Miss Howells has told the story of Posy Pinkham’s cat that dreamed. This
is a story of two other cats Posy had.
The cats were sisters. Their names were Fluff and White-face. Fluff was a
gentle milk cat. White-face was a fierce mouser. White-face would often
bite and claw her sister, but Fluff never bit and clawed back.
Once, however, Fluff bit and clawed first, and there was a fight, and
Fluff—but that’s the story.
Papa Pinkham had caught a gray mouse in the wire cage-trap. It was so
cunning Posy begged to keep it, and Papa Pinkham left it in the cage-trap
and went off to business. Posy fed the mouse with five kernels of corn,
and then went to dress her doll Lilybell for breakfast.
[Illustration: FLUFF ALSO ADMIRES THE MOUSE.]
Fluff had been looking on. Now she went close up to the cage and sat
down.
Just then White-face came creeping, creeping up, in the way of
mouse-hunting cats.
“Hush,” she whispered to Floss; “there’s a mouse; see me catch it!”
[Illustration: THE FIGHT.]
“No,” whispered Floss, “it’s such a cunning mouse, so soft and smooth,
such bright little eyes, such a long slim tail—no, don’t.”
“I shall, I say!”
“No, you mustn’t—besides, it is Posy’s mouse.”
“I don’t care, I want it!”
[Illustration: UP THE TREE.]
Just then the mouse moved so its tail came through the wires. White-face
sprang, but Floss sprang quicker, not at the tail, but at her fierce
sister.
White-face was very angry; she bit and clawed terribly; she scratched
Floss across the face—but Floss fought on.
At last White-face got away, and ran out the door and up a tree. Floss
chased her and nipped the tip of her tail as she climbed. Then she ran
back to the house, and told Posy all about it.
[Illustration: WEARING THE RIBBON.]
Posy hugged the kind little cat, and tied a beautiful ribbon about her
neck, and told her she was brave as a lion, and kind as—as—a little girl!
But White-face got no ribbon, and no praise—and she was so scared she
staid up in the tree all day.
_C. P. Stuart._