Part 12 (1/2)
”Goodness! I hadn't thought of that,” confessed Agnes.
”You see, cats are funny creatures,” Myra declared. ”Sometimes they find their way home again, even if they are carried miles and miles away.”
”But if I take the kittens, too-wouldn't she stay with her own kittens?”
”Well-p'r'aps. But the thing _is_, how are you going to carry them all?”
”Say! they're all in this old basket,” said Agnes. ”Can't I carry them just as they are?”
She picked the basket up. Old Sandy-face just ”mewed” a little, but did not offer to jump out.
”Oh!” gasped Agnes. ”They're heavy.”
”You couldn't carry them all that way. And if Sandy saw a dog--”
”Maybe I'll have to blindfold her?” suggested Agnes.
”Put her in a bag!” cried Myra.
”But that seems so cruel!”
”I know. She might smother,” admitted Myra.
”Goodness me!” said Agnes, briskly, ”if we're going to have a cat, I don't want one that will always be afraid of me because I popped her into a bag. Besides, a cat is a dignified creature, and doing a thing like that would hurt her feelings. Don't you think so?”
”I guess Sandy-face wouldn't like it,” agreed Myra, laughing at Agnes'
serious speech and manner.
”I tell you what,” the second-oldest Kenway girl said. ”I'll run home with the groceries your father has put up for me, and get the kids to come and help. They can certainly carry the kittens, while I take Sandy.”
”Of course,” agreed the relieved Myra. She saw a chance of disposing of the entire family without hurting her own, or the cats' feelings, and she was much pleased.
As for the impulsive Agnes, when she made up her mind to do a thing, she never thought of asking advice. She reached home with the groceries and put them into the hands of Uncle Rufus at the back door.
Then she called Tess and Dot from their play in the garden.
”Are your frocks clean, girls?” she asked them, hurriedly. ”I want you to go to Mr. Stetson's store with me.”
”What for, Aggie?” asked Dot, but quite ready to go. By Agnes'
appearance it was easy to guess that there was something exciting afoot.
”Shall I run ask Ruth?” Tess inquired, more thoughtfully.
Uncle Rufus was watching them from the porch. Agnes waved her hand to the black man, as she ushered the two smaller girls out of the yard onto Willow Street.
”No,” she said to Tess. ”Uncle Rufus sees us, and he'll explain to Ruth.” At the moment, she did not remember that Uncle Rufus knew no more about their destination than Ruth herself.
The smaller girls were eager to learn the particulars of the affair as Agnes hurried them along. But the bigger girl refused to explain, until they were in the grocer's store-room.
”Now! what do you think of them?” she demanded.