“She’s as dear to us as if she was our child,” said Alice.
“Well, I never!” said Mrs. Jones, as she led the way to the telephone room.
Peggy called up their old number. It made her a little homesick as she did so.
“Is Mrs. Carter there?” she asked as a shrill voice said “Hullo.”
“It’s a boy’s voice,” said Peggy. “There’s one boy in the family. I’m glad of that.”
She heard the boy call “Mother,” and presently Mrs. Carter came to the telephone.
“Hullo,” said Mrs. Carter, in a warm voice that Peggy liked.
“I’m Peggy Owen. Mother said I might come over and telephone you about the cat. She’s lost—I mean the cat. We thought she might be at your house. She doesn’t seem to like ours. Have you seen anything of a gray pussy with dark gray stripes?”
“I really don’t know whether that one has been around or not. I’ll ask them in the kitchen. We’ve been feeding a lot of stray cats.”
“You didn’t say enough about the way she looks. She may get her mixed with the gray tramp cat,” said Alice, taking the telephone from Peggy.