The Doctor's Wife and the Catte
 
A Doctor's Wife of Richmond Towne went out upon a day
To hie her to a shoppinge malle to buy new lingerie;
And as her waggon topped a hill and glided toward the flatte
From hedge to hedge before its wheels there streaked a gay tom catte.
 
From hedge he made it handily:  to hedge did he not go,
For bumper bright on front of car dealt him a doughty blow.
"Ah mee," quod Doctor's Wife in pain, as she the brakes applied,
"I've dealt tom catte a sorry stroke; I pray he hath not died!"
 
He was not dead, though few could say he was in best of health:
An octet, at least, of his nine lives had slipped away in stealth.
She scooped him up most tenderly and called to people near,
"Doth this poor puss live hereabout?  I've struck him down, I fear."
 
Shrugging shoulders, curling lips, they answered with a frown,
"You're welcome to him, Doctor's Wife, for he is none of ourn."
She carried catte into her car, on cushion soft him sette,
And sped off straight to put his fate in hand of friendly Vette.
 
Yet scarce had she a mile traversed, unto the aide required,
Than with a sigh and roll of eye the kitty catte expired.
"Ah, weladay," sighed Doctor's Wife, "he's passed beyond recall:
"In such a case, 'tis no disgrace to shop at Willow Malle."
 
She gained the lot, she parked her car, then conscience 'gan to prod:
To see dead catte on Caddy's seat might strike some folk as odd.
She had, alas, no raggs or sheets at hand to serve the purpose
Of shielding from passing eyes the battered feline corpus.
 
A sturdy bagge from Thalhimer's chanced then to catch her eye,
Half crumpled nie the off hind wheel of waggon stopped nearby:
This bagge she snatched, the catte she popped within it, and began
The longish trek cross parking lot to carry out her plan:
 
Which was in Dempster Dumpster's maw her burden sad to place.
But as she wound up for the pitch, she found her face to face
With Cittee Coppe, who by a wall from view before was hid.
She stayed her hand for fear he'd ask her what on earth she did--

No doubt the local laws did frown upon those dumping loads
Of cattes emblazoned Thalhimer in Miller's bins, or Rhoad's.
She turned sharp upon her heel: the entrance then she sought
As if rememb'ring by the trash some thing she had forgot.
 
Soon safe with bagge inside of store, she felt quite at a loss
To know if catte it were she bore--or if an albatross.
"I'll ne'er back out, now that I'm here," she muttered as she pressed
With sack and puss through swarms of folk, both drab and overdressed.
 
In Lingerie gained she at last a haven from the tide,
Perched on stool by counter's side, the catte on stool beside:
In haste made she her purchases, her check she wrote with speed,
In haste she tripped to register, to have herself ID'ed.
 
Returning then unto the stool, the Doctor's Wife did stare,
For source of woe--the catte, the bagge--they were no longer there!
Raised she neither hue nor cry; she felt no trace of grief,
The wages of such sin, she thought, were proper pay for thief.
 
Lightly stepped she out the door, her giggle growing loud,
And lightly paced the parking lot, encount'ring there a crowd
Of gawking wights around the form of lady stretched supine
In faint profound, upon the ground, athwart a yellow line.
 
Vinyl boots of orange she wore, red dress and fuschia hat,
By her left hand lay shopping bagge, by her right, the catte.
The giggle of the Doctor's Wife grew blythe and full in sound
To waft her homeward from the bagge, the catte and thief on ground.
 
Ye Moral
All thieves who would their loot enjoy observe the 'look first' rule:
A Pigge in Poke or Catte in Bagge is Bait to catch a Foole.