.

Mr. Winslow explained, taking his own deliberate time in making the
explanation. Miss Hunniwell wrinkled her dainty upturned nose and
burst into a trill of laughter.

"Oh, that's lovely," she declared, "and just like you, besides.
And do you think Gabe Bearse will go back into the other room when
he sees it?"

Jed looked dreamily over his spectacles at the sign. "I don't
know," he drawled. "If I thought he'd go wherever that sign was I
ain't sure but I'd tack it on the cover of the well out in the yard
yonder."

His fair visitor laughed again. "Why, Jed," she exclaimed. "You
wouldn't want to drown him, would you?"

Jed seemed to reflect. "No-o," he answered, slowly, "don't know's
I would--not in my well, anyhow."

Miss Hunniwell declared that that was all nonsense. "You wouldn't
drown a kitten," she said. "I know that because when Mrs.
Nathaniel Rogers' old white cat brought all her kittens over here
the first of this summer you wouldn't even put them out in the yard
at night, to say nothing of drowning them. All six and the mother
cat stayed here and fairly swarmed over you and ate you out of
house and home. Father said he believed they fed at the first
table and you were taking what was left. It was a mercy the old
cat decided to lead them back to the Rogers' again or I don't know
WHAT might have become of you by this time."

Jed seemed to be thinking; there was a reminiscent twinkle in his
eye.

"The old cat didn't lead 'em back," he said. "Nathaniel took 'em
back. Didn't I ever tell you about that?"

"No, you didn't. You KNOW you didn't. Mr. Rogers took them back?
I can't believe it. He told everywhere about town that he was glad
to get rid of the whole family and, as you and the cats seemed to
be mutually happy together, he wasn't going to disturb you. He
thought it was a great joke on you. And he took them back himself?
Why?"

Mr. Winslow rubbed his chin. "I don't know's I'd ought to say
anything about it," he said. "I haven't afore. I wouldn't
interfere with Nate's sales for anything."

"Sales? Sales of what? Oh, you mean thing! Don't be so
provoking! Tell me the whole story this minute."

Jed painted a moment or two. Then he said: "We-ell, Maud, you see
those kittens got to be kind of a nuisance. They was cunnin' and
cute and all that, but they was so everlastin' lively and hungry
that they didn't give me much of a chance. I was only one, you
see, and they had a