tied herself up in a big shawl,
having lost her hat overboard. Jack and Grace wore one waterproof, and
Annie was hoarse with leading her choir of birds on the floating island.
Also several of the pirates wore their beards twisted round behind for
the sake of convenience in eating.

All were wet, warm, and weary, but all rejoiced over the success of the
day's delights, and it was unanimously agreed that this had been the
jolliest Fourth they had ever known.

IV.

SEVEN BLACK CATS.

They all came uninvited, they all led eventful lives, and all died
tragical deaths; so out of the long list of cats whom I have loved and
lost, these seven are the most interesting and memorable.

I have no prejudice against color, but it so happened that our pussies
were usually gray or maltese. One white one, who _would_ live in the
coal-bin, was a failure, and we never repeated the experiment. Black
cats had not been offered us, so we had no experience of them till
number one came to us in this wise.

Sitting at my window, I saw a very handsome puss come walking down the
street in the most composed and dignified manner. I watched him with
interest, wondering where he was going.

Pausing now and then, he examined the houses as he passed, as if looking
for a particular number, till, coming to our gate, he pushed it open,
and walked in. Straight up to the door he came, and finding it shut sat
down to wait till some one opened it for him.

Much amused, I went at once, and he came directly in, after a long stare
at me, and a few wavings of his plumy tail. It was evidently the right
place, and, following me into the parlor, he perched himself on the rug,
blinked at the fire, looked round the room, washed his face, and then,
lying down in a comfortable sprawl, he burst into a cheerful purr, as if
to say,--

"It's all right; the place suits me, and I'm going to stay."

His coolness amused me very much, and his beauty made me glad to keep
him. He was not a common cat, but, as we afterward discovered, a Russian
puss. His fur was very long, black, and glossy as satin; his tail like a
graceful plume, and his eyes as round and yellow as two little moons.
His paws were very dainty, and white socks and gloves, with a neat
collar and shirt-bosom, gave him the appearance of an elegant young
beau, in full evening dress. His face was white, with black hair parted
in the middle; and whiskers, fiercely curled up at the end, gave him a
marti