“Are you there, Blackie?” asked Don, in a dog whisper.
“Yes, I’m here,” answered the cat from inside the kennel.
“Then come on out and have some dinner.”
I think you can guess how good the chicken dinner tasted to poor, hungry Blackie. She ate so much that she was afraid she would take more than her share, and not leave enough for Don.
“But don’t you worry about that,” said the dog kindly, when Blackie spoke about it. “You eat all you want. I’ll have plenty, and anyhow I can get more later.”
So Blackie had the first really good meal she had eaten since she had left Mrs. Thompson. And when she had taken a good drink of water she felt much better.
“Now you can go to sleep in my kennel,” said Don, “and no one will disturb you. I always like to sleep after a good meal.”
“So do I,” said Blackie.
[For several days Blackie lived with Don in his kennel], keeping out of sight of the people in the house. I don’t really suppose they would have minded Blackie, only they had gotten out of the habit of keeping a cat, so Don imagined they did not like such animals. Anyhow, he and Blackie thought it would be best for the black cat to remain quietly in the kennel, and she did.
“Well, I think I’ll be traveling on,” said Blackie one day.