u do, child?
Come give Auntie Forsyth a kiss. I declare! I get hungry for little
girl's kisses, so few of them come my way."

"Goodness! what have you there?"

For what she had supposed to be two gaily dressed dolls sitting side by
side upon the sofa behind Dot, had suddenly moved. Mrs. Forsyth was a
little near-sighted, anyway, and now she was without her glasses, while
her eyes were watering because of the cold.

"Why," said Dot, in a most matter-of-fact way, "it's only Bungle and
Popocatepetl."

"Popo----_who_?" gasped Mrs. Forsyth, at that amazing name.

Dot repeated it. She had learned to pronounce it perfectly and was
rather proud of the accomplishment.

There was another movement on the sofa. The two cats were dressed in
doll clothes, and their activities were somewhat restricted, but they
had sensed the presence of the dog the instant it had come into the
room.

"Oh! oh!" cried Dot, suddenly. "Bungle! you be good. Petal! don't you
dare move!"

The cheerful little dog, quite unsuspicious of harm, had trotted after
its mistress. Despite the clinging doll clothes, the tails of Bungle and
Popocatepetl swelled, their backs went up, and they began to spit!

"Tootsie!" screamed the doctor's wife in alarm.

Dot shouted at the cats, too, but neither they, nor the dog, were in a
mood to obey. The Pomeranian was too scared, and Bungle and Popocatepetl
were too angry.

Tootsie saw her enemies just as the cats leaped. Hampered by the
garments Dot had put upon them, both Bungle and Popocatepetl went
head-over-heels when they first landed on the floor, and with a
frightened "ki, yi!" Tootsie distanced them to the far end of the room.

There was no cover there for the terrified pup, and when the two
cats--clawing at the dresses and threatening vengeance--came after the
dog, Tootsie tried to crawl under the three-sided walnut "whatnot" that
stood in the corner between the windows.

The whatnot was shaky, having only three short, spindle legs. Tootsie
darted under and then darted out again. Bungle got in one free-handed
slap at the little dog as she went under, while Popocatepetl caught her
on the rebound as Tootsie came out.

The long, silky hair of the dog saved her from any injury. But she was
so scared that she yelped as though the claws of both cats had torn her.

"Oh! my poor Tootsie!" wailed the doctor's wife. "They will kill her."

Dot stood, open mouthed. She could not quench the fury of the angered