I caught her admiring glances, and I began 

 to relent toward the little interloper; and 

 when she said, " We must give the poor little 

 fellow some warm milk, anyway, before we 

 turn him out into the night," I led the way 

 to the kitchen with an air of self-righteous 

 charity, while mamma, tired and chilled as 

 she was, set about preparing him a big dish 

 of warm, rich milk, which he lapped dow r n 

 with thankful relish, blinking up at us with 

 his keen yellow eyes. 



Next, some chicken-scraps and tidbits 

 were added to the feast such a surprise 

 party to his poor little starving stomach. 

 Then papa called him into the hall again. 

 Slowly and ruefully the disappointed little 

 fellow crept, trembling, down the stairs, and 

 when papa opened the front door and said: 



"Go on, go on, little fellow!" he flopped 

 over on his back in a t\vinkling and put up 

 his four little pink-padded feet imploringly, 

 whimpering piteously, with almost a baby's 

 cry. He wormed along on the carpet, on 

 his back, his feathery pads still waving and 

 coaxing, into a corner under an easel on 

 which sat a portrait of papa, as though pray- 

 ing for his compassion, and just beyond his 

 88 



