“WE’RE going to play ‘circus’ in the barn this afternoon,” said Posy at
dinner, “and we’re going to have the kittens for the animals.”
“Nancy plays circus first-class,” said Tom; “she isn’t such a scare-cat
as most girls are.”
“Where did she learn anything about the circus?” asked Papa. “I don’t
believe she ever saw anything but the tents.”
“Yes,” answered Posy eagerly; “her says when the circus was here once
her skun the fence and peeked through a hole under the tent and her saw
the horses’ feet.”
“Poor child!” said Papa, “the next time the circus comes she shan’t
‘skin’ the fence, but shall go with you and see the whole performance.”
“Hannah,” said Posy after dinner, “have you seen anything of the
barn-cat’s collar? Her has lost it.”
“No,” answered Hannah, “I haven’t seen it, and what’s more I don’t
expect to. I guess it won’t be the last thing that you’ll find missing.
You’d better look after your things a little sharper, for I don’t trust
that Nancy too fur.”
“Nancy is a good little girl, Hannah. Her doesn’t steal. It’s very mean
to say such things,” said Posy angrily.
“Well, it won’t do no harm to keep your things locked up,” replied
Hannah.
Nancy came in from the barn, where she had been to feed the kittens.
“I can’t find the gray kitten anywhere,” she said, looking very much
distressed. “I’ve hunted and called, but she doesn’t answer.”
“Perhaps the rats have carried her off,” said Posy, with a troubled air.
“I guess she’s gone to hunt for mice,” suggested Tom, who appeared at
that moment. “She won’t run off. Let’s go and play ‘circus’ in the
barn-chamber. You bring the house-kittens, Posy, and I’ll get the
barn-kittens.”
“You needn’t mew so loud,” said Posy to the house-cat as she took up
the kittens. “I won’t hurt your babies, and I’ll bring ’em back all
safe. They are going to be teached to play circus.”
The house-cat was not at all afraid to trust her kittens with Posy.
What she said was: “I don’t like this way of snatching up my kittens
and carrying ’em off to play with those barn-kittens. I expect they’ll
get to be just as common as they are, if this isn’t put a stop to.”
The kittens themselves, however, had no such fears, and were delighted
at the prospect of a play with the lively barn-kittens; for it was not
very entertaining to lie in the box by the kitchen stove, and Hannah
always drove them back if they ventured out of it when the children
were not there. So when Posy dumped them on the barn-floor by the side
of the tiger-kittens, they began to play in earnest.
“Let’s have a tiger-hunt,” said Tom, after watching the kittens
at their play; “and the barn-kittens can be the tigers, and the
house-kittens can be our hunting-dogs.”
“Oh, splendid!” cried Posy, clapping her hands and jumping up and down.
“First, we’ll make a cave,” said Tom, “because tigers live in caves,
you know;” and he began to dig a cave in the side of the hay-mow.
Nancy entered into the work with great zest, and soon a fine cave was
finished and the tigers were placed in it.
“What fun it would be if they could understand what we said to them!”
said Nancy. “I used to think that Billy understood what I told him, he
always seemed so sorry when I told him how hungry and tired I was.”
“Mamma says that animals know more than we think they do,” said Tom.
It really did seem as if the tiger-kittens knew what was expected of
them; for they stayed quite still in the cave, crouching down in the
dark, and the little house-kittens sat down and looked up at Tom while
he explained the game, just as if they understood every word he said.
“Now,” said Tom, “we’ll be the hunters and we’ll go out hunting for
tigers, and the dogs will run about searching for game, and then we’ll
discover the cave and send ’em in to drive the tigers out.”
“I should think really and truly tigers would eat the dogs up,” said
Nancy, who had a very practical mind.
Tom looked somewhat crestfallen at this view of the question, but Posy
said,--
“We’ll _play_ these were good, kind tigers, and didn’t hurt anybody,
won’t we?”
So it was agreed that these tigers were exceptional tigers, and the
hunting-party started out in search of game.
“Dear me!” cried Posy suddenly, “I saw a great ugly rat run across
there.”
“It couldn’t have been a rat,” said Tom. “They don’t dare to come out
here; they’re afraid of the barn-cat.”
