On this occasion Beechnut began as follows: 

“Once there was a girl about three years old, and she had a large black cat.  The cat was of a jet black color, and her fur was very soft and glossy.  It was as soft as silk.

“This cat was very mischievous and very sly.  She was very sly:  very indeed.  In fact she used to go about the house so very slyly, getting into all sorts of mischief which the people could never find out till afterwards, that they gave her the name of Sligo.  Some people said that the reason why she had that name was because she came from a place called Sligo, in Ireland.  But that was not the reason.  It was veritably and truly because she was so sly.”

Beechnut pronounced this decision in respect to the etymological import of the pussy’s name in the most grave and serious manner, and Malleville and Phonny listened with profound attention.

“What was the girl’s name?” asked Malleville.

“The girl’s?” repeated Beechnut.  “Oh, her name was—­Arabella.”

“Well, go on,” said Malleville.

“One day,” continued Beechnut, “Sligo was walking about the house, trying to find something to do.  She came into the parlor.  There was nobody there.  She looked about a little, and presently she saw a work-basket upon the corner of a table, where Arabella’s mother had been at work.  Sligo began to look at the basket, thinking that it would make a good nest for her to sleep in, if she could only get it under the clock.  The clock stood in a corner of the room.

“Sligo accordingly jumped up into a chair, and from the chair to the table, and then pushing the basket along nearer and nearer to the edge of the table, she at last made it fall over, and all the sewing and knitting work, and the balls, and needles, and spools, fell out upon the floor.  Sligo then jumped down and pushed the basket along toward the clock.  She finally got it under the clock, crept into it, curled herself round into the form of a semicircle inside, so as just to fill the basket, and went to sleep.

“Presently Arabella came in, and seeing the spools and balls upon the floor, began to play with them.  In a few minutes more, Arabella’s mother came in, and when she saw Arabella playing with these things upon the floor, she supposed that Arabella herself was the rogue that had thrown the basket off the table.  Arabella could not talk much.  When her mother accused her of doing this mischief, she could only say “No;” “no;” but her mother did not believe her.  So she made her go and stand up in the corner of the room, for punishment, while Sligo peeped out from under the clock to see.”

“But you said that Sligo was asleep,” said Phonny.

“Yes, she went to sleep,” replied Beechnut, “but she waked up when Arabella’s mother came into the room.”

Beechnut here paused a moment to consider what he should say next, when suddenly he began to point forward to a little distance before them in the road, where a boy was to be seen at the side of the road, sitting upon a stone.