After all, Janice Day did not want to "tell on" Arlo Junior.
Arlo Junior was the child of all others in the neighborhood whom
Miss Peckham carried on guerrilla warfare with. She had
threatened to go to the police station and have Arlo Junior
locked up the very next time he crossed her path in a mischievous
way.

Janice knew that Miss Peckham was a very active member of the
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and if she knew
that Arlo Junior had been in any way connected with Sam's injury,
she would be all the more bitter toward the young rascal.

And really, after all, it was Olga Cedarstrom who had hurt the
cat. But to tell Miss Peckham that, and how it all came about,
would do little to pacify the spinster. So Janice kept silent.
It seemed to her that she had gone about as far in the path of
deceit as she could go.

"You saw him running; what made him run?" repeated Miss Peckham.

"He--he was frightened, I guess, Miss Peckham. There were other
cats. It was early this morning before anybody else was up
around here. The cats all ran out of our yard."

"And I warrant you'd done something to make 'em run," declared
the tart-tongued neighbor. "Oh, I know all you young ones around
here. You ain't no better than the rest of 'em, Janice Day."

"Oh, Miss Peckham!" murmured the girl.