s for the
kittens--yes, I would adopt them, too.

I made up my mind that I would name the kittens after my most intimate
neighbors; one should be Baylor, another Tiltman, another Rush, a
fourth Denslow, the fifth Browe, and the sixth Roth. I am sorry there
are not two more, for I should like to honor my two munificent patrons,
Mr. Black and Mr. Rock. But there must be a limit to human
possibilities. As for the mother cat herself, there was but one thing
for me to do; I had to name her Alice, of course.

IX

NEIGHBOR MACLEOD'S THISTLE

The incident of the tabby cat's appearance with six kittens may have
been a portent either of good or of evil. As you know, I am not a
superstitious person. I smile at those whimsical fancies which figure
so conspicuously in many people's lives, such as the howling of dogs,
the flickering of a candle, the arrangement of the grounds in a cup,
the cracking of a mirror, the sudden stopping of the clock, the crowing
of hens, the chirping of crickets, the hooting of an owl, the fall of a
family portrait, the spilling of salt, a dream of the toothache, etc.,
etc., etc. If this particular cat had been black instead of tabby I
should have regarded her advent as a prognostic, for it is conceded by
all scientists that there is a mysteriously subtle virtue in a black
cat.

The fact, however, that she was tabby dispossessed her of all power
either for evil or for good, and I could not help regarding Uncle Si
with pity for the seeming veneration in which he held this harmless and
innocent beast. Still I determined to watch and note events with a
view to confuting the superstition which foresaw good luck in the
presence of this cat and her offspring.

While the work of rehabilitating the old house was at its height I
received a letter from my friend Byron Tinkle of Kansas City,
congratulating me upon having secured so lovely a home after so many
years of patient waiting. "And now," said he, "I am anxious to be
represented by some bit of furniture in your new place. It has
occurred to me that a handsome library table might be acceptable, and
it would certainly delight me to present you with an object which would
serve to remind you of your old schoolmate, whose affection for you has
been abated neither by separation nor by the lapse of time."

Mr. Tinkle then went on to say that he had hit upon a very appropriate
design for a library table--a design full of historical and
mytholo