“I'm only a kitten,” I said again—“a this spring's kitten. Don't be so frightened. Have boys chased you?”
“The hull world chases me,” she said in a faint voice.
“Well, I won't chase you. Can't you come nearer?”
“Nop.”
“Are you hungry?” I asked, keeping my distance.
“Not very. I had a sparrow yesterday. It was dumpish, and fell out of a tree.”
“My little mistress has been watching you from her window,” I said. “She sent some food out to you to-day, but you ran away.”
“I was scared,” said the cat shiveringly. “I thought the woman wanted to put me in that basket.”
“Suppose she had. She would have carried you to a good home.”
“A man put me in a basket onct, and took me home. Then he tried to murder me, but I hopped out the window,” she said in a dreadful voice.