is what is about to happen, I surely will join you, as I
object to being dressed up and having my fur turned the wrong way and
having my ribs crushed by being buttoned into a tight dress."

"Well, if you are coming, hurry along for I hear them in the hall now
and in another minute it will be too late for you to get up in the
tree without them seeing you."

[Illustration]

Button had barely climbed up in the tree and nicely settled beside
Bella when the girls came running out of the house with their arms
full of doll clothes. They went straight to the doll carriage,
expecting of course to find Button asleep there.

"Oh!" exclaimed Nellie when she reached the carriage and found no
Button. "He has run away!"

"He can't have gone far," replied Kittie. "Let's look for him. Perhaps
he saw Bella and is getting acquainted with her. I'll call her and
see."

So the two little girls began to call, "Bella, Bella! Sweetheart,
where are you? Come here! Bella, Bella! Kittie, kittie, kittie!" as
they walked around the yard and then behind the house looking under
every bush and shrub. And all this time the two cats sat and grinned
at them and enjoyed their discomfort very much.

After looking for the cats everywhere, the girls came back to thee
front of the house and sat down by the empty doll carriage, scolding
and telling each other what they would do when they laid hands on
those two cats again. Presently one of the little girls threw herself
back on the grass, her head on her hands, too angry to talk more. Lo
and behold! What did she see but those two cats she had been talking
about sitting quietly side by side on a limb over her head looking
down on her. Yes, and from the expression on their faces she knew they
were laughing at her!

"Nellie, Nellie, look up in the tree over your head and see what you
will see!"

"Oh, you naughty, miserable cats! Come right straight down out of
that tree this minute!"

"Oh, yes, we will be right down when we get good and ready," meowed
Button.

"We are very comfortable up here, so you two better play with your
dolls as we intend to spend the rest of the day up here," meowed
Bella.

"You miserable cats, you! If I had hold of you, I'd pull your tails,
so I would!" called Nellie.

"Better wait until you _do_ get hold of us before you tell what you
will do to us," meowed back Button.

"Let us throw green apples up at them and make them come down,"
suggested Kittie.

"All right. L