Posy takes a peanut from Mrs. Polly’s cage.—Page [239.]
CHAPTER XX.
“Come to the barn, the three of yees, till ye see the big rat the barn-cat is after catching,” said Michael to the children the next morning; and off they started, in such a hurry that poor little Posy tripped over a stone and scraped the skin off her chubby little hands.
“Be a brave girl and don’t cry,” said Tom encouragingly, looking at Posy’s face, that was distorted from the effort she made to keep from crying.
“No,” said Posy, swallowing very hard and winking back the tears; “I don’t cry at trifles, do I, Tom? Some girls would cry, wouldn’t they, Tom? The tears might come into my eyes just a little bit, you know, but I wouldn’t cry;” and two great tears rolled down Posy’s cheeks as she spoke.
Nancy and Tom wiped the little hands very tenderly, and Tom’s praise of her fortitude made the smarting much easier to bear; and in a few minutes the three children were on their way to the barn again.
On the barn-floor lay a large rat, gray around the nose from age, and nearly as large as the barn-cat herself, who sat near by.
“He’s an old fellow,” said Michael; “ye can see that by the gray beard of him.”
“Look at his long yellow teeth,” said Tom, stooping to examine the rat more closely, “and one of them is broken off. I guess ’twas done in a fight, don’t you, Michael?”