a cat," Twaddles announced
a bit jerkily. "We--we brought you a sample!" and he pulled the little
kitten from his coat and held it out to the astonished grocery clerk.

"Good gracious!" said Mr. Hambert "Are you selling cats?"

"We're not selling them," Twaddles insisted. "We're getting homes for
them. This is a sample."

Mr. Hambert began to laugh and so did several of the customers who had
been listening.

"Come, now, Hambert, you do need a cat," said the man who was waiting
for the sliced ham. "Didn't you tell me last week your old Minnie
died? Now here's her successor. All ready delivered at your door and
no trouble for you at all."

"I can't take cats," Mr. Hambert retorted. "Tell you what you do,
Twaddles, go into the office and see what Mr. Morris has to say."

Mr. Morris was the owner of the store and he had a desk in a small
private office far back from the counters. Twaddles marched down the
aisle and Dot after him. They found Mr. Morris reading a newspaper and
looking as though he might not be very busy. He smiled when he saw
them.

"Hello!" he said, "what brings you calling?"

"Don't you want a nice kitten, Mr. Morris?" asked Twaddles persuasively.
"It will grow up and catch mice and rats, and it won't need much to
eat. If Minnie is dead, you really need a cat, don't you?"

Well, it took several minutes to make the grocery man understand what
they were trying to do, and then he laughed and they had to wait till
he wiped his eyes and could speak plainly. But, after all this, Mr.
Morris said he would be very glad to take the kitten and it could live
in the store and would be sure of a comfortable home.

"But we can't leave this one--it's a sample," Dot explained earnestly.
"We'll bring you your kitten this afternoon--it will be just like this
one, only a different color."

"Are you sure it will be as good a mouser and as sweet-tempered and as
pretty?" demanded Mr. Morris. "I wouldn't want to be disappointed."

The twins assured him that all the kittens were lovely and that gave
him another thought. He wanted to know how many there were.

"Seven," said Twaddles, "and Mother said seven are too many to
keep."

"I agree with your mother," Mr. Morris said. "And I believe, if you go
to see my sister, Mrs. Tracy, that she will be glad to take a kitten;
she's expecting her little grandson to come for a visit next week and
she would be glad to have a pet ready for him. You know where Mrs.
Tracy lives,