"Why, how kind of you, my dear! It's a beauty!" she exclaimed, gazing at
the cherub through her spectacles. She was a good judge of pictures.
"That face is well drawn, and the clouds are fleecy. Did you really do
it your own self--and for me? Thank you, dear child!"

Edith blushed with pleasure. She had by no means counted on such praise.

"I'll always be kind to old people after this," she thought. "I believe
they care more about it than you think they do."

But here they were interrupted by the very loud mewing of a cat out of
doors. They both ran downstairs to see what it meant.

"I do hope and trust it isn't my Zee," cried Edith in alarm.

But it was. They did not see her at first; she was in the back yard
behind the hotel. It seems a pan of clams had been left standing on the
back door-step; and Zee must have been frolicking about the pan, never
dreaming any live creature was in it, when one of the clams, attracted
by her black waving tail, had caught the tip of the tail in his mouth
and was holding it fast!

This was pretty severe. Being only an ignorant bivalve, the clam did not
know that what he had in his mouth was a very precious article, the
"prize tail" of a beautiful cat. But having once taken hold of it, the
clam was too obstinate to let go.

Poor Zee jumped up and down, and ran around in circles, mewing with all
her might. What had happened she did not know; she only knew some heavy
thing was dragging at her tail and pinching it fearfully. Every one in