Once, in the old days of romance, a fine handsome cat went to a barber's shop to have his whiskers trimmed. The barber noticed that puss had a long tail, so he said to him: "If you were to have your tail cut and made shorter, you would look far more beautiful than you do now."

"Very well, you may cut a piece off," replied the cat.

The barber did so, and pussy departed well pleased at having been beautified at the expense of losing part of his tail; but half way on his journey home he stopped short, and said to himself: "Why should the barber keep my tail? I will go back at once and ask him for it."

The cat returned to the shop and said to the barber: "Give me back my tail or I'll take one of your razors."