 CHAPTER 11 Blackie is Sad That's the time I scared a dog," said Blackie to herself, laughing. For she had not hurt him, and she had stopped him from biting her, which was a good thing. I suppose it would be nicer if dogs and cats were more friendly, but they never seemed to be that way, at least not very often. Then Blackie saw something strange. Up on the stoop was what seemed to be a little baby girl lying down. The dog ran up to the baby and began barking at her. My goodness, said Blackie. He'll bite the child that dog will. That must not be. I'll stop him. I'm not afraid of him. Up the stoop ran Blackie. The dog was barking so hard at the baby that he did not see nor hear Blackie. She went close up behind him and cried in cat and dog language. Here, you let that little baby alone, if you please. What's that? Are you talking to me?" asked the dog as he began to turn around, not knowing who was speaking to him. Yes, I am, answered Blackie. Go on now. Run away and let the child alone. I will not, said the dog. And then he turned all the way around and saw the big black cat. Up went Blackie's back again. Her tail grew as large around as a big brush, and how she hissed. Zizz. Oh, yeah, oh, wow, how the dog. It's that cat again. She's after me. Away he ran, down off the stoop, and Blackie could not help laughing at him, for she had not hurt him at all. I guess I made him let that baby alone, thought Blackie. Don't be afraid, little one, said Blackie, though she knew, of course, that no child could understand cat-talk. And then, to her surprise, Blackie saw that it was not a live baby at all, but a large doll, such as Mabel used to play with. Well, did you ever, exclaimed Blackie? I thought it was a real child. It looked so natural. What will that dog think of me taking a doll for a baby? He must be laughing at me. But the dog was too frightened then to laugh, though later on when Blackie had gone the dog came out from under the stoop where he had gone to hide, and as he looked at the doll, which lay where the little girl mother had dropped it, that dog said, Huh, that cat thought she was smart driving me away because I was barking at a doll. I wouldn't hurt it. As Blackie stood on the stoop, looking at the doll, the door opened and a little girl came out. Oh, you nice big black cat, exclaimed the little girl. Did you come up on the stoop to look at my dolly? Of course Blackie could not tell why she had come up on the stoop, for the cat could not speak girl language. But Blackie mewed and rubbed up against the little girl's legs, purring, for the little girl was almost like Mabel, and quite as nice. Oh, I just love you, pussy, said the little girl. I'm going to get you a saucer of milk. And she did, still leaving her doll on the stoop. But the doll did not seem to mind. There you are, nice black cat, the little girl said, as she came out with the milk. I guess you are thirsty. And Blackie was, she drank up all the milk and wished there was more. She felt much better after that. The little girl watched the cat drinking the milk and said, I'm going in and ask my mother if I can keep you for my own, black pussy. You're alive, and I like you better than my doll, though she is nice too. Into the house hurried the little girl, leaving her doll on the stoop with Blackie. But the black cat, though she liked the little girl, did not want to stay and live in that house. I want to go on to my own home, thought Blackie. I want Mabel and Arthur. Besides, if I lived here, that dog and I would always be having trouble, I'm afraid. He is not like Don. I'm going to travel on. And while the little girl was in the house, asking her mother if she could keep the cat, Blackie ran down the stoop, laughing in her own way, as she looked at the doll and thought how she had mistaken it for a baby. The dog came out from under the stoop where he had run to get away from Blackie, and he was up beside the doll again when the little girl came out once more. Oh, where is that nice black cat, asked the little girl, looking all around. Where is he, Fido? Mother said I might keep her. But she is gone. Do you know where she is? Baw-wow, barked Fido. I'm glad she is gone. I don't like her, for she scared me. I'm glad she isn't going to live here. Of course the little girl did not know that her dog Fido said that, but he really did. She was sorry the little girl was that the cat had gone away. But it was best in the end, for I suppose Blackie and the dog would not have gotten along well together. On the street trotted the black cat, feeling not so hungry now. But she was still far from home, and she did not know when she would find the place where she used to live so very happily. I'll never run away again, Blackie said. I've had enough of it. I have had adventures, it is true, and I am a good deal better fence-jumper than I used to be. But I have had a hard time of it. I will have many things to tell Speckle when I see him. And I wish I could see him right now, for then I would be home. The next day when Blackie was traveling through a woods, and hoping that on the other side of it she might find the city where her house was, she saw a funny animal hopping along over the dried leaves. The animal looked like a cat, for it had fur, only it was white instead of black. And the animal had pink eyes, and a pink nose. "'How do you do?' asked Blackie politely, for she saw