“Ah,” said he at last, “I know what I can do. I can go and get father’s cane, and then I can poke her out.” So he went out into the entry and got the cane, and came back, and began to thrust it under, and behind the clock. The poor kitten was much more frightened to hear this thumping around her, and to feel the great stick punching her sides; so presently she darted out, ran across the room, and out through the door which James had left open.
James followed her, brandishing[*] his cane. When he got to the entry, he found that the kitten was half way up stairs. He immediately began to go up as fast as he could, but she could go faster. She leaped up from step to step, then ran along the passage way at the top until she reached the door leading to the garret, which James saw, to his chagrin, was open a very little.
Do you know what chagrin means? It means the feeling James had when he saw that the garret door was open. What sort of a feeling do you think that was?
The kitten squeezed through the opening of the garret door, and disappeared. James opened the door wide, and went up nearly to the top of the garret stairs, and looked into the garret. It was rather dark there, and the boards looked loose on the floor, and there were a great many boxes and barrels there, and James was afraid to go in. So he stood there and called “Kitty, kitty, kitty.” But the kitty knew him by this time too well to come.
Now James began to be sorry that he had not taken his father’s advice, and treated his kitten more gently and kindly. He was afraid she was lost, and that he could never get her again.
That night, at tea time, when his father had heard all about it, he reproved James for his harsh and cruel treatment of his kitten, and told him that he thought he deserved to lose her entirely.
“Do you think I shall lose her entirely?”
“No,” said his father, “not this time. I think I can get her out of the garret.”
“How?” said James.
“Why, by kindness and gentleness. I shall draw her out by doing exactly the opposite to what you did to drive her in. But I do not believe it will do any good. I do not think you will ever treat her kindly enough to make her trust you.”