CHAPTER XII.
The sparrow flew at once to acquaint Mrs. Polly and the canary with the result of his expedition. They were both greatly relieved to see him safely back, and rejoiced at his success. Then after a short rest and a worm or two for lunch, he flew merrily off to find little Nancy, carrying the piece of red ribbon safely in his claw.
It was some time before he succeeded in finding her, with her box of matches on her arm, going about from house to house.
He lighted on a fence beside her, and flaunted the red ribbon with the gold figures on it in a very enticing manner.
“Why, Billy,” exclaimed the child, “how did you get here? What a beautiful ribbon! I wish you would give it to me! It would make a lovely dress for that little china doll that hasn’t got any legs and arms, that a little girl gave me one day.”
Billy waited until the child was almost up to him, and then flew away, holding the red ribbon securely in his claw.
“I know you want to put it in your nest, Billy,” continued the child; “but any rag would do just as well for you, and I never saw such a beautiful piece of ribbon in all my life.”
But Billy flew on and lighted again on a stone in front of little Nancy.
The child tore off a piece of her dress, that was in such an untidy condition that the little piece of calico would not be missed, and approached the sparrow cautiously, saying,—
“I will give you this piece off my dress, Billy, to put in your nest, if you will give me that beautiful ribbon. This will do better for you, because it’s bigger. Now, do give it to me, and I’ll give you and your little mate ever so many crumbs from the next piece of bread I get.”
The sparrow again waited till the child had almost reached him, and then flew away as before.
“Oh, dear me!” she exclaimed sadly; “I did want it so much!” and she turned to go back with a weary air.
Then the sparrow came towards her and dropped the ribbon on the ground. The child ran to pick it up; but just as she stooped to seize it, the sparrow caught it up in his beak and flew off with it.
“I shall follow him,” said the child to herself, “till I get that ribbon. I know he’ll drop it again, for he’s a very careless fellow.”
So the two went on, the sparrow occasionally dropping the ribbon and then seizing it again as the child was about to put her hand on it.
Meanwhile Posy and Tom were out in the yard, or rather seated on the step of the kitchen door, watching the barn-kittens playing. The gray kitten played too, but more gently than the tiger-kittens.
“I’m going to bring out the house-kittens,” said Posy; “they ought to have a good time too.”
The house-cat was lying in the box beside her kittens when Posy came for them.
“I’m going to let your kitties play with the barn-kitties,” said Posy in explanation to the house-cat, who looked rather startled at such a sudden interruption; “they ought to be out in the fresh air instead of sleeping in this hot kitchen. You needn’t meaw so, for I shan’t hurt them.”
What the house-cat said was this,—
“I don’t want my kittens playing with those rough barn-kittens; it will spoil their manners.” But Posy didn’t understand her; and it wouldn’t have made any difference if she had, for she was very fond of the barn-cat and approved highly of the way she brought up her family. So Posy carried out the kittens, followed closely by the house-cat.
Posy put the kittens on the ground beside the little tiger-kittens, and then went back to her seat on the door-step beside Tom to watch them play.
The little tiger-kittens stood still a minute and watched the new-comers curiously. Then they flew at each other, and clawed each other, and rolled over together. The barn-cat looked on, very proud of her children’s strength; but the house-cat had a very scornful expression on her countenance, as she scowled at the little tiger-kittens.
“Come back at once!” she called to her little Maltese kittens. “I don’t wish you to associate with those common barn-kittens.”
“Oh, do let us stay; it’s such fun!” they answered piteously.
“Let ’em have a little frolic; it’ll do ’em good,” said the barn-cat. “They’ll get sick lying in that hot kitchen.”
“I’m very particular about their manners,” said the house-cat; “I don’t want them to learn common ways.”
“My kittens won’t teach ’em anything to hurt their manners,” answered the barn-cat; “let ’em stay and have a good time. Come, my dears,” she said to the little Maltese kittens in a motherly tone, “you play just as much as you want to.”
The house-cat looked anxiously around. None of her stylish acquaintances were in sight, and it did seem a pity to cheat her darlings out of a romp in this fresh air; so she didn’t say they shouldn’t stay, and the kittens interpreted her silence as a consent. So they grew very cheerful, and watched the tiger-kittens chase each other and claw and roll over, till at last they became bold, and one of them went up to one of the tiger-kittens and gave him a gentle tap with his paw, exactly as Posy often did to Tom when she called out “Tag!”
Then the tiger-kitten turned and chased him, and how the little Maltese kitten did run! He dodged almost as well as the tiger-kittens did, and the tiger-kitten had to try with all his might till he caught the Maltese kitten, and then they both rolled over together and kicked and clawed, just as if the Maltese kitten had played “tag” every day of his life.
“Very well indeed, my dear!” said the barn-cat, with an approving nod; “try it once more, and you needn’t be afraid to put out your claws a little farther. My kittens don’t mind a few scratches, I can tell you; and look here, my dear, when you run up to them, crouch a little, this way, and wriggle your body before you spring, and don’t be afraid of hurting them when you knock them over. Try it again, my dear; you’ll do it better next time.”
The little Maltese kitten did try it again, and succeeded so well that the house-cat, although she tried not to look interested, couldn’t resist a smile of pride. Then the other Maltese kitten tried it, and did it so well that the barn-cat praised her for it.
“Now, my dears,” said the barn-cat, “I’m going to teach you how to catch mice.”
She looked around and picked out a little green apple that would roll easily.
“Now play that was a mouse sitting still; show me how you would catch it. You begin first,” she said to one of her kittens, “because you’ve already had a lesson in it.”
So the tiger-kitten crept cautiously towards the apple, swishing her little tail the way her mother had taught her; and when she came within the proper distance she stopped and wriggled her body from side to side, and then gave a great spring and seized the apple with her little front paws; but the tiger-kitten was so excited from playing “tag,” that she forgot she was playing “mouse,” and batted the apple with her little paws and set it rolling, and then chased it and caught it, and lay on her back and clawed it with all her four paws.
“I’m ashamed of you,” said the barn-cat severely; “now put it down and do it over again properly; and mind, no fooling this time!”
So the little tiger-kitten did it over again, and really did it very well; and then the Maltese kittens tried it, and the barn-cat was very much pleased with them. “Now,” said the barn-cat, “we’ll make believe ’tis a mouse running. See how well you can do that!” and she gave the apple a push with her paw, and all the four kittens set off at once after it, and rolled over one another and clawed and kicked just as they had done when they played “tag.”
The barn-cat couldn’t help smiling to herself, but she took care that the kittens didn’t see her smile, and then she made each one do it alone, and gave them very good advice about hiding behind corners and then suddenly springing out.
The children had been watching this play with the greatest interest, and often laughed aloud, when all at once Posy exclaimed,—
“Why, there is a little girl without any shoes and stockings on, and her’s got a basket on her arm. What do you suppose her wants, Tom?”
The little barefooted girl was Nancy, whom the sparrow had succeeded in enticing by means of the red ribbon with gold figures on it. She had stood watching the kittens play for some minutes before Posy saw her.
“She’s got something to sell, I guess,” said Tom.
Just then Hannah came to the door, and the children told her about the little girl.
“Go away!” said Hannah; “we don’t want to buy anything.”
The child came a step nearer and said timidly,—
“Will you please to buy some matches, ma’am?”
“No,” said Hannah shortly; “we don’t want any pedlers ’round here.”
The child sighed and turned away.
“Hannah,” said Posy, with her cheeks very red, “that’s a poor little girl, and Mamma always buys things of poor little girls.”
“Your mamma’s got plenty of matches,” said Hannah in the same cross tone. “She wants a chance to steal something; that’s what she wants.”
“You’re a very unkind girl, Hannah,” said Posy angrily. “I know Mamma will buy some matches; won’t her, Tom?”
“Yes,” said Tom decidedly. “She tells us to be good to poor people; and this little girl hasn’t got any shoes and stockings, and her feet look awful sore.”
“Mamma!” screamed Posy, running under the window of Mamma’s room.
“What is it, dear?” asked Mamma, coming to the window.
“There’s a awful poor little girl here, Mamma,” said Posy eagerly; “and her hasn’t got any shoes and stockings, and her has matches to sell. Do buy some, Mamma; her looks so tired, and sad;” and Posy was very near crying.
“Tell her to wait a minute,” said Mamma, “and I’ll come down.”
So Posy and Tom ran after the little girl and brought her back just as Mamma appeared at the kitchen door.
“Come in, little girl,” said Mamma kindly, “and sit down. You look tired.”
The child did indeed look tired, and seated herself wearily; but the instant she touched the chair her head fell forward on her breast, and she would have fallen to the floor if Hannah had not caught her in time.
“Bring her into the dining-room where it is cool,” said Mrs. Winton, “and lay her on the sofa.”
So Hannah, whose heart was a good deal kinder than her tongue, picked up the forlorn child and gently placed her on the sofa in the cool dining-room.
“So Posy and Tom ran after the little girl and brought
her back.”—Page [164.]