TOT'S PUSSY.

Otago Witness, Issue 1927, 29 January 1891, Page 39

TOT'S PUSSY.

There was a sad time in Mrs Palmers KsEBKFfSS Caroline Maria, her rag baby, lay .unnoticed 2ft?SoSjher hair tumbled and her anna Theodasia waa Tot's very own kitten. Hal had given it to her. He had found it mewing and crying by the roadeide several months before. Tot fed and oared for the poor thing till it grew aleak and playful, and many a frolio had they enjoyed together. Dick, or Jim, or Billy would have been a " uropsrer "- name for the kitten, but Tot would not hear of it. »'I won't have a howwid bwoy'a name," said Bhe. Her dollies all had pretty girls' namefl, and her kitten ehould have one, too, bo he was named Clara Theodoaia, but ehe Boon shortened it to Doahy, and Doehy and ahe.hadbeen the bei»t of fnenda. "Never mind, Totay dear," said^ Hal, "we'll make Doshy a pretty grave in the garden, just like the one I made for my fantail Pi fo°Hal hh a 9 nd Ban buried the pretty Malteae kitten in a pleaaant spot in the baoj = gwden. "Now, Tot, you can plant flowers there when itis flower time," said Hal, as he went Ts&ed up Caroline Maria, smoothed her tumbled dreas, and tried to forget her Srief, Specially as grandma,, who was visitfog them, said she would give her another kitten when Bhe came out to the farm next j BU » So'ther," said Hal, at noon, '.'the pussy j willowß are out" (showing bar a braiioh covered with the furry catkins) ; "the bushes down by the brookare full of them. - Tot looked at him from her high chair with round eyes and a thought came slowly into her mind : If the buahea were oovered withpusaies, why shouldn't she have one now, and not wait till she went out to grandpa sf arm* She got down from the tab c and -picked up the willow branch that Hal had left m the window sill. "Yob, there waa a pussy's toes iuat like poor Doshy's, only they didn t Ktch." S P ha knew Hal brought Doshy from tho woods and thought "pwob'ly he glowed on a bush." ' She waa aure she could find the way to the brook. Hal and. Ben had carried her-there in- a lady chair last Bummer to see their water wheel, and Bhe had not forgotten ltf Mrß Palmer believed in plenty of fresh air for her little girl," so Tot had no difficulty in getting out of doors, wrapped ro her blanket tnd hood, and aa it waa baking day Borne time passed- before the mother thought of Tot she opened the door. "Tot," ahe called, expecting to see the red hood somewhere about tho garden. There waa no answer. Sb» called several times, and then Sed out -to look for the child, but no Tot I 3 Bhe see. *>y began tc .get if «&*«*. Pana waa oalled from hia work, and when the boya elmo home from school they joined m the searo'h, for ToTwas Btill missing. lalwentfiratto the kitten's grave. There were little ahoe-printa aU around it, and upon j the f reah earth lay the branch of. pussy-willow he had brought home at noon. A eudden thought' Btrack him. Had she gone for more branches? »'He set off running through the meadow. The brook was not deep; it was only a small stream, but such a little girl aa Tot might drown in it. He hurried with i all hia might, and prayed aa. he went o • the dear Father of ua all to aave hia little sister, v What waß that gleaming among the wjllow Btemß? Tot's red blood surely. But such a looking Tot aahe had found under that hood ! Her dreaa waa wet, for she had slipped into the creek two or three times, and her shoes and stockings were clogged with mud. ! "What are you doing, Tot?" he said, hug- " They ain't growed yet,:only just toes ; no heads, nor taila, nor anyfing." 11 What ain't growed, Oiaay ? " asked Hal. "Kittena ain't," aaidTot. "I corned after another kitten, cause Doßhy'a all dead. You said the buahea waa full, but they ain't growed —only jeat toea." • <• How they all laughed when Hal caned the dear little gitl home and told them what Bhe had gone to look for, and grandma said, "Bleaß the baby, ahe shan't wait till summer for another kitten," and she didn't—Elizabeth V, Hyatt.