et's do!"

"They make me laugh," said Button. "Neither one of them could hit the
side of a barn even if they aimed at it. To try to hit us up here is
perfectly ridiculous."

"I bet they hit themselves," meowed Bella. "Here they come with their
aprons full of apples."

The girls began to throw the apples up in the tree but they could not
even throw high enough to hit the limb on which the cats sat. And
presently an apple came down and hit Kittie on the head.

"There! Didn't I tell you they would hit themselves?" said Bella.

Just then Nellie let out a cry and the cats laughed so they nearly
fell off the limb for Kittie in her endeavor to throw high enough had
whirled half way around and as she turned the apple flew out of her
hand before she was ready and it hit Nellie squarely in the back.

"Let's not try to hit them any more," proposed Nellie wisely.

"I know what we can do. We'll go to the orchard and get the long
ladder they are using to pick the cherries, and we'll put it up
against the tree and then climb up after them."

"All right. Let's do!" again agreed Nellie.

Away ran the girls to the orchard and in about ten minutes the cats
saw them tugging away at a long ladder. At last they reached the tree
and after many mishaps succeeded in standing it up against the trunk.
But what was their disappointment to find that it only reached half
way up the tall tree and came nowhere near the limb on which the cats
sat.

"I have it!" cried Nellie. "Let's get the hose and turn it on them.
That will bring them down in a jiffy!"

Off ran the girls once again, the hose was brought and adjusted and
the water turned on. But another disappointment awaited them. The
force was not sufficient to throw the water far enough to reach the
cats.

"Drat those cats!" exclaimed Kittie. "I am getting so mad I just must
lay hands on them or explode!"

"I guess you will have to blow up then, or fly up to reach them," said
Nellie. "The saucy things! Just see how they sit there and purr with
contentment! Yes, I know they are laughing at us all the time!"

"I have it!" called out Kittie. "Give me the hose. I'll carry it up
the ladder as far as it will reach and then I know it will be long
enough for the stream to hit them. Then, my dear cats, we will see who
laughs last! Nellie, turn the water off until I climb up and when I
give the word turn it on again."

Up the ladder climbed Kittie, and sure enough when Nellie turned the
wa