that the animal was not going to hurt her. "'I am pretty well,' answered the white animal. "'How are you? And what is your name?' "'Well, I've seen the time I felt better,' answered Blackie, and she told her name, and mentioned that she was a cat. "'Oh, a cat, eh?' exclaimed the white animal. "'Well, I'm a rabbit, and my name is Floppyer. They call me that, because one ear flops, or falls over, see?' Floppyer stood up on his hind legs, as easily as Dido the dancing bear could have done. And while one of his ears stood up straight, the other one sort of leaned over, or flopped. "'Oh, I see how it is,' spoke Blackie, laughing, for Floppyer was a funny little rabbit. "'Do you live here in these woods?' "'Yes, with my father and mother, and some brothers and sisters, and also Lady Munch.' "'Lady Munch!' exclaimed Blackie. "'Who is she?' "'She is my grandmother,' answered Floppyer, and we all like her very much. "'But excuse me, I must hurry on.' "'Where are you going?' asked Blackie. "'Over in the field to get some carrots for dinner. Do you like carrots?' "'I never ate any,' Blackie answered. "'I'm a cat, you know.' "'That's so. I forgot about that,' spoke Floppyer. "'I was told never to play with cats or dogs as they might bite me.' "'I'd never bite you,' said Blackie. "'I think you are very nice, and your fur is like mine. I'll go along with you, and help you get the carrots. If you want me to, though I don't eat them.' "'What do you eat?' asked Floppyer as he hopped along beside Blackie. "'Oh, meat and milk, and fish when I can get them.' "'Why can't you get them now?' the white rabbit wanted to know. "'Because I am a lost cat,' answered Blackie. "'I ran away from home, you see, to have adventures and to learn to become a good fence-jumper. But it is not so easy to get things to eat when you are lost.' "'I am sorry for you,' said the white rabbit. I never was lost, and I am never going to run away from home.' "'You do not need to learn to jump,' Blackie told Floppyer, "'for you are a good jumper now.' "'Yes, all rabbits are good jumpers,' spoke Floppyer, "'but I never try to jump over a fence, and I am never, never going to leave my home.' "'No, don't,' advised Blackie. "'But just you wait and read in the next book after this what happened to Floppyer.' Soon Blackie and Floppyer came to the field where the carrots grew. The white rabbit nibbled one and told the cat to taste. Blackie did, but said, "'Oh, I don't like carrots.' They might be good if cooked in milk, but I do not like them raw.' "'That's queer,' replied Floppyer. "'They are best raw, I think.' The rabbit and the cat talked together a little longer, and then Blackie said she thought she had better travel on, and try to find her home. "'For I am tired of being a lost cat,' sighed Blackie. That night Blackie slept in a field under a pile of hay. There were some little mice who had made a nest there too, but Blackie did not touch them, though she liked to eat mice. But for her supper that night Blackie had found a piece of meat in front of a butcher shop, and as she had eaten that she was not hungry. So she let the little mice alone, and I guess they were happy about that. "'But, oh, how lonesome Blackie was for her own home.' She thought about it very often that night as she cuddled down in the hay. "'If I don't find my home before winter, I don't know what I shall do,' thought Blackie. It isn't so bad sleeping out in summer, but in the winter it is going to be dreadful. I simply must find my home.' For two days more Blackie traveled on. She came out of the woods, she left the fields, and then she found herself in a city. She walked through the streets. Sometimes boys would chase her or throw stones at her, and sometimes dogs would run after her. Once or twice Blackie had to go up a tree to get away. And then one day Blackie found herself on a street that she seemed to know. She looked up at the houses, hardly believing it at first, and then she saw that she was really right on the street where she had lived. "'Oh, why? I do believe I'm back in my own city again,' said the delighted Blackie to herself. "'Yes, I know these houses, and there is the one I live in. Oh, how glad I am!' Blackie ran up the front steps. But somehow or other the house did not seem to be the same as when Blackie had lived there. The stoop was covered with dust, and it was never that way as long as Blackie could remember, for Mabel used to sweep it off every morning. "'This is queer,' said Blackie. "'I'll go around to the back.' The back door was closed, and so were the windows. Blackie ran all the way around the house, mewing. No one came out to let her in. Blackie looked up at all the windows. They were closed down, and the shades were drawn. "'Why?' "'Why, the family must have moved away,' thought Blackie, and she was very sad. "'Oh, dear, after my long journey and my many adventures, to get home and find the house locked up and the family gone. Oh, isn't it too bad? What shall I do?' Blackie was very sad. She felt all tired out and lonesome. She would have cried real tears had she been a little girl or boy, I guess. But, being only a cat, she could do nothing but mew.' CHAPTER XII Blackie is happy. Well said Blackie to herself after walking up and down the dusty porch. "'I can't get in the house, that's sure. But I simply can't go away from it again, even if the family has moved away. If