14 



HOME ASD FLO^yERS 



kitten, coupled with the fear of what 

 might happen to it, startled her so that 

 she dropped the basin she had in her hand, 

 and it fell with a crash among the crock- 

 ery still standing on the table, and a 

 teaeup was broken. 



Mary looked at her aunt in. a terrified 

 way. 



"'I — I'm ^-0 sorry I" she cried. "I didn't 

 mean to I"' 



Miss Betty answered not a word as she 

 picked np the broken pieces and dropped 

 them into the stove. But her face had a 

 look on it that made Mary's heart sink. 

 The worst was about to happen, she felt. 



Miss Betty went into the wood shed 

 and presently came back with a bag. 



'•'Bring that cat here,*' she said, as she 

 held the mouth of the bag open. 



]\Iary did not stir. She could not. Fear 

 for Spotty paralyzed her. 



^•Didn't ye hear me ?"' cried Miss Betty, 

 pale with. rage. ''Ain't ye»goin' to do's 

 I tell ye ?" 



•'•Oh, Aunt Betty, T can't, I cantr 

 cried the poor child. •'Punish me all yoti 

 want to, but don't kill Spotty." 



For answer ]\Iiss Betty snatched the 

 kitten out of Mary's arms and thrust it 

 into the bag. 



••'Xow you jest take this down to the 

 pond 'n' throw it in,"- she said, holding the 

 bag towards Mary. 



The little girl looked at the woman 

 for a moment in wonder. Did she think 

 she could make her do the terrible deed 

 she ordered her to ? 



'^Wall, air ye goin' to do's I tell ye, 

 or not?" demanded Miss Betty. 



Just then Spotty, half smothered in the 

 dusty depths of the old bag, began to 

 mew pitifully for release. That sound 

 was more than Mary could bear. She 

 put out her hands toward Miss Betty in a 

 last mute appeal for pity, and then, un- 

 able longer to stand the dreadful strain, 

 she sank upon the floor, unconscious. 



Hearing a whistle in the road. ^liss 

 Betty ran to the door. A neighbor's boy 

 was going by. 



••Tley, there!"' she called out. ''D'ye 

 want some fun?" 



The boy looked at her suspiciously. 

 Miss Betty's idea of fun generally dif- 

 fered a good deal from a boy's. 



'T've got a cat here that I want 

 drownded/'' she explained. *T'll giye y^ 

 a cent to do it." 



"All right," said the boy. 



Miss Betty felt about in her pocket 

 until she had found the. penny. Then she 

 handed it over to the boy, along with the 

 bag, and so poor Spotty was sent away ta 

 a cruel death in the pond, while Mary lay 

 upon the floor in merciful ignorance of 

 what was taking place. 



Then Miss Betty turned her attention 

 to the child. She was frightened when 

 she saw that she had fainted. She laid 

 her on the lounge and dashed cold water 

 in her face, and held camphor to her 

 nostrils. 



By and ■ by consciousness came slowly 

 back. 



Mary struggled to her feet and looked 

 about the room. There was no kitten, na 

 bag. to be seen. She dared not ask what 

 had become of them. She knew only too 

 well. 



She turned to Miss Betty, whose face 

 still showed traces of the fear she could 

 not help feeling over the possible con- 

 sequences of her cruel act. 



''I don't believe you knew what yon 

 were doing !" she cried, while her lip 

 quivered and big tears began to falL 

 "'Some time you'll be sorry for it." 



The first effect of these words was ta 

 excite Miss Betty's wrath to the point of 

 explosion. But the explosion did not 

 come. A swift remembrance came to the 

 Avoman of having heard her father read^ 

 many a time, from his old Bible, of' One 

 who said, "Father, forgive them, for they 

 know not what they do," and the memory 

 silenced her and left a strange feeling 

 behind it. which she could not get rid of 

 all that day. 



(To he continued.) 



