know," he drawled. "If I thought he'd go wherever that sign was I
ain't sure but I'd tack it on the cover of the well out in the yard
yonder."

His fair visitor laughed again. "Why, Jed," she exclaimed. "You
wouldn't want to drown him, would you?"

Jed seemed to reflect. "No-o," he answered, slowly, "don't know's
I would--not in my well, anyhow."

Miss Hunniwell declared that that was all nonsense. "You wouldn't
drown a kitten," she said. "I know that because when Mrs.
Nathaniel Rogers' old white cat brought all her kittens over here
the first of this summer you wouldn't even put them out in the yard
at night, to say nothing of drowning them. All six and the mother
cat stayed here and fairly swarmed over you and ate you out of
house and home. Father said he believed they fed at the first
table and you were taking what was left. It was a mercy the old
cat decided to lead them back to the Rogers' again or I don't know
WHAT might have become of you by this time."

Jed seemed to be thinking; there was a reminiscent twinkle in his
eye.

"The old cat didn't lead 'em back," he said. "Nathaniel took 'em
back. Didn't I ever tell you about that?"

"No, you didn't. You KNOW you didn't. Mr. Rogers took them back?
I can't believe it. He told everywhere about town that he was glad
to get rid of the whole family and, as you and the cats seemed to