Jed?"

Mr. Winslow nodded.

"They were that mornin'," he drawled, solemnly.

"That morning? What do you mean?"

"We-ll, you see, Maud, those kittens were into everything and over
everything most of the time. Four of 'em had got in here early
afore I came downstairs that day and had been playin' hide and hoot
amongst my paint pots. They was green in spots, sure enough, but I
had my doubts as to its bein' fast color."

Maud laughed joyfully over the secret of the green pussies.

"I wish I might have seen that woman's face after the colors began
to wear off her 'rare' kitten," she said.

Jed smiled slightly. "Nathan saw it," he said. "I understood he
had to take back the kitten and give up the seven dollars. He
don't hardly speak to me nowadays. Seems to think 'twas my fault.
I don't hardly think 'twas, do you?"

Miss Hunniwell's call lasted almost an hour. Besides a general
chat concerning Leander Babbit's voluntary enlistment, the subject
which all Orham had discussed since the previous afternoon, she had
a fresh bit of news. The government had leased a large section of
land along the bay at East Harniss, the next village to Orham and
seven or eight miles distant, and there was to be a military