Dinah gave a scream.

“Oh—­a rat!” she cried.

“Maybe it’s only a little mouse—­I like a funny little mouse,” said Flossie.

“Well, I don’t,” said Dinah.  “They eats mah food.”

“Maybe it’s only a little mole from the garden,” went on Mr. Bobbsey.

“It’s bigger’n a ground mole!” declared Freddie.  “I saw it, an’ it’s long and brown and has legs an’ brown eyes that shine.”

“Well, whatever it is it can’t be very dangerous,” said Mr. Bobbsey.  “If it was, Snoop never would have dared to get it.  But I don’t want to reach under there in the dark and perhaps get bitten and scratched by Snoop, or whatever he has.  We’ll wait for the flash light.”

Bert now came running in with this, Sam following when he heard that the cat had something strange under the table in the kitchen.

“Dey suah am lots ob t’ings happenin’ dis day,” observed Sam.

Mr. Bobbsey flashed the light under the table.  The four twins had stooped down to get a better view, and Freddie cried: 

“I see its eyes shining!”

“I can see its tail!  Oh, no, that’s Snoop’s tail!” added Flossie.

“Snoop, what have you there?  Stop growling and give it to me!” demanded Mr. Bobbsey, thrusting his hand under the table.

“Be careful,” advised his wife.  “It may bite.”

Mr. Bobbsey laughed and thrust his hand farther under the table.  There was a little scuffle as Snoop tried to hold fast to what he had.  He clung so hard to it with teeth and claws that he was dragged over the smooth linoleum on the floor.

“Here’s your wild beast!” cried Mr. Bobbsey, as he arose, and held something covered with brown fur dangling from one hand.

“What is it?” asked Mrs. Bobbsey.  “That’s not a rat.”

“No, it’s your fur neck piece,” her husband said, with a laugh.

“Oh, I wore it to the picnic, for I thought it would be cool coming home,” said Mrs. Bobbsey, as she took the piece of fur.  “And I laid it on the hall table.  I forgot about Snoop.  He must have seen it, thought it was a strange animal, and carried it away with him.  Oh, Snoop!” and she shook her finger at the cat which, now that it had nothing to play with, came out from beneath the table.

“It does look like an animal,” said Nan.

And indeed the fur piece did.  For it was fashioned with an imitation of an animal’s head, with yellow glass eyes.  The fur piece was quite long and four little legs were fastened to it.  So that it is no wonder a cat, or even a boy or a girl, at first look, would take it for something real.

“Well, Snoop had a good time with it, while it lasted,” said Mr. Bobbsey, with a laugh.

“And my fur wouldn’t have lasted much longer with him, if he’d started to claw and bite it,” remarked Mrs. Bobbsey.  “I’m glad you called me in, Dinah.”

“Yessum, Ah thought maybe yo’d better see what the cat had, ’cause Ah couldn’t make out what ’twas,” the cook answered.