“But you have enough to eat,” said a thin cat who sat under the tree and who was looking up longingly at the birds.  “No one gives me anything to eat until I cry for it.  Then I am scolded for making such a noise.  I should be glad to catch mice, if there were any to be found in our house.”

“Still, you have a home,” said a faint voice.  “It is something to be thankful for, if you have a place to sleep.”

All turned to see where the voice came from.  A forlorn cat came out timidly from the currant bushes.  It made Robert’s heart ache to look at her.

“You had a good home a few weeks ago,” said Prince, “though I must say I hardly knew you when you came up.  Do have some of my dinner.  I am not hungry myself.”

“Thank you,” said the newcomer gratefully.  “Yes, I had a good home, and the children were kind to me.  They have gone to the seashore now, and the house is shut up.  They are not coming back for weeks.  I don’t believe I can live till then.  I wish I were dead.  I should be thankful if somebody would be kind enough to kill me.”

Her voice died out in a wail of despair.

Robert’s eyes were full of tears, and he began to sob.  Then he heard his mother say: 

“Why, my boy, what are you dreaming about?  Wake up, dear.  It is almost supper time, and papa is coming up the street.”

“Oh, mother!” said Robert, “I have had such a bad dream!  I am sure I shall never be cruel to poor Snowball again.”

[Illustration:  A farm yard]

Robert on A farm.

When Robert was ten years old, he spent several weeks on a farm.  He had always lived in the city, and he was eager to know something of country life.

The farmer, Mr. Spencer, promised to teach Robert all that he could about the animals on the farm.  The boy had not been long in his new home before he ran to the barn.  There were three cows in the barn and two horses.  They looked very comfortable and happy.

“What wide stalls they have!” said Robert, “and I never saw a cow in a box stall before.”

“Yes,” said James, who was milking the cows, “all these stalls are wide enough for the cows and horses to lie down whenever they like.  Do you see, too, that the animals face the barn, instead of staring at a blank wall all day?”

“It must be more fun to look into the barn than at a few boards,” said Robert, “but I never thought of it before.”

“They like to watch what is going on,” said James, “and they have better air than they would in a close stall.”

“What delicious milk we had last night!” said Robert, stooping to rub Clover’s head, to her great delight.

“Our cows give good milk,” said James.  “Mr. Spencer makes his cows happy, and he finds that it pays.  Only last week he sent off a boy because he made the cows run on the way to the pasture.  You know that injures the cows and spoils the milk.”