anty by the water tank to stay
until dark. Then I go home as I'm doing now. Sometimes my dog comes to
keep me company, but he didn't come to-day."

"I hope he doesn't bother my kittie," said Sue. She was beginning to
think of Nutty's cat as hers now.

"Oh, Bruno loves cats!" declared the switchman.

He led the children up a hill and away from the railroad. Looking down
the road from the top of the hill Bunny and Sue could see through the
gathering twilight a small village.

"Here's my house," said the switchman a little later, as he turned into
a path that led through a yard and up to a white cottage. A dog ran out,
barking.

"Down, Bruno! Down!" cried the switchman, who had said his name was
Black. "These are friends, and you must be good to them and to the
pussy."

Bruno sniffed around the legs of Bunny and Sue, and he sniffed toward
the cat, though he could not put his nose on her because Sue held her
new pet high in her arms. Then Bruno wagged his tail to show that he
would be friends.

"Hello, Mrs. Black!" called the switchman in a jolly voice to his wife,
who just then came to the side door to look out. "I've brought you
company for supper!"

"Company!" cried Mrs. Black, in surprise.

"Yes, two children and a cat!" laughed her husband. "Guess we'll have to
put 'em up over night!"

Quickly he told of the ride of Bunny and Sue in the freight car, and
Mrs. Black came out, followed by a large maltese cat, and soon made the
Brown children welcome.

"Of course they shall have supper and stay all night," she said in kind
tones which matched the jolly ones of her husband. "And I'll give your
pussy some milk, Sue," she added.

"Thank you," replied Sue. "And do you think my mother will be here after
supper?" she asked.

Mrs. Black did not answer the little girl's question, but talked about
the cat. She did not want to tell Sue that it would be almost impossible
for Mrs. Brown to get there before the next day.

The freight car had not been a very clean place, and if you can get
dirty and grimy traveling in a regular passenger coach, you can imagine
how much more grimy Bunny and Sue got on their trip.

"Come in and wash," went on Mrs. Black, while her husband tossed sticks
for Bruno to race after and bring back to him. It was almost too dark
for the children to see the sticks as they were thrown, but the dog
seemed to know where to find them.

Bunny and Sue washed in a basin, there being no bathroom in t