I stay around here, perhaps Arthur or Mabel will come back. They may have forgotten something, and if they do come back and see me, they'll take me to the new house with them. Yes, I shall stay here.' "'But wait a minute. I'll go next door and ask Speckle where my folks are. He may know.' But alas for poor Blackie. The house next door was closed too, and Speckle was not around. And Blackie did not feel like asking the dog who lived in the other yard. "'I'll just have to stay here,' thought Blackie. "'I'll go under the stoop where no stray dogs will see me, and there I'll stay.' Under the stoop of the house, where she used to live, crept Blackie, not exactly a lost cat any longer, but still a cat without a home to go into. And I'm hungry, too, thought Blackie. I wish I had something to eat or some milk to drink. Blackie stayed under the stoop all that day. Late in the afternoon she looked out, wondering where she could go to get something to eat or drink. And as she poked out her head, the milkman, driving his horse and wagging down the street, saw Blackie. "'Hello,' he exclaimed, stopping his horse. The family that lives in that house is away, and the cat must be hungry. I have a little milk left in one of my cans. I'll give her some.' The kind milkman got out of his wagon, and with some milk in the top of one of his big cans, brought it over to Blackie. The black cat was not afraid of him, for he spoke so kindly to her. "'Here, Pussy,' said the man. "'Here is some milk for you. What shall I put it in?' "'Ah, here is an empty sardine tin. That will hold it nicely.' He poured the milk in the tin. "'Oh, how good that milk did taste to the hungry and thirsty Blackie. She just purred. She was so thankful to that man. He watched her drink the milk and patted her on the back, even rubbing her under the ears a bit. And Blackie liked it. "'If you're here tomorrow, I'll give you more milk,' said the man. Blackie wished he could speak her kind of talk, so she might ask him where Mabel Arthur and the rest of the family had gone. But she could not do that. "'Well, I feel a little better,' said Blackie to herself, as she licked the milk off her whiskers with her red tongue. I could sleep tonight, I hope.' Blackie curled up under the stoop and got ready to go to sleep. It was not yet night, but soon would be. Now then Blackie heard the dog in the next yard barking. And once another dog came snooping around the stoop where the black cat was hiding. But Blackie arched up her back, bait her tail big and hissed like a snake. "'Woof!' barked the dog as he ran away. "'Woof! Wow!' "'Well, I learned how to scare dogs, even if I can't jump pence this as well as Speckle can.' But Blackie, now I won't be so afraid of the dog next door. Maybe I can scare him. And if I can, life will be easier for me and Speckle. So I will have learned something by having run away and been a lost cat.' Blackie went to sleep for a while, but suddenly she was awakened by a strange sound. Someone was running up the steps over her as she lay under the porch. Then she heard voices. "'Oh, Mabel," cried a boy, "'aren't you glad to be home again?' "'I guess so, Arthur,' answered the little girl. But it was nice in the country on our vacation. Of only we had Blackie back, I would be happy. So would I. I looked for her in the country, but I didn't see her. Look, the people next door aren't home yet. Wait a minute, children, and Daddy will open the door for us,' said a lady's voice. Blackie was wide awake now. "'Why, why?' exclaimed the black cat. The folks have come home. That is Mabel and Arthur. I wonder where they have been. Oh, how glad I am! Now I am all right.' Blackie heard the front door of the house open. Then she heard the children run inside. "'Here is where I surprised,' then thought the black cat. Up from under the stoop crawled Blackie. Up the steps she went, and in through the open front door. She could hear the children in the kitchen now, getting drinks of water, and Blackie walked toward them, hoping there was something to eat in the house. The gas was lighted in the kitchen. Mabel and Arthur stood near the sink, drinking. The little girl was the first to spy Blackie, who walked in. Her tail held up straight like a fishing pole. "'Why?' Why cried Mabel, rubbing her eyes to make sure she was wide awake. "'Why, look, Arthur, it's Blackie!' "'Blackie? Where? Right here. "'Oh, Blackie, you've come back to us, haven't you? Oh, how glad I am!' And Mabel caught Blackie up in her arms. "'Oh, you dear Blackie,' cried Arthur, rubbing the cat on the head. "'Where have you been all this while, and where did you come from? Oh, how glad I am and happy!' "'Per!' said Blackie, and that was her way of saying that she too was happy. "'Look, mother,' said Mabel, Blackie is back. "'You don't mean it,' said the lady. "'Why, isn't that strange?' She ran away just before we went on our summer vacation, said Arthur, and now when we come back she is here to meet us. Then Blackie understood. The house had been closed because the folks were away in the country for a vacation. And she had reached home the very day they came back. Wasn't Blackie a lucky cat?' "'Well, you can just imagine how glad Arthur and Mabel were to see Blackie. They took turns holding her and petting her, and when their father came in a little later with the bags and bundles from the train, he too patted Blackie.