rain, which would be along in an hour.

"Been anybody here to go up to our house?" asked Jerry. "We got a
postal, sayin' there'd be company down on the three o'clock."

"Well," replied the station-master, looking curiously at Jerry, "there
was some company came on that train for your folks."

"What became on 'em?" said Jerry. "Hev they walked?"

"Well, no; they hain't walked; they're in the Freight Depot," said the
man rather shortly.

Jerry thought this was the queerest thing he ever heard of.

"In the Freight Depot!" exclaimed he. "What'd they go there for? Who be
they?"

"You'll find 'em there," replied the man, and turned on his heel.

Still more bewildered, Jerry hurried to the Freight Depot, which was on
the opposite side of the railroad track, a little farther down. Now I am
wondering if any of you children will guess who the "company" were that
had come from Mendon by the three o'clock train to go to Grandma
Jameson's. It makes me laugh so to think of it, that I can hardly write
the words. I don't believe I shall ever get to be so old that it won't
make me laugh to think about this batch of visitors to Grandma
Jameson's.

It was nothing more nor less than all Johnny Chapman's cats! Yes, all of
them,--Mammy Tittleback, Juniper, Mousiewary, Spitfire, Blacky, Coaley,
Limbab, Lily, Gregory Second, Tottontail, Tottontail's Brother, Beauty,
Clover. There they all were, large as life, and maowing enough to make
you deaf. Poor things! it wasn't that they were uncomfortable, for they
were in a very large box, with three sides made of slats, so they had
plenty of room and plenty of air; but of course they were frightened
almost to death. The box was addressed in very large letters to

CAPTAIN JOHNNY CHAPMAN

AND

FIRST LIEUTENANT ROSE CHAPMAN.

Above this was printed in still bigger letters,

THE GARFIELD CLUB.

Some of the men who were at the station when the box came, were made
very angry by this. They did not know anything about the history of the
cats; and of course they could not see that the thing had any meaning
at all, except as an insult to the Garfield Club in Burnet. It was just
before Election, you see, and at that time all men in the United States
are so excited they become very touchy on the subject of politics; and
all the Garfield men who saw this great box of mewing cats labelled the
"Garfield Club" thought the thing had been done by some Democrat