The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1908-09-05

''I want fresh eggs or I don't wan
eggs at all r. said John, pushin
! them as far away from him as the ia
BILE would permit.
"Will you have chop?" aske'
Mary.
| "No," said John, in hollow tones
ga little cold meat?" she hesitated
John deigned not to answer, bu
stalked out into the hall, looking
peaked and pined.
"Now if we only had flock o
chickens of our own"
He made ghostly gesture and van
ished down the steps,
"You must have been hungry thi
morning." said Mary, that night.
Hungry" said John. Hungry
Why-What's that 7"
Whats what?'
THAT scrunching noisel"
Mary put her head on one side an6
listened intently,
1t might be mouse - she AK,
claimed, at last. They'll eat the
house up They will, John They
get in between the walls, and they'll
eat the house up! Did you ever hear
such scrunching :"
She made warning motion with her
hand that was nearest John. With
the other, resting upon the arm of
her chair and concealed from his
view, she brought the scrunching
noise to climax, her little finger
nails scratching away at a fearful rate,
and then she let the noise ominously
die away. This orchestration over,
she walked into the pantry with an
air of great dignity.
"What on earth are you doing?"
asked John, following her shortly af-
ter.
''I'm pouring out the milk for the
cat" said Mary, flushing as she pick
ed the saucer up again.
"What catl" gasped John.
"Asmake-believe cat," sighed poor
Mary. "I-I often pour saucer of
milk out when there's one left over,
and-and wish / had cat"
John gave her a look that was al.
most pity, and went back to his paper,
with the air of man who will never
be astonished any more.
Chickens" he said, at last, speak
ing slowly behind his paper and
scowling at it, clay eggs"
"Cats," said Mary, ''catch mice.
81 can't stand cats p
II can't stand chickens |"
And that was how it started.
"John," said Mary, the following
night, listen %
John looked at her with wary eye.
''Is it mouse in the wall :" he
asked, with frightful sarcasm.
Ssh p said Mary. cit sounds
like something crying
She rose to her feet and put her
finger on her lip.
ut sounds,'' whispered Mary, "as
though it were on our doorstep ~
SAfh fi9tae5ktn t,h-s de -ossh1Tg"
she picked up quart berry-basket
with perforated cardboard top.
"Miau !" said plaintive voice.
"Of all things p said Mary. "a
poor, helpless, deserted little kitten p
John gave her such look
"You poor little foundling !" ex-
claimed Mary, in compassion. "You
shallhavea saucerof nice warm milk.
milk - began John, when Mary
turned upon him.
"John," she cried, eff you mean to
say that we're going to turn this dear
little kitten out-of- doors when"
And her tone was such that John
exclaimed in sudden alarm, "I didn't
say anything, Mary! I didn't say
anything, did II"
The next evening he had some
thing to say, though. They were in
the sitting-room, John reading his pa
per and Mary boastfully nursing her
kitten, when John dropped his paper
and opened his remarks by putting
his finger on his lips, exclaiming
"Hush !"
"John," said Mary, in tones SC
prompt that it was plain to see that
She had primed herself for the emer-
gency, "this kitten is too small tc
catch mice yet, and we'll you know it,
and if you think"
mo, no r. exclaimed John, advan-
cling on tiptoe. "I think it's some
thing on our front porch-something
crying. 1t may be another kitten. "
He tiptoed to the front door, Mary
with him, and suddenly threw it open,
crying boldly, who's thereP
Looking over his shoulder Mary coun'
ted six small peach baskets and large
one, all standing in neat geometri
cal formation round the door-mat.
"Too large for Kittens" whispered
John. "They must be cats. Pool
things p He united the paper cover
of the first peach basket and looked in
why" he cried, in utter astonish
ment, "ifit isn't hen ! A Plymouth
Rock hen !" He looked in the sec
: ond basket. And if here isn't an
other hen You poor, helpless, de
serted hens Mary L"
But Mary had fed, and when Johr
had placed his foundlings in the cool
tears of Joy almost forcing them
selves into his eyes when the chick
ems hoped upon the perch,-he re
turned to the house and endured al
of Mary's silent looks with serenit,
that was almost joy. Early mex
morning, as he walked into the kitch
en- after visit to the chicken-coop
Mary breathlessly greeted him:
"Quick, John Quick That kit
ten can't be day over four month
old, and it's actually playing with
mouse Quick Right under th
pantry table !"
But John, with motion that scorn
ed all haste. drew two eggs from hi