me in vain, the old hound gave it
up, and went back to the house.

"You see," said Mother Wa-poose, "if it wasn't for the fire-sticks, the
hounds would not bother us much. Why will the house people be so cruel
to us? We never harm them. Last fall the fire-sticks killed six of my
children." And Mother Wa-poose's eyes filled with tears at the thought.

"It is too bad," said little Luke, "but Uncle Mark says that if some of
the rabbits weren't killed off every year, they'd soon eat all the grass
from the sheep and cows, and we wouldn't be able to raise any cabbages
or turnips at all. Besides, you know, the house people like rabbit's
flesh to eat. I used to eat it myself, but I'll never do it any more."

"How dreadful!" said Mother Wa-poose. "I don't see how anybody can eat
flesh. Clover, or a nice, tender cabbage leaf is a good deal better."

XXVI. MOTHER WA-POOSE AND OLD KLAWS THE HOUSE CAT

A few days after little Luke saw something that gave him a new feeling
of respect for Mother Wa-poose.

He was going up to make her another visit. As he came near the brush
pile, he heard a thump! thump! thump! "That's Mother Wa-poose," said he
to himself, "and she's angry about something. I wonder what can be the
matter."

He went around to the other side of the brush pile and then he knew.
There was Old Klaws the House Cat, his tail twitching and his round eyes
shining hungrily.

Just as the boy caught sight of the old cat, Mother Wa-poose sprang out
of the thicket. She sprang straight at Old Klaws. The cat snarled and
shrank to one side. But Mother Wa-poose was too quick for him. As she
went over, she struck him a sounding thwack with her hind feet. It
fairly made the old cat's ribs crack, and he rolled over and over down
the slope. In a second he sprang up, snarling and spitting. Again Mother
Wa-poose sprang at him. This time she hit him squarely on the side of
the head. Old Klaws went down, rolling over several times before he
could right himself. The last thwack took all the fight out of him. He
scrambled to his feet and went flying down the hillside at his best
speed.

[Illustration]

"There," said old Mother Wa-poose, "I guess he'll know enough to keep
away from here after this."

"Why, Mother Wa-poose," said the little boy, "I didn't know that you
were such a fighter."

"Well," said Mother Wa-poose, "we of the Wa-poose family never fight if
we can help it. We'd rather run. But we aren't really afraid of