sleepy. She roamed about the fields, or
crept through the tree-tops with a stealthy tread and a tigerish working
of her tail. Folk smaller than Miss Kitty never cared to meet her at
such times. They knew that she would spring upon them if she had a
chance. So they took good care to keep out of her way. And if they
caught sight of her when she had her hunting manner they always gave
the alarm in their own fashion, warning their friends to beware of the
monster Miss Kitty Cat, because she was abroad and in a dangerous mood.

Johnnie Green liked Miss Kitty. Often she would come to him and rub
against him and purr, fairly begging him to stroke her back. Unless he
pulled her tail at such times she kept her claws carefully out of sight
and basked under Johnnie's petting.

If he had been her size and she had been his, Miss Kitty Cat might not
have been so harmless. She might have played with Johnnie, as she
sometimes played with a mouse. But Johnnie Green never stopped to think
of anything like that. And if he had, he would have thought it a great
joke. He would have laughed at the idea of Miss Kitty Cat holding him
beneath her paw.

II

DOG SPOT'S PLANS

SOMEHOW old dog Spot and Miss Kitty Cat never became good friends. By
the time Miss Kitty Cat arrived on the farm in Pleasant Valley Spot had
lived there several years.

From the first day he met Miss Kitty in the kitchen Spot hadn't liked
her. Yet he claimed at the time that he was glad to see her. He said
that he could tell at once that he was going to have great sport with
her. He knew it would be fun to chase her!

Inside the farmhouse old Spot was careful how he behaved. The moment
Miss Kitty first set eyes on him she scurried under the table, where
she crouched and glared at him. That was scarcely what you might call a
friendly greeting. And Spot would have barked at her had he dared.

Since he didn't, he only whined a bit through his nose. You couldn't
have told what he meant by the sound.

Miss Kitty Cat didn't like his whining. She even opened her mouth wide
and said as much. She made an odd hissing noise, which amused old Spot
greatly. And he told Miss Kitty, in what was almost a growl (except that
it wasn't loud enough for one), "Wait till I catch you out of doors, my
lady! I'll have some fun with you."

Then Farmer Green's wife opened the door and told Spot to be gone.

"You ought to be ashamed of yourself--" she scolded--"teasing a poor
litt