With that Blackie gave a sudden jump, and out of the basket she went, knocking it over. The whistle of the steam engine, and the loud noise, which sounded like a gun (but which was only the locomotive giving a strong puff of steam to get started) all these noises kept getting louder and louder, and Blackie was so scared that she ran along the station platform until she found some boxes and barrels, and in among these she ran to hide.
“At least the dog can’t get me in here,” thought the black cat. “I am safe for a time. Oh, what a lot of adventures I am having! I guess even Speckle would say these are enough to make one a good fence-jumper. I jumped out of the basket, anyhow.”
Hidden as she was behind the boxes and barrels, Blackie could not see Mrs. Thompson now.
“I’ll just stay here until everything gets quiet,” thought Blackie, “then I’ll come out and go to Mrs. Thompson’s country house. For I like her and I’ll stay with her a little longer before I go away again, and make a journey back to Arthur and Mabel.”
Blackie did not stop to think that perhaps she might not be able to find her way to Mrs. Thompson’s country house, which the black cat had never seen. All Blackie thought of then was hiding away from the noise.
The train puffed away, and it grew more quiet about the station, but still there were quite a number of sounds. Men and boys walked up and down the platform, whistling and calling one to another.
“I won’t walk out yet,” thought Blackie.
Meanwhile Mrs. Thompson, having finished telling the express-man all about bringing her trunks to the country house, looked around for the basket with Blackie in it. She saw the basket turned on its side, but no cat in it.
“Oh, dear!” cried Mrs. Thompson. “Where has Blackie gone? Blackie! Blackie! Where are you?”