drowned him,
and his ghost's sitting on the shed roof! Oh, mother!"

Grandfather Wellman was confined to his chair with rheumatism, but he
arose. "Pushed Seventoes into the well," he repeated, while Benjamin's
mother turned as pale as her son.

"I have--I have," sobbed Benjamin. "I didn't know I was going to, but I
have. And he's in the well, and he's sitting on the shed roof too. Oh!"

"What do you mean?" his mother gasped. "Stop acting so, and tell me what
you've done."

"I pushed Seventoes into the old well. I didn't know I was going to, but
I did; and he's dead in there, and he's on the shed roof. Oh, mother!"

"You 'ain't pushed that cat into the well?" groaned Grandfather Wellman.
"If you have--" He was trying to limp across the kitchen with his cane.
He, too, was pale, and trembling from head to foot. "Hannah," he said to
Benjamin's mother, "you come right along quick, and see if we can't get
him out. I wouldn't take a hundred dollars for that cat."

Benjamin's mother started. Benjamin, sobbing and trembling, was clinging
to her. Just then _Seventoes walked in through the east door_, his
splendid ringed tail waving a little uneasily, but not a hair of him was
hurt. A frightened cat can run faster than a guilty little boy, and
Seventoes had found his unusual number of claws of good service in
climbing a well and retarding his progress towards the bottom.

They all looked.

"Is it--Seventoes?" gasped Benjamin, with wild eyes.

"Of course it's Seventoes," growled his grandfather. "I'd like to know
what you've been cutting up so for. Pussy, pussy, pussy."

Benjamin's mother took him over to the sink, and put some water on his
head, and made him drink some. "There's no such thing as a ghost, and
you're acting very silly," said she; "but I don't wonder you are scared,
when you've done such a dreadful thing. It scares me to think of it. It
was 'most as bad as killing somebody. I never thought a boy of mine
would do such a thing. Grandsir good as he is to you, too."

"I--won't ever do so--again," sobbed Benjamin, all trembling. "I'm
sorry; I _am_ sorry."

Benjamin was not whipped, the scourging of his own conscience had been
severe enough, but he sat pale and sober in the kitchen, while grandsir,
with Seventoes on his knees, and his mother talked to him.

"If you ever do anything like this again, Benjamin," said his
grandfather, "I shall be ha'sh with you, ha'sher than I've ever been,
and you must remembe