“We must take people as we find them,” answered Mrs. Polly. “Now, Mrs. Barn-cat, when did you see the gray kitten last?”
“I left her yesterday afternoon to watch my kittens while I was out, and when I came back she was gone. That’s all I know about it.”
The little tiger-kittens had listened to every word that had been said, and had a very important air, as if they could tell something if they were asked. Mrs. Polly’s keen eyes noticed this, and she said to one of them,—
“Now, my dear, I want you to tell me just what happened while your mother was away yesterday afternoon. Don’t be afraid to speak out.”
The kitten evidently was not afraid to speak out, and began in a clear voice,—
“We had a fine play, and the gray kitten couldn’t catch us because we dodged so. We caught her every time.”
“What’s that to do with the subject, I should like to know?” asked the house-cat severely, for she remembered how her kitten had been snubbed; “and anybody could see with half an eye that my kitten is much smarter than that stupid-looking thing,” she added to herself.
“Please don’t confuse the witness,” said Mrs. Polly to the house-cat. “Very well, my dear,” she continued, turning to the little tiger-kitten; “what happened next?”
“We played till we got tired, and that’s all,” answered the little tiger-kitten.
“I thought so,” exclaimed the house-cat triumphantly.