XI 
BETSY WHITEFOOT 
Some time after Beauty’s death, one day an 
old gray cat with white toes came on our back 
porch, and helped herself to a drink of water. 
She had a distressed and hungry look, and I am 
sure she had not had a bath or a brushing in a long 
time, for her coat was very rough and soiled. 
Budge and Toddy were afraid of her, and ran 
back of the ash bin ; but I stayed to see what mis- 
tress would do. 
I noticed that in spots the hair on the cat’s body 
was entirely gone; the flesh was covered with 
bleeding sores, and her tail had scarcely any hair 
on it. 
Guy called us cats together and sent us into the 
kitchen, but we could look through the screen door 
and see what was going on. He gave the poor 
creature a big saucer of fresh warm milk, which she 
lapped up very greedily, asking for more till she 
had finished three saucers full. 
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