airs, he would
fly off the bed and sneak down the other pair, so that she caught him
but rarely.

Snoop was a very clean cat and was continually washing his face and his
ears. Around his neck Flossie placed a blue ribbon, and it was amusing
to see Snoop try to wash it off. But after a while, having spoilt
several ribbons, he found they would not wash off, and so he let them
alone, and in the end appeared very proud of them.

One day, when Snoop had been in the house but a few months, he could
not be found anywhere.

"Snoop! Snoop!" called Freddie, upstairs and down, but the kitten did
not answer, nor did he show himself. Then Flossie called him and made a
search, but was equally unsuccessful.

"Perhaps somebody has stolen him," said Freddie soberly.

"Nobody been heah to steal dat kitten," answered Dinah. "He's jess
sneaked off, dat's all."

All of the children had been invited to a party that afternoon and Nan
was going to wear her new set of furs. After having her hair brushed,
and putting on a white dress, Nan went to the closet in which her furs
were kept in the big box.

"Well, I never!" she ejaculated. "Oh, Snoop! however could you do it!"

For there, curled up on the set of furs, was the kitten, purring as
contentedly as could be. Never before had he found a bed so soft or so
to his liking. But Nan made him rouse up in a hurry, and after that when
she closed the closet she made quite sure that Snoop was not inside.

The party to be held that afternoon was at the home of Grace Lavine, the
little girl who had fainted from so much rope jumping. Grace was over
that attack, and was now quite certain that when her mamma told her to
do a thing or to leave it alone, it was always for her own good.

"Mamma knows best," she said to Nan. "I didn't think so then, but I do
now."

The party was a grand affair and over thirty young people were present,
all dressed in their best. They played all sorts of games such as many
of my readers must already know, and then some new games which the big
boys and girls introduced.

One game was called Hunt the Beans. A handful of dried beans was hidden
all over the rooms, in out-of-the-way corners, behind the piano, in
vases, and like that, and at the signal to start every girl and boy
started to pick up as many as could be found. The search lasted just
five minutes, and at the end of that time the one having the most beans
won the game.

"Now let us play Three-word Letters