thing, but it didn't seem to have much effect. Then--"

"Yes, yes; go on! go on!"

"Oh. . . . Then one day Nate he happened to be in here--come to
borrow somethin', some tool seems to me 'twas--and the cats was
climbin' round promiscuous same as usual. And one of the summer
women came in while he was here, wanted a mill for her little niece
or somethin'. And she saw one of the animals and she dropped
everything else and sang out: 'Oh, what a beautiful kitten! What
unusual coloring! May I see it?' Course she was seein' it
already, but I judged she meant could she handle it, so I tried to
haul the critter loose from my leg--there was generally one or more
of 'em shinnin' over me somewhere. It squalled when I took hold of
it and she says: 'Oh, it doesn't want to come, does it! It must
have a very affectionate disposition to be so attached to you.'
Seemed to me 'twas attached by its claws more'n its disposition,
but I pried it loose and handed it to her. Then she says again,
'What unusual colorin'! Will you sell this one to me? I'll give
you five dollars for it.'"

He stopped again. Another reminder from Miss Hunniwell was
necessary to make him continue.

"And you sold one of those kittens for five dollars?" she cried.

"No-o."

"You didn't? Why, you foolish man! Why not?"

"I never had a chance. Afore I could say a word Nate Rogers spoke
up and said the kittens belonged to him. Then she saw another one
that she hadn't seen afore and she says: 'Oh, that one has more
unusual colorin's even than this. I never saw such color in a
cat.' Course she meant ON a cat but we understood what she meant.
'Are they a very rare breed?' she asked. Nate said they was and--"

Miss Hunniwell interrupted. "But they weren't, were they?" she
cried. "I never knew they were anything more than plain tabby."

Jed shook his head. "Nate said they was," he went on solemnly.
"He said they were awful rare. Then she wanted to know would he
sell one for five dollars. He said no, he couldn't think of it."

"Why, the greedy old thing!"

"And so he and she had it back and forth and finally they struck a
bargain at seven dollars for the one that looked most like a crazy
quilt."

"Seven dollars for a CAT? What color was it, for goodness' sake?"

"Oh, all kinds, seemed so. Black and white and maltee and blue and
red and green--"

"Green! What ARE you talking about? Who ever saw a green cat?"

"This woman saw one t