Part 11 (2/2)

”We shall want one ourselves so as to keep her contented,” said Alice.

”My dear little girl,” said her mother, ”it would be cruel to move Lady Jane until the kittens are big enough to look out for themselves. I have a few things to do besides taking care of her and her family. If the Carters want her and she wants to stay, there is no use in fighting any longer.”

”But she is my darling cat,” said Alice, with tears in her eyes. ”How would you feel, mother, if I decided I would rather live in my old house with the Carters than with you. Would you let me stay?”

”Certainly not, because you are not capable of judging what is best for yourself, and because I could not spare you, and neither would Mrs.

Carter want to bring up another child. But if you were my p.u.s.s.y-cat, instead of my child, and you preferred to live with a little girl who was sick half the time, and had so few pleasures, and if you had four furry children, and the Carters wanted to keep them, I should be glad to have everybody happy.”

”All but me, mother,” said Alice, ”and Peggy--she will miss Lady Jane.”

”I am sure they will let you have one of the kittens,” said Mrs. Owen.

”In about two months you can have one of them.”

”Not for two months?” said Peggy. ”Oh, mother, think of a catless house for two months. It will be so desolate.”

”But you can go and choose your kitten in two weeks,” said Mrs. Owen, ”and you can often go to see it.”

It was a bright spring afternoon when Peggy and Alice went down to Diana's house to choose the kitten. They took along with them a great bunch of Mayflowers for Diana. They had picked them the afternoon before, when they had gone with their mother up to their camp on the hill. It was a rude little hut that their father had built. Later in the season, wild strawberries would grow on the place, and then would come raspberries, and afterwards blueberries and blackberries. Mrs. Owen was planning to make preserves for themselves, and for some of the neighbors. She looked over the ground with interest while the children frisked about and stopped from time to time to pick Mayflowers.

Diana was sitting up in bed when the children arrived. The bed was of mahogany and had four twisted posts. The white quilt had been turned back and a book and Diana's doll Alice were lying on the blanket. The sun came s.h.i.+ning in through the two west windows. The room looked very fresh, with the new white paint and pale green walls.

”This used to be mother's room when we had the house,” said Peggy. ”It is much prettier now.”

Diana was wearing her green kimono with the pink roses on it. ”They gave me the best room because I'm sick so much,” said Diana. ”Wasn't it nice of them, when I am the youngest in the family?”

”I'd rather have the smallest room in the house, and be well,” said Peggy.

She was sorry she had said it, for a shadow seemed to cross Diana's bright face. ”Father expects I'll be well much sooner, now we live in the country,” she said.

”Oh, what lovely Mayflowers!” she added, as Peggy dropped the big bunch down beside her. Diana picked it up and plunged her nose into it.

”Peggy and I picked them for you yesterday,” said Alice. ”We were up at our camp.”

Diana listened with interest to the children's description of the place.

”There are pine woods around the camp,” said Peggy, ”and on the hillside and in the pasture such delicious berries; and later on we shall go up and pick them; we always do. We have to walk now, for we haven't a horse or automobile any more. But it is a nice walk and not so very long.

Maybe your father will drive you up when you get better.”

”I'd like to see it,” said Diana.

Just then Mrs. Carter came into the room with a basket.

”Oh, have you brought the kittens?” Peggy asked.

”Yes, they are all here.” She took out one kitten after another and put them all on the bed in front of Diana.

”Oh, what sweet things!” Alice cried. She put her hand on the black kitten with the white tip to his tail. ”This is Tipsy, isn't it?” she asked.

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