Amelia, 'scuse me fer interruptin', but did your nice old gray cat mebbe foller you down here, and could it a' ben her out on our front porch fightin' with Bob Sykes's yellow dog? 'Cause ef 'tis, sumpin' ought to be done right off, 'r he'll make hash out a' her. S'pose you come down an' look. I wouldn't like to make a mistake 'bout it."
Miss Amelia placed her hand upon her heart and looked helplessly at Marcia for an instant. " Oh, my dear, you don't suppose " she began, in a trembling voice quite unlike her usual tones. Then she gathered up her shawl, which had slipped off her shoulders, and utterly unheeding that her bonnet was awry she hurried down the stairs after the sympathetic Miranda.
" Come right out here, softly," Miranda said, opening the front door cautiously. " Why, they must a' gone around the house!"
The old lady followed the girl out on the porch, and together they looked on both sides of the house, but there was no trace of dog or cat, any more than if, like the gingham dog and the calico cat of later days, they had "eaten each other up." " Where could they a' gone ? " inquired Miranda, excitedly. " Maybe I ought a' jus' called you and stayed here an' watched, but I was afraid to wake baby. You don't suppose that cat would a' run home, an' he after her? Is that them up the street? Don't you see a whirl o' dust in the road? Would you like me to go an' see? Cause I'm most afraid if she's tried to run home; for Bob Sykes he’s trained that dog to run races, an' he's a tumble fast runner, an' your cat is gettin' on in years. It might go hard with her." Miranda's sympathetic tone quite excited the old lady, whose old gray cat was very dear to her, being the last descendant of an ancient line of cats traditional in the family.
" No, Miranda, you just stay right here. Mrs. Spafford might need you after all this excitement. Tell her not to worry until I know the worst. I will go right home and see if anything has happened to Matthew. It really would be very distressing to me and my sister. If he has escaped from that dog he will need attention. Just tell Mrs. Spafford I will come down or send Hortense to-morrow as I promised." And the dignified old lady hurried off up the village street, for once unmindful of her dignity.
" Miranda! " called Marcia, when she had waited a reasonable time for the aunt's return and not even the girl presented herself.
Miranda appeared in a minute, with meek yet triumphant mien.
Marcia's eyes were laughing, but she tried to look grave.
" Miranda," she began, trying to suppress the merriment in her voice, " did you really see that cat out there ? "
Miranda put on a dogged air and hesitated for a reply.
" Well, I heard a dog bark " she began.
" Miranda, was that quite honest!" protested Marcia, who felt she ought to try to improve the moral standard of the girl thus under her charge and influence.
" I don't see anythin' wrong with that," asserted Miranda. " I didn't say a word that want true. I'm always careful 'bout that sence I see how much you think of such things. I asked her ef it might a' ben her cat, an' how do I know but 'twas? And it would be easy to a' ben Bob Sykes's dog, if she was round, for that dog never lets a cat come on this block. Anyway I heard a dog bark, and I thought it sounded like Bob's dog's voice. I'm pretty good on sounds."
" But you shouldn't frighten Aunt Amelia. She's an old lady, and it isn't good for old people to get frightened. You know she thinks a great deal of her cat."
" Well, it ain't good fer you to be badgered, and Mr. David told me to look after you, an' I'm doin' it the best way I know how. If I don't do it right I s'pose you'll send me back to Grandma's an' then who'll take care of that blessed baby!"
When Marcia told it all to David he laughed until the tears came.
" Good for Miranda!" he said. " She'll do, and Aunt Amelia'll never know what happened to poor old
Miss Amelia placed her hand upon her heart and looked helplessly at Marcia for an instant. " Oh, my dear, you don't suppose " she began, in a trembling voice quite unlike her usual tones. Then she gathered up her shawl, which had slipped off her shoulders, and utterly unheeding that her bonnet was awry she hurried down the stairs after the sympathetic Miranda.
" Come right out here, softly," Miranda said, opening the front door cautiously. " Why, they must a' gone around the house!"
The old lady followed the girl out on the porch, and together they looked on both sides of the house, but there was no trace of dog or cat, any more than if, like the gingham dog and the calico cat of later days, they had "eaten each other up." " Where could they a' gone ? " inquired Miranda, excitedly. " Maybe I ought a' jus' called you and stayed here an' watched, but I was afraid to wake baby. You don't suppose that cat would a' run home, an' he after her? Is that them up the street? Don't you see a whirl o' dust in the road? Would you like me to go an' see? Cause I'm most afraid if she's tried to run home; for Bob Sykes he’s trained that dog to run races, an' he's a tumble fast runner, an' your cat is gettin' on in years. It might go hard with her." Miranda's sympathetic tone quite excited the old lady, whose old gray cat was very dear to her, being the last descendant of an ancient line of cats traditional in the family.
" No, Miranda, you just stay right here. Mrs. Spafford might need you after all this excitement. Tell her not to worry until I know the worst. I will go right home and see if anything has happened to Matthew. It really would be very distressing to me and my sister. If he has escaped from that dog he will need attention. Just tell Mrs. Spafford I will come down or send Hortense to-morrow as I promised." And the dignified old lady hurried off up the village street, for once unmindful of her dignity.
" Miranda! " called Marcia, when she had waited a reasonable time for the aunt's return and not even the girl presented herself.
Miranda appeared in a minute, with meek yet triumphant mien.
Marcia's eyes were laughing, but she tried to look grave.
" Miranda," she began, trying to suppress the merriment in her voice, " did you really see that cat out there ? "
Miranda put on a dogged air and hesitated for a reply.
" Well, I heard a dog bark " she began.
" Miranda, was that quite honest!" protested Marcia, who felt she ought to try to improve the moral standard of the girl thus under her charge and influence.
" I don't see anythin' wrong with that," asserted Miranda. " I didn't say a word that want true. I'm always careful 'bout that sence I see how much you think of such things. I asked her ef it might a' ben her cat, an' how do I know but 'twas? And it would be easy to a' ben Bob Sykes's dog, if she was round, for that dog never lets a cat come on this block. Anyway I heard a dog bark, and I thought it sounded like Bob's dog's voice. I'm pretty good on sounds."
" But you shouldn't frighten Aunt Amelia. She's an old lady, and it isn't good for old people to get frightened. You know she thinks a great deal of her cat."
" Well, it ain't good fer you to be badgered, and Mr. David told me to look after you, an' I'm doin' it the best way I know how. If I don't do it right I s'pose you'll send me back to Grandma's an' then who'll take care of that blessed baby!"
When Marcia told it all to David he laughed until the tears came.
" Good for Miranda!" he said. " She'll do, and Aunt Amelia'll never know what happened to poor old
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