“It _was_ a rat,” persisted Posy; “I know it was. It had a great long
tail, and it had long yellow teeth, and one of them was broken off. I
do wish the barn-cat were here.”
“No matter,” said Nancy, who was eager to continue the tiger-hunt;
“he’s gone now, and I don’t believe he’ll come back.”
So the hunting-party started once more, and the dogs kept ahead, just
exactly as if they had understood what Tom said about the game; and
soon they came to the cave, and went up to it and looked in.
“Hush!” said Tom, “the dogs have scented game;” and the party stood
still.
“Go in and drive ’em out!” said Tom to the dogs; and in they went, and
soon out came the tigers followed by the dogs. The tigers ran a short
distance and then turned and faced the dogs, and the dogs pounced
on them, and they rolled over and over till the children laughed so
heartily they were obliged to sit down.
Soon one of the tigers jumped up and ran off, and one of the dogs
chased him into a corner, and then the tiger did something very
unexpected. All at once he stopped and put his head on one side as if
he were listening to something, and then he gave a little mew, and both
he and the hunting-dog began pulling the hay away with their claws.
“They hear a mouse, I do believe,” said Tom.
“They wouldn’t dig the hay away like that for a mouse,” said Nancy;
“they’d sit still and watch till it came out.”
“What can it be?” said the children, looking at each other in surprise,
for the other two kittens had joined them, and all four were evidently
in a state of great excitement.
“Let’s help ’em,” said Nancy; and she at once began pulling the hay
away in large handfuls. Soon she heard a faint “meaw!” from beneath the
hay, and she kept on digging till at last out walked the little gray
kitten!
“You dear thing!” cried Posy, catching her up in her arms and hugging
her. “How did you get in there? Her must have some milk right straight
off, Nancy.”
Tom and Nancy followed Posy into the kitchen; and the barn-cat, who had
just returned from a hunting expedition of her own, followed too, and
jumped on the window-sill of the kitchen that she might see what went
on without being driven away by the house-cat or Hannah.
The little gray kitten was soon drinking her saucer of milk
contentedly, while the children stood around as happy as she herself
was; but not one of them was more gratified than the barn-cat, who was
so fond of her little _protégé_.
“Why, where has my necklace gone,” said Posy suddenly, putting her hand
up to her neck,--“my pretty amber necklace that Uncle Tom gave me?”
“You must have dropped it in the barn while we were playing,” said
Nancy; “I’ll run back and look.”
After a few minutes Nancy came back, walking slowly and with a
disappointed expression on her face. “I’ve looked everywhere,” she
said, “but I can’t find it.”
“I didn’t suppose you would find it,” said Hannah dryly. “I guess
you’ve seen the last of your necklace, Posy; it’s gone to find the
cat’s collar, I guess. Come,” she continued, turning to Nancy, “you
just understand that this won’t do here.”
“I don’t know what you mean,” stammered poor Nancy, looking pale and
frightened.
“Yes, you do understand well enough,” said Hannah. “You just hand over
that necklace and that cat’s collar, or there’ll be trouble, I can tell
you.”
“I don’t know where they are,” said Nancy, trembling. “I haven’t
touched them. The necklace was on Posy’s neck when we were playing in
the barn.”
“Yes, I know that,” answered Hannah; “and you may as well own up first
as last. Come, hand it over;” and she laid her hand on Nancy’s shoulder
and gave her a shake.
“Indeed I don’t know where it is,” cried Nancy, bursting into tears;
“_do_ believe me!”
“She _didn’t_ steal it,” said Tom stoutly; “I know she didn’t! Here,
you just let her alone, old Hannah!”
“Hannah,” said Posy, stamping her little foot, “you’re a bad, bad
girl, and I don’t love you one bit!” and Posy too burst into tears of
excitement.
“We’ll see who is the bad one before long,” said Hannah calmly.
“You ought to be ashamed of yourself,” said Tom fiercely, and almost
ready to cry with Nancy and Posy.
“Why, what’s all this?” said Mamma, coming into the kitchen. “What has
happened?” and she looked in surprise from one to the other of the
excited group.
“Posy’s necklace has disappeared, and I said I thought Nancy took it,
and I say so now,” said Hannah decidedly.