n, with everything on 'em but
their heads. One woman was lugging a lot of salt pork, 'because she
couldn't bear to have the Britishers eat it all up;' and another woman
was carrying away a lot of candles hanging by a string, and the sun
had melted the last drop of tallow, leaving the wicks dangling against
the tallow on her dress, but she didn't know it; and mother, would
you believe it--Mr. Timothy Atwater told Captain Hotchkiss that he
met a woman whom he knew hurrying out of town with a cat in her arms.
When he asked her where her children were, she said, 'Why, at home I
suppose.' 'Well,' said Mr. Atwater, 'hadn't you better leave the cat
and go back and get them?' And she said, 'Perhaps she had,' and went
back for 'em."

"What became of the cat?" asked Mrs. Melicent Porter.

"Why, Aunt Melicent, how nice!" cried Stephen, running back to the
porch and returning with a cat in his arms.

"I've fetched her to you. I _knew_ you loved cats so! Here she is,
black as ink, and she stuck to the saddle every step of the way like a
true soldier's cat. I was afraid she'd run away when I took her off
the saddle, and I hid her. You know mother don't like cats around
under her feet."

In a minute pussy was on the floor, and the last drop of milk in the
house was set before her by little Polly Lewis. Little Melicent
cooed softly to her, while Stephen and Stiles went on with their
story,--from which it was learned that the boys had gone within a
mile of Hotchkisstown (now Westville), where, from a height, they
had a view of the British troops. The lads were filled with
admiration of the marching, "as though it was all one motion," of
the "mingling colors of the uniforms worn, as the bright red of the
English Foot Guards blended with the graver hues of the dress worn
by the German mercenaries," and of "the waving line of glittering
bayonets."

"We didn't see," said Stephen, "but just one flash of musketry,
because Stiles's father said we must start that instant for home, and
he told Stiles to stay here until morning, and we haven't had a
mouthful to eat since breakfast, and its been the hottest day that
ever was, and I'm tired to death."

"And the cows are on the hill and nobody here to fetch them down,"
sighed Mr. Porter.

"Such a lot of captains waiting to see you, father!" announced Polly.
"There's Captain Woodruff and Captain Castle and Captain Richards and
a Fenn captain and a Garnsey captain. I forget the rest." The ca