d not be allowed to go out in the city after dark.

"I'll tell you," said Bessie at last. "I can do up a nice
package,--Uncle Tom taught me,--and I'll do it up, and we can take it
away in the daytime; no one will know what it is, and then we can lose
it somewhere."

This plan was adopted. Helen got paper and string, and when everybody
had gone to church that evening, they brought up the poor kitten, and
Bessie made a very neat package which no one could suspect. This they
hid away till they could get it out of the house.

After school the next day they got leave to visit a schoolmate who
lived far up town, and Helen's mother gave them money to ride in the
omnibus--or stage, as they called it--which would take them there.
There were no street cars then.

Hiding the small bundle under her cape, Bessie slipped out at the
door, feeling now not only like a murderer, but like a thief besides.

They took the stage and rode up town, the package lying openly on
Helen's lap. When the stage reached Nineteenth Street it stopped, and
to Helen's horror one of her schoolmates came in. She was delighted to
see the girls, and seated herself beside Helen.

"Where you going?" she asked.

"We're going to see Lottie Hart," answered Helen.

"Why, so am I!" she exclaimed; "ain't it fun that we met so?"

"Yes," said Helen, but she was filled with dismay. How could she get
rid of her package!

"What are you taking up to Lottie?" was the next question, as the
unfortunate bundle was noticed.

"Oh, nothing!" said Helen, trying to speak carelessly; "it's something
of mine."

Julia looked as if she did not believe her but said no more, though
she looked sharply at it.

Meanwhile Helen was trying to plan some way of getting out of the
unpleasant scrape, and at last she said hurriedly, pulling the strap
at the same moment to stop the stage, "We're going to stop here to do
an errand; we'll come on soon. Tell Lottie we're coming," she added,
as she saw the look of surprise on her friend's face.

"Why, I'll stop too--and we'll all go on together," she began, half
rising, but Helen interrupted rather shortly: "No; you go on and tell
her we're coming; we might be detained, you know." And without
another word the two conspirators hurried out and turned down a side
street.

"Wasn't it horrid that Jule should get in?" said Helen, as soon as the
stage had moved on. "She's the greatest tattler in school; she'll make
a great talk about it. Sh