e'll be back some day before Christmas."

"Maow," said Spitfire.

"I'm perfectly sure he understands all I say," said Johnny. "Don't you,
Spitfire?"

"Maow, maow," replied Spitfire.

"There!" said Johnny triumphantly; "I knew he did."

It was the middle of October when Johnny and Rosy left their Aunt
Mary's and went to Grandma Jameson's. Much to their delight, they found
four cats there.

"A good deal better than none," said Johnny.

"Yes," said Rosy, "but they're all old. They won't play tag. They're
real old cats."

"Anyhow, they're better than none," replied Johnny resolutely. "They're
good to hold, and Snowball's a splendid mouser."

These cats' names were "Snowball," "Lappit," "Stonepile," and "Gregory."
This was the old "Gregory" after whom the kitten "Gregory Second" over
at Mendon had been named. "Gregory" had been in the Jameson family a
good many years.

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

IV.

There was another character who had been in the Jameson family a good
many years, about whom I must tell you, because he will come in
presently in connection with this history of the cats. In fact, he has
more to do with the next part of the history than even Johnny and Rosy
have. This is an old colored man who takes care of Grandma Jameson's
farm for her. He is as good an old man as "Uncle Tom" was, in "Uncle
Tom's Cabin," and I'm sure he must be as black. He lives in a little
house in a grove of chestnut and oak trees, just across the meadow from
Grandma Jameson's; and, summer and winter, rain or shine, he is to be
seen every morning at daylight coming up the lane ready for his day's
work. His name is Jerry; he is well known all over Burnet, and he is one
of the old men that nobody ever passes by without speaking. "Hullo,
Jerry!" "How de do, Jerry?" "Is that you, Jerry?" are to be heard on all
sides as Jerry goes through the street.

There is a mule, too, that Jerry drives, which is almost as well known
as Jerry. There is a horse also on the farm; but the horse is so fat he
can't go as fast as the mule does. So the mule and the horse have
gradually changed places in their duties; the horse does the farm work
and the mule goes to town on errands; and there is no more familiar
sight in all the town of Burnet than the Jameson Rockaway drawn by the
mule Nelly, with old Jerry sitting sidewise on the low front seat,
driving. There isn't a week in the year that Jerry doesn't go down to
the railway sta