150 



The man lifted me quite gently and carried me 

 into a comfortable, well-lighted room. A plump, 

 little woman was clearing away the dishes from a 

 supper table. 



She stopped with a meat plate in her hand, as 

 the man set me down on the floor. 



" Oh, what an ugly kitten 1 " she cried. " I 

 want a cat, but I don't want one like that. Ugh, 

 but it's dirty ! And look at its paw ! It makes me 

 sick. Do take it out." 



" It isn't a beauty," said the man. " Here's a 

 good chance to count how many ribs a cat has." 



" It does look perfectly starved," the woman 

 said. " Wait ; I'll give it something to eat, and 

 then you can take it away." 



She poured out a generous saucerful of milk 

 and set it before me, and also gave me some scraps 

 of meat. I felt too sick to touch the meat, but 

 I drank all the milk and felt strengthened and 

 refreshed. 



" There now, take it away," said the woman ; 

 "and for goodness' sake, carry it far enough off 

 for it not to come back here. 



The man took me up again and carried me 

 away through the night. At last he dropped me 



