But Dot was not feeling ambitious that morning.

"They're awfully heavy to carry," she said, "and they cry."

Then Twaddles showed that he had spent much time and thought on his
plan.

"We'll only carry one--for a sample!" he told her triumphantly. "A cat
is a cat, isn't it? And we'll explain they have different colors but
look just alike except for that. We'll go to different houses, the way
Mr. Hambert does, and let folks order a kitten. Then we can take it to
them."

"Mr. Hambert has samples!" cried Dot, beginning to understand. "Easter
he has a nest and Christmas he has spun sugar Santa Clauses--and he
only takes one. We can do it, can't we, Twaddles?"

"Didn't I just say we could?" demanded Twaddles. "Which one is the
best sample?"

They hastily upset the box and the kittens rolled out on the floor.
Dot wanted to take a black one and Twaddles leaned toward the yellow
one, so, not without some argument, they finally compromised on the
"tiger" kitten.

Mother Blossom and Aunt Polly were busy in the house, and when
Twaddles and Dot came in to get their hats and coats and explained
they thought they could find a home for a kitten, no one objected to
their going out. They could go anywhere in Oak Hill with perfect
safety and they knew just about every one in the town.

"We won't say anything about finding homes for all of the kittens,"
said Twaddles as he stuffed the "sample" inside his coat, "because if
we can't get folks to take them, Bobby and Meg will laugh. Where'll we
go first, Dot?"

"The grocery store," said Dot, who couldn't get Mr. Hambert and his
methods of doing business out of her mind.

"Grocery stores don't want cats," Twaddles argued. Nevertheless he
turned up the street that would lead him to the main store in Oak
Hill, where kind Mr. Hambert was a clerk when he wasn't out delivering
orders in the country.

"They do, too," shot back Dot. "They need cats to keep the mice
away--Meg said so once. Anyway, we can ask 'em."

There were a number of people in the store lined up before the counter
and the twins had to await their turn. They were so interested in
watching one of the clerks slice ham with a machine, that when Mr.
Hambert came up to them, smiling, and asked what he could do for them,
they jumped.

"We don't want to buy anything," said Twaddles hesitatingly.

"Then you must be selling something," Mr. Hambert laughed good-naturedly.

"No--but we came to see if you didn't want