nd I jumped back, not
looking for anything live, but I see in a minute it was a cat; and
perhaps you think it is a big story, but there were eight more in there,
hived in together to keep warm. I car'd 'em up some new fish that night;
they seemed short of provisions. We hadn't been out fishing as much as
common, and they hadn't dared to be round the fish-houses much, for a
fellow who came in on a coaster had a dog, and he used to chase 'em.
Hard chance they had, and lots of 'em died, I guess; but there seem to
be some survivin' relatives, an' al'ays just so hungry! I used to feed
them some when I was ashore. I think likely you've heard that a cat will
fetch you bad luck; but I don't know's that made much difference to me.
I kind of like to keep on the right side of 'em, too; if ever I have a
bad dream there's sure to be a cat in it; but I was brought up to be
clever to dumb beasts, an' I guess it's my natur'. Except fish," said
Danny after a minute's thought; "but then it never seems like they had
feelin's like creatur's that live ashore." And we all laughed heartily
and felt well acquainted.

"I s'pose you misses will laugh if I tell ye I kept a kitty once
myself." This was said rather shyly, and there was evidently a story, so
we were much interested, and Kate said, "Please tell us about it; was it
at sea?"

"Yes, it was at sea; leastways, on a coaster. I got her in a sing'lar
kind of way: it was one afternoon we were lying alongside Charlestown
Bridge, and I heard a young cat screeching real pitiful; and after I
looked all round, I see her in the water clutching on to the pier of the
bridge, and some little divils of boys were heaving rocks down at her. I
got into the schooner's tag-boat quick, I tell ye, and pushed off for
her, 'n' she let go just as I got there, 'n' I guess you never saw a
more miser'ble-looking creatur' than I fished out of the water. Cold
weather it was. Her leg was hurt, and her eye, and I thought first I'd
drop her overboard again, and then I didn't, and I took her aboard the
schooner and put her by the stove. I thought she might as well die where
it was warm. She eat a little mite of chowder before night, but she was
very slim; but next morning, when I went to see if she was dead, she
fell to licking my finger, and she did purr away like a dolphin. One of
her eyes was out, where a stone had took her, and she never got any use
of it, but she used to look at you so clever with the other, and sh