My Treasure Part 4

[Ill.u.s.tration: BELL AND HER PET DOG.]

THE THREE KITTENS.

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"MEW-MEW!" said two lit-tle wee black kit-tens. Grace stooped down, and picked one of them up. "Mew!" it said, and then tried to play with the neck-lace she had on. The oth-er kit-ten did not like this at all. She pulled at Grace's dress with her small black paw. So then she was tak-en up too, and both soon snug-gled down in Grace's lap, and went fast a-sleep. But where was the mam-ma cat all this time? She had gone back to the barn, where all her kit-tens were born, to bring an-oth-er one to the house, to show her mis-tress what a fine fam-i-ly she had. She had hard work to get in; for John, the man, had closed the doors. She walked a-round the barn, and at the back she found a win-dow o-pen. Ned, the don-key, had his head out of it; but she scram-bled in be-side him, and took up an-oth-er kit-ten in her mouth, and ran back to the house a-gain.

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When she reached it, she found that Jane had closed the front-door. She mewed as loud as she could; but it was some time be-fore an-y one heard her, and o-pened it. But at last she reached her mis-tress safe-ly with her third child. She her-self was white, and so was one of the kit-tens.

The other two were as black as coals.

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JANE AND ROB.

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KATE was ver-y un-hap-py. She had left her best doll in the path in front of the house the night be-fore; and some one had stepped on it in the dark, and it was crushed in-to bits. So Kate was cry-ing; for poor Ar-a-min-ta Jane was her pride and joy. Just then her broth-er Rob came in. "Why, you poor lit-tle girl!" he said. "I am so sor-ry! If you will come out with me, I will show you how to play crick-et; and you shall use my new bat." Kate cheered up ver-y much at this, and ran to put on her hat. Rob was so kind to her that she had a ver-y good time, and for-got all a-bout Ar-a-min-ta Jane in the fun of the game.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

REBIE'S NEW HOME.

"IS she coming to-night, mamma?" asked Marion.

"Yes, dear, I think so. We shall know very soon now. Papa will be here in about ten minutes."

Marion and Elvie Reade ran to the window. They were very anxious to see this little cousin who was coming home with papa.

"Rebie'll be our new sister; won't she?" said Elvie.

"Yes. And papa said we must be real kind to her, for she hasn't any papa or mamma now."

"Yes, we will. I guess--Oh! there's papa, now. And--oh! Marion! Rebie's crying. Let's go kiss her."

Out ran the two little girls, while mamma stood in the doorway with little Ernest, and aunt Maria stood on the steps.

Little Rebie couldn't help crying, yet she liked her new home for all that. But her cousins kissed her so lovingly, that Rebie soon smiled through her tears.

And when baby Ernest said, "Ernie love oo, tousin Rebie," she laughed a soft little laugh. Then they thought Rebie wouldn't feel lonely any more.

"I think your papa _most_ as good as my papa," Rebie whispered to Elvie after they had gone to bed that night. Elvie thought him a _little_ better, but she was too polite to say so.

[Ill.u.s.tration: REBIE'S NEW HOME.]

A QUEER PLAY-HOUSE.

HARRY and little Violet thought it the very best play-house in the world. And I don't think Gyp would have enjoyed any other half so well.

It was papa's big boat.

They could sit in it and see mamma when she came to the door of the little house near by, where they lived. And they could watch papa as he went out in his small boat, or dory, as he called it. Harry could see him far out on the water by standing up on the side of the boat. Little Violet was afraid to climb up so high.

Sometimes Harry and Violet took their dinner and ate it in the boat.

Then Gyp always shared it with them. He would sit beside them in the boat, or perhaps lie on the sand and wait for Harry to throw him his share bit by bit.

The children liked to make Gyp speak for his dinner. But best of all, they liked to toss it up, and see Gyp spring and catch it in his mouth.

One day, when they were playing near the water, Violet's sun-bonnet blew off, and a wave washed it out beyond her reach. Then Gyp was ready to help his little mistress. He swam out, seized it in his mouth, and soon laid it at Violet's feet. She was so glad she hugged him, wet as he was.

And he repaid her, by shaking himself and sprinkling her all over.

[Ill.u.s.tration: A QUEER PLAY HOUSE.]

WHO IS TO BLAME?

POOR little Carlos stood thinking. He did not know what to do. He wanted to tell the truth, yet he didn't like to have mamma blame him for breaking Sylvia's doll. And he didn't think he was all to blame either.

The b.u.t.terfly and Dandy both helped, he thought.

This was the way it happened. A beautiful large b.u.t.terfly came through the open window into the dining-room, then flitted out into the hall.

Carlos and his dog Dandy gave chase. Once, in his eagerness, he stumbled over Dandy. And in trying to escape a fall he knocked the doll to the floor. There was the body in one place, the head in another. Why did Sylvia leave it right in his way?

At last Carlos decided to do the best thing--go and tell mamma all about it.

Mamma listened patiently. Then she told Carlos that it would have been better not to try to catch the b.u.t.terfly. The pretty thing would die if he caught it and shut it up.

Mamma told Carlos that Sylvia was partly to blame for leaving her doll in such a place. But Carlos must be more careful next time.

Carlos felt very happy as he ran out of doors with Dandy. And he thought it the nicest way in the world, to go and tell mamma everything.