Eugene drew still farther back; and then the cats came fast enough,—young and old, gay and sober ones, purring contentedly and waving their tails, as they circled in and out about the sergeant, and jumped up to rub themselves against him.
“Those are sisters,” said the sergeant, indicating two young gray pussies who were walking about with tails held proudly aloft; “and that is the old mother, the queen of the gang,” he added, laughing at an austere Maltese cat who was cuffing the ears of a kitten; “she makes them stand round.”
Eugene addressed a complimentary remark to the Maltese cat, who stared at him suspiciously from eyes that looked like white currants in the strong light of the sun.
“You can’t deceive her,” said the sergeant, as the cat turned away from Eugene to join the band about their patron. “She knows you don’t like her. You can fool a human being quicker than you can an animal; and an animal won’t lie as often as a human being, though they will do it sometimes. You needn’t try to catch them, little one,” he went on, addressing a child who came suddenly racing down a path; “they won’t let any one but the park police lay a hand on them.”
Every cat had disappeared at the advent of the child, and with a disappointed face she went back the way she had come.
“Would you like to see the cats’ winter bedfellows?” said the sergeant, addressing Eugene.
“I should like it remarkably well,” said the boy; and he followed the sergeant to the duck-pond.
On arriving there the sergeant gave a third variety of whistle, and a host of glossy creatures rushed ashore, quacking and gabbling reproachfully at their friend, who stood merely looking at them without offering them food.
“They’re annoyed with me,” he said; and he laughed, as the ducks one and all struck the ground sharply with their beaks, and turning their backs on him filed into the pond.
“You greedy things,” he went on; “your thoughts don’t get much higher than good living, though you’re pretty kind to the cats in winter. Do you know ducks and cats all sleep together after it gets cold?”