Kitty's enemy

by Eleanora H. Stooke

"I say, don't cry like that, old girl!" he said kindly. "I'll go in and ask father to come out and look at it." And he rushed off into the house.

Meanwhile Kitty stooped over the box again, and took therefrom something white, which she cuddled in her arms and wept over in bitterest grief.

The onlooker at the window watched her in consternation, a choking sensation in his throat. Although he had not yet fully realized the cause of her trouble, he sympathized with her, for he owned a very warm heart, and the sight of the little girl's tears touched him immeasurably. What had he done to cause this grief?

He was soon to know, for in a very short while Bob returned, followed by his parents, and the two servants, who all congregated around Kitty, and presently Tim heard Mr. Glanville say, "No dog did it, so Snip is guiltless, at any rate, although of course he might have overturned the box, but I don't think he could have done that. It must have been instantaneous death for the poor thing. You can be sure it did not suffer at all, Kitty, and that thought is very comforting, so dry your eyes, there's a good girl. Doubtless, when the box was turned over the little creature was thrown against the side, and received a blow on the head. It takes but a small knock to kill a rabbit, especially a young one like this."

Tim knew what he had done at last, and he was both shocked and frightened. He was anything but a cruel boy, and he was exceedingly fond of all animals, and now that he realized that the white, fluffy object poor Kitty held so tenderly in her arms was a little baby rabbit, which he in his wicked, revengeful temper had killed, he felt like a murderer. His first impulse was to push back the lace curtain, and shout out to the group in the next garden that he was responsible for the rabbit's death; but a minute's reflection made him change his mind, and determine to keep his secret. In an agony of contrition, he watched Bob get a spade and dig a hole under the big apple tree which grew at the bottom of the garden, whilst one of the servants fetched a shoebox, into which Kitty placed the rabbit, and then followed the funeral. Afterwards Bob made a little mound over the grave, and planted a forget-me-not root upon it. And he told Kitty he would try to get her another rabbit very soon.

Mr. and Mrs. Glanville and the servants had returned to the house, but the sister and brother lingered in the garden. They were conversing in low tones, so Tim could not hear what they were saying; but his guilty conscience suggested to him that they might be discussing by what means the rabbit's hutch had been overturned, and perhaps arriving at the truth.

Suddenly Kitty looked up and saw the curtains in Mr. Shuttleworth's dining-room window move, and it flashed upon her that Tim was behind them.

"That boy next door—he is watching us again!" she whispered excitedly to her brother. "Oh, Bob, I wonder if he knows who killed my dear, dear little rabbit. You don't think he could have thrown over the hutch to spite us, do you?" she suggested with a condemning glance in Tim's direction.

Bob shook his head—he thought the idea most unlikely; and a few minutes later he and Kitty went indoors, little dreaming how uneasy Tim was feeling, for he had known they had guessed he was at the window, and Kitty's incriminating glances had not been lost upon him.

Poor Tim! He was utterly miserable for the remainder of the day, and so dispirited and dejected did he look that even Mr. Shuttleworth noticed it, and asked him if he was ill.