But Patter was not to be fooled this way. On he kept after the cat, and behind the two animals came four or five boys, led by Bunny. The little Brown chap was sorry his dog acted this way. He had never seen Patter chase cats before, but of course it was natural for a dog to do it.
“Patter! Patter!” cried Bunny again and again. But Patter did not heed his master’s voice, this time, at any rate. Nor did Sue have any better luck when calling Patter to her.
At the upper end of the room, toward which the cat was now headed with Patter after her, was a table of fancy cakes. It was almost as small and light a table as that on which the paper flowers had been piled. Behind it stood an elderly lady who had made most of the cakes herself, intending to sell them for the benefit of the church. This elderly lady saw the dog and the cat and the crowd of chasing boys coming toward her table of cakes, and she cried:
“Stop! Stop! Don’t come a bit closer! I won’t have my table upset! Stop!”
She might just as well “have talked to the wind,” said Bunker Blue, afterward. For the cat did not stop, nor did Patter, and of course on came Bunny Brown and his boy chums, hoping to catch Patter or the cat before more damage was done.
But it was too late. Under the table shot the cat. Patter again tried to follow, but he became tangled up in the table legs. Over went the table, cakes and all, the cakes scattering all over the floor. And as some of the cakes were round they rolled into far corners.
“Oh, my goodness! Oh, this is terrible!” exclaimed the elderly lady who had baked the cakes.
“Something must be done!” cried Mrs. Jones.
Out from under the upset table of cakes crawled Patter, to keep on after Whitefeet. Some of the ladies hurried to right the fallen table, and others began to pick up the scattered cakes.
“We could help do that,” said George to Harry. “Maybe if we picked up all the cakes they’d give us some to eat for nothing. There’s no use chasing that cat and dog any longer.”