WHITE-FOOT 35 



There was nothing for such conduct, then, 



course, except to kill her. But I did not kill h 

 though I take no credit to myself, for I tried to kill 

 her, as any one would have been tempted to do. 



I got her out of that linen-drawer in a hurry and 

 chased her from cupboard to couch, to radiator and 



* bookcase, and lost her. The next day I resumed the 

 chase, and upset most of the furniture before she I 

 finally gave me the slip. The next day she appeared,, 

 and once more we turned things upside down, and 



once more from some safe corner she watched me 



jput the chairs back on their legs and pick up the V/ 1 

 ^pieces of things. 



But the next morning, as I opened the grate 

 s.the kitchen stove to light the fire, there in the ash-pan 

 .huddled that little mouse ; and under her in a bed 

 of ashes, as if to reproach 

 forever, were five wee 

 lice, just born, blind and 

 naked in the choking dust, 

 babes that should have been 



sleeping covered in a bed of downy damask in the 

 linen-drawer. 



I said I did not kill her. No, I reached in slowly, 

 .lifted her and her babes out softly in my hand, car-' 

 ried them into a safe, warm place and left them, de-! 

 voutly hoping that they might all grow up to help 

 i themselves, if need be, to an ear of pop-corn, or even 

 to a cozy corner and a sip of honey in the beehivesj 



& r^t 



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