“So out she goes and orders the little pets up.  They didn’t want to come one bit; it seemed like they was afraid of something, but they was well disciplined and they finally crawled forward, looking like they didn’t know what minute something cruel might happen.

“The old lady petted ’em and made ’em lie down, and asked Cousin Egbert if he’d ever seen better ones, or even as good; and he said No, ma’am; they was sure fine beetles.  Then she begun to tell him about some wild animal that had been attacking ’em, a grizzly, or mebbe a mountain lion, with cubs; and he is saying in a very false manner that he can’t think what would want to harm such playful little pets, and so on.  All this time the pets is in fine attitudes of watchful waiting, and I’m just beginning to suspect a certain possibility when it actually happens.

“There was an open window high up in the log wall acrost from the door, and old Kate jumps up onto the sill from the outside.  He was one fierce object, let me tell you; weighing about thirty pounds, all muscle, with one ear gone, and an eye missing that a porcupine quill got into, and a lot of fresh new battle scars.  We all got a good look at him while he crouched there for a second, purring like a twelve-cylinder car and twitching his whiskers at us in a lazy way, like he wanted to have folks make a fuss over him.  And then, all at once, catching sight of the dogs, he changed to a demon; his back up, his whiskers in a stiff tremble, and his half of a tail grown double in girth.

“I looked quick to the dogs, and they was froze stiff with horror for at least another second.  Then they made one scramble for the open door, and Kate made a beautiful spring for the bunch, landing on the back of the last one with a yell of triumph.  Mother shrieked, too, and we all rushed to the door to see one of the prettiest chases you’d want to look at, with old Kate handing out the side wipes every time he could get near one of the dogs.  They fled down over the creek bank and a minute later we could see the pack legging it up the other side to beat the cars, losing Kate—­I guess because he didn’t like to get his hide wet.

“When the first shock of this wore off, here was silly old Egbert, in a weak voice, calling:  ‘Kitty, Kitty, Kitty!  Here, Kitty!  Here, Kitty!’ Then we notice brother and sister.  Brother is waving his hat in the air and yelling ‘Yoicks!’ and ‘Gone away!’ and ’Fair sport, by Jove!’—­just like some crazy man; and sister, with her chest going up and down, is clapping her hands and yelling ‘Goody!  Goody!  Goody!’ and squealing with helpless laughter.  Mother just stood gazing at ’em in horrible silence.  Pretty soon they felt it and stopped, looking like a couple of kids that know it’s spanking time.

“‘So!’ says mother.  That’s all she said—­just, ‘So!’

“But she stuffed the simple word with eloquence; she left it pregnant with meaning, as they say.  Then she stalked loftily out and got on her horse, brother and sister slinking after her.  I guess I slunk, too, though it was none of my doings.  Cousin Egbert kind of sidled along, mumbling about Kitty: