When he found that he was held, Johnny was simply too mad to scream. He
bit and scratched and tore till he was tired out. Then he lifted up his
voice again to call his mother. She did appear once or twice in
the distance, but could not make up her mind to face that Cat, so
disappeared, and Johnny was left to his fate.

[Illustration]

He put in the most of that day in alternate struggling and crying.
Toward evening he was worn out, and glad to accept the meal that was
brought by Norah, who felt herself called on to play mother, since she
had chased his own mother away.

When night came it was very cold; but Johnny nearly froze at the top of
the post before he would come down and accept the warm bed provided at
the bottom.

During the days that followed, Grumpy came often to the garbage-heap,
but soon apparently succeeded in forgetting all about her son. He was
daily tended by Norah, and received all his meals from her. He also
received something else; for one day he scratched her when she brought
his food, and she very properly spanked him till he squealed. For a few
hours he sulked; he was not used to such treatment. But hunger subdued
him, and thenceforth he held his new guardian in wholesome respect. She,
too, began to take an interest in the poor motherless little wretch, and
within a fortnight Johnny showed signs of developing a new character. He
was much less noisy. He still expressed his hunger in a whining _Er-r-r
Er-r-r Er-r-r,_ but he rarely squealed now, and his unruly outbursts
entirely ceased.