e wall, and
scooted along the top of it.

Old Mr. Crow was watching for him. And as before, he dropped down near
the wall to talk.

"I hardly expected to see you again," Mr. Crow remarked. "You couldn't
have met the cat."

"Yes!" said Frisky. "I met her. She followed me up a tree. And it's a
wonder she didn't get hurt, though I was careful of her. She had a fall;
but she landed beautifully."

Old Mr. Crow nodded wisely.

"She always lands on her feet," he observed. "And you needn't worry
about her," he added. "You know, they say she has nine lives."

"Nine lives!" Frisky Squirrel exclaimed. "What do you mean, Mr. Crow?"

Now, Mr. Crow really knew a great deal, because he had lived many years.
And he pretended to know still more, because he liked to appear learned.
But this question was a puzzler for him. He simply couldn't answer it.

"You wouldn't understand, even if I explained," he told Frisky Squirrel.
And then he flew away, leaving Frisky to run home and wonder what it
meant to have nine lives.

As for Mr. Crow, he suddenly made up his mind that he would find out
about Miss Kitty Cat's nine lives. He would ask that lady herself. So he
flapped himself over to the big elm in the farmyard, where he cawed and
cawed, hoping that Miss Kitty Cat would appear to see what all the noise
was about.

And sure enough! she soon bounced out of the woodshed door and looked up
at Mr. Crow inquiringly.

"I've been hearing a good deal about; you," Mr. Crow called down to her
in what he considered his sweetest tones, though anybody else would have
said they were quite hoarse. "I know you always manage to land on your
feet--and I can understand that. But what's this I hear about _nine
lives?_"

Miss Kitty Cat only stared at him.

"Perhaps you don't feel like talking," said Mr. Crow. "If you've just
had a fall, maybe you're still a bit shaken up, even if you did land on
your feet. Perhaps you'd rather I came back later."

Miss Kitty Cat suddenly found her voice.

"You've been gossiping with that young squirrel!" she snapped. "I'll
have you know that I'm not shaken up at all. But I'd shake you up if I
could get hold of you!"

Mr. Crow was astonished. He was sure he had been most polite. Yet here
was Miss Kitty Cat as rude as she could be!

He amused himself by jeering at her until she turned her back on him and
went inside the woodshed. And he had to go away without learning
anything at all about the nine lives of