Johnny’s sand box is in the back yard. It is a fine big box, with the
sides raised so that Johnny and the sand will not fall out. The sand
is fine and dry, and almost white; it came from the seashore, and
sometimes you find a little shell in it.
The things that belong in the sand box (beside Johnny himself!) are the
blue tin pail to hold sand, and the red tin pail to hold water, and
the shovel, and the rake, and the old kitchen spoon. The things that
do _not_ belong there (some of them) are the woolly dog (because the
sand gets all into his wool, and then shakes out on the nursery floor,
and Maggie says it is a Sight!), and Johnny’s shoes and stockings (he
likes to take them off and sift the hot, clean sand between his bare
toes), and the neighbors’ cats.
This story is about the cats. There are five of them. One is black, and
has a red leather collar with a little silver bell; it belongs to the
deaf old lady next door, and its name is Jetty. Another is yellow, and
belongs to the lame girl in the white house with green blinds; its name
is Topaz. The third cat is gray, with white front and paws. This is a
lady cat, and her name is Malta; she belongs to the lady whom Johnny
calls Mrs. Nose. Mamma does not allow him to say this, and he tries to
remember, but sometimes he forgets; one day he said right out, “Good
morning, Mrs. Nose!” and she only laughed, and said her nose was just
the right size, and she needed it all to smell catnip with. She is a
funny lady, and Johnny likes her, and Malta too.
The fourth cat belongs to Mr. Chops the butcher, and is a big tabby,
with green eyes and fierce whiskers. Johnny does not like him at all.
But the fifth cat is Muffet, his own dear white kitten.
Now all these cats were friends except Bobs, the butcher’s cat. He
lives on meat, and Mamma says perhaps that makes him cross. Anyhow, he
is cross, and he growls and snarls and spits at Muffet and Jetty and
Topaz and Malta, and tries to steal their fishbones, and upsets their
milk, and is really a very horrid cat.
[Illustration]
The story happened one night last week. Johnny was asleep, and Maggie
was tidying up the nursery before going to bed, when suddenly she heard
a queer noise. It came from the yard, and she stepped to the window
and looked out. It was bright moonlight; and what do you think? The
cats were having a party in the sand box! the four friendly cats, that
is, Muffet and Topaz and Malta and Jetty. Maggie thought Muffet must
have invited the others, for she was sitting in the middle of the box
with her front paws tucked under her, looking so pleased and happy;
and the three others had their paws tucked in too, and they were all
four talking in little soft mews, and seemed to be having a very good
time. Then all of a sudden there was a snarl and a yowl, and that
horrid great Bobs sprang over the fence and into the sand box, and
began clawing and spitting and scratching right and left, just as hard
as he could. At first the four friendly cats were too startled to do
anything; but in another minute _they_ began to spit and scratch and
claw, and there were all five of them rolling over and over, scattering
the sand on every side, and making such a noise that it woke Johnny
out of his sound sleep. At first he was frightened, but Maggie told
him what it was, and said wait and see what she would do. She pushed
up the fly screen very softly, and then she brought the great big jug
full of water, and leaning out,—splash! she emptied it full on the
fighting, struggling cats. _Oh!_ how they yelled! One jumped this way,
and one jumped that; and the next moment not one was left except poor
little Muffet, sitting in the middle of the box and crying pitifully.
“Oh, _poor_ Muffy!” said Johnny. “Poor Muffy _all_ wet!” So then good
Maggie ran down and brought Muffet up, and dried her with a towel, and
comforted her till she purred. Johnny wanted to take her into bed with
him, but Maggie said that never would do; so,—what _do_ you think? She
put her in the doll’s cradle with Susan Dolly, and covered her up, and
told her to go to sleep, and she did!