“But it couldn’t, you know,” said Posy, with a perplexed expression.
“He could and he did,” continued Tom decidedly; “and one day he started out for a walk—”
“Why, Tom,” said Posy earnestly, “how could a hedgehog take a walk? A hedgehog is a kind of barrel, you know.”
“You mean hogshead,” said Tom; “what a little goosie you are, Posy! But no matter,” he continued, as Posy’s cheeks flushed at her mistake; “the hedgehog started out for a walk one morning, and before he’d gone very far he met an old fox who lived in a ledge of rocks near by. ‘Good-morning, sir,’ said Mr. Fox, ‘this is a fine morning to be out’—”
“Tom,” said Posy suddenly, “I do believe the barn-cat is going to bring her kittens out. Do look at her!”
The barn-cat sat in the doorway of the barn, and moved her tail gently backward and forward, occasionally uttering a low “meaw” in a very coaxing tone and looking behind her. Soon a little head appeared, and then another, and two tiger-kittens began to play with her tail. Then the barn-cat stepped down from the doorway into the yard, and went through the same performance again. The tiger-kittens came to the edge of the step and looked cautiously over. The barn-cat pretended not to see them, but kept her tail gently moving.
Then the tiger-kittens put first one paw over the edge of the step, and then another, and all at once they tumbled over into the yard. Then what a play they did have! They lay on their sides and kicked against their mother, and then they made believe frightened and galloped sideways up to her, with their backs arched and as fierce an expression as their mild little eyes were capable of producing.
“See the old cat make believe she doesn’t see ’em, and yet she watches them out of the corner of her eye all the time,” said Tom.
Then the barn-cat began to wash herself, and the kittens did the same; but they didn’t do it in a very thorough manner, for their little paws didn’t touch their faces half of the time.
Then the barn-cat took up one of her hind legs and washed it, and the kittens tried to do the same; but they were such little round balls they kept losing their balance, and tumbled over every time they lifted up their short hind legs.