What was she to do?  She picked up the white kitten, and ran to the barn with it.  Then she made haste to the house again, and went upstairs to the lady’s room.  The lady was playing with her baby and when Mother Cat saw this she rubbed against her skirts, and cried:  “Mee-ow, mee-ow!  You have your baby, and I want mine!  Mee-ow, mee-ow!”

By and by the lady said:  “Poor Kitty! she must be hungry”; and she went down to the kitchen and poured sweet milk in a saucer, but the cat did not want milk.  She wanted her baby kitten out of the big black trunk, and she mewed as plainly as she could:  “Give me my baby—­give me my baby, out of your big black trunk!”

The kind lady decided that she must be thirsty:  “Poor Kitty, I will give you water”; but when she set the bowl of water down Mrs. Tabby Gray mewed more sorrowfully than before.  She wanted no water,—­she only wanted her dear baby kitten; and she ran to and fro, crying, until, at last, the lady followed her; and she led the way to the trunk.

“What can be the matter with this cat?” said the lady; and she took the trunk key out of her pocket, put it in the lock, unlocked the trunk, raised the top—­and in jumped Mother Cat with such a bound that the little black kitten waked up with a start.

[Illustration:  The lady followed her; and she led the way to the trunk.]

“Purr, purr, my darling child,” said Mrs. Tabby Gray, in great excitement; “I have had a dreadful fright!” and before the black kitten could ask one question she picked him up and started for the barn.

The sun was bright in the barnyard and the hens were still chattering there; but the black kitten was glad to get back to the barn.  His mother was glad, too; for, as she nestled down in the hay with her three little kittens, she told them that a barn was the best place after all to raise children.

And she never afterwards changed her mind.

FLEET WING AND SWEET VOICE

    MOTTO FOR THE MOTHER

Make the home-coming sweet!  The gladness of going, The pleasure of knowing Will not be complete Unless, at the ending, The home-coming’s sweet.

    Make the home-coming sweet! 
    No fear of the straying,
    Or dread of the staying
    Of dear little feet,
    If always you’re making
    The home-coming sweet.

Mother and Father Pigeon lived with their two young pigeons in their home, built high on a post in the king’s barnyard.  Every bright morning they would fly away through the beautiful sunshine wherever they pleased, but, when evening came, they were sure to come to the pigeon-house again.

One evening, when they were talking together in their sweet, cooing way, Mother Pigeon said:—­

“We each have a story to tell, I know; so let each one take his turn, and Father Pigeon begin.”

Then Father Pigeon said:—­

“To-day I have been down to the shining little stream that runs through the wood.  The green ferns grow on either side of it, and the water is cool, cool, cool! for I dipped my feet into it, and wished that you all were there.”