Labakan soon got plenty of customers . He used to cut out the clothes , make the first stitch with the magic needle , and then leave it to do the rest . Before long the whole town went to him , for his work was both so good and so cheap . The only puzzle was how he could do so much , working all alone , and also why he worked with closed doors . And so the promise on the ivory box of ` Wealth and Happiness ' came true for him , and when he heard of all the brave doings of Prince Omar , who was the pride and darling of his people and the terror of his enemies , the ex-prince thought to himself , ` After all , I am better off as a tailor , for `` Honour and Glory '' are apt to be very dangerous things . ' The Colony Of Cats Long , long ago , as far back as the time when animals spoke , there lived a community of cats in a deserted house they had taken possession of not far from a large town . They had everything they could possibly desire for their comfort , they were well fed and well lodged , and if by any chance an unlucky mouse was stupid enough to venture in their way , they caught it , not to eat it , but for the pure pleasure of catching it . The old people of the town related how they had heard their parents speak of a time when the whole country was so overrun with rats and mice that there was not so much as a grain of corn nor an ear of maize to be gathered in the fields ; and it might be out of gratitude to the cats who had rid the country of these plagues that their descendants were allowed to live in peace . No one knows where they got the money to pay for everything , nor who paid it , for all this happened so very long ago . But one thing is certain , they were rich enough to keep a servant ; for though they lived very happily together , and did not scratch nor fight more than human beings would have done , they were not clever enough to do the housework themselves , and preferred at all events to have some one to cook their meat , which they would have scorned to eat raw . Not only were they very difficult to please about the housework , but most women quickly tired of living alone with only cats for companions , consequently they never kept a servant long ; and it had become a saying in the town , when anyone found herself reduced to her last penny : ' I will go and live with the cats , ' and so many a poor woman actually did . Now Lizina was not happy at home , for her mother , who was a widow , was much fonder of her elder daughter ; so that often the younger one fared very badly , and had not enough to eat , while the elder could have everything she desired , and if Lizina dared to complain she was certain to have a good beating . At last the day came when she was at the end of her courage and patience , and exclaimed to her mother and sister : ` As you hate me so much you will be glad to be rid of me , so I am going to live with the cats ! ' ` Be off with you ! ' cried her mother , seizing an old broom-handle from behind the door . Poor Lizina did not wait to be told twice , but ran off at once and never stopped till she reached the door of the cats ' house . Their cook had left them that very morning , with her face all scratched , the result of such a quarrel with the head of the house that he had very nearly scratched out her eyes . Lizina therefore was warmly welcomed , and she set to work at once to prepare the dinner , not without many misgivings as to the tastes of the cats , and whether she would be able to satisfy them . Going to and fro about her work , she found herself frequently hindered by a constant succession of cats who appeared one after another in the kitchen to inspect the new servant ; she had one in front of her feet , another perched on the back of her chair while she peeled the vegetables , a third sat on the table beside her , and five or six others prowled about among the pots and pans on the shelves against the wall . The air resounded with their purring , which meant that they were pleased with their new maid , but Lizina had not yet learned to understand their language , and often she did not know what they wanted her to do .
However , XXXXX she was a good , kindhearted girl , she set to work to pick up the little kittens which tumbled about on the floor , she patched up quarrels , and nursed on her lap a big tabby -- the oldest of the community -- which had a lame paw .
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