Set off with jetty spots,
But then she has a sloven way
Of rubbing on the pots;

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And if I was a cat
I would n't do that!
The fur is soft upon her breast
As froth upon the pail,
But then to match against the rest
She has an ugly tail;
And if I was a cat
I would n't have that!