Part 24 (1/2)

And in truth this childish friends.h.i.+p had worked wonders in Hope. She was able to walk about the garden with her crutches and his help, for he was very careful of her, and proud to be of use in amusing her. Aunt Martha took the bright, honest boy into her heart, and he loved her dearly.

One day when Jack came over the hedge he found Hope in great excitement.

Her ap.r.o.n covered some mystery that was very soon revealed--a coal-black cat, perfect in every way, a real witch cat, with not one mark about her from the tip of her ear to the end of her tail. Yellow eyes of the most unfathomable depth and a spasmodic wag of the tail proved her temper to be of the peppery kind.

”Where did you get her?” asked Jack.

”She came to us. When Aunt Martha opened the door this morning to take in the paper, she walked in. She came into the dining room, and when I called her, she jumped up in my lap and drank milk from a saucer. She bites and claws the rest if they touch her, but licks my hands and purrs when I talk to her. Where she came from I do not know, but I love her already almost” (with a remorseful look at Joanna) ”as well as I do my dear dolly.”

”I should think so,” replied Jack. ”I can't see how you can care so much for that old doll.”

”Oh, don't, Jack! She is a dear, lovely, good old girlie” (with a hug and a kiss on Joanna's old battered face).

This Jett resented. Flying at Joanna, she stuck her sharp claws in her blond hair, dragging out a big tuft of it.

Jack shouted, ”Go it! go ahead! tear her old wig off!”

Hope relieved and comforted her dear dolly, pus.h.i.+ng the black termagant from her lap, and saying to Jack: ”You are a cruel boy. I will have nothing to do with you.”

This Jack could not bear, for he was a tender-hearted little fellow.

”Oh, come now,” he said, ”don't be so hard on a fellow. I never knew anything about dolls. I daresay Joanna is very nice. See here, perhaps I can mend her head.” And he did very skilfully, and thus restored peace.

Then came the question of naming the cat.

”How would Nig do?” said Hope.

”Oh, don't! _She_ had a dog called Nig, and it died. I was glad of it.”

”Oh, no; if _she_ had anything named Nig I will not have Kitty called so.” Hope was firm in her belief in Jack's wrongs, and disliked his step-mother with all her heart. ”We must call her something of that kind, for she is jet-black.”

”Well,” said Jack, ”you have just said it. Why not call her Jett?”

So Jett she was named, to their great satisfaction.

”She must be half mine, and I will bring her all the sc.r.a.ps I can, for cats want no end of meat. That is,” he said, ”if I can get anything.

_She_ would like to starve me. She says I have such a rude appet.i.te that it makes her sick.”

”What a horrid woman! I don't believe your appet.i.te is big; and if ever you are hungry, just let me know, and my Aunt Martha will give you all you can eat, for she loves to see me relish anything.” And it was quite noticeable how often little nice things were brought out for Jack, quite accidentally, to save his pride.

”Oh, never mind,” he said; ”only it's a bothering shame father is so generous he never can see what is going on. We never had such meanness and scrimping before. There was always enough and to spare. Now there is not enough to feed a cat on. And a dog she will not let me have. She says that they are gluttons.”

But I must curtail my story; it is getting too long.

Jack had a parrot called Bimbo. As it was a gift from his rich uncle, he was allowed to keep it.

With Joanna, Jett, and Bimbo the children were very happy. Bimbo was very happy on the bough of the old apple tree. He was deeply interested in Hope, and eyed her in a most sympathizing manner.

The first time he saw her use her crutches he gave vent to a succession of groans, and moved first one foot and then the other as if in pain, and after that he would move to a branch over her couch, and look down upon her in the most affectionate manner. Often he would astonish them by some remark drawn from the storehouse of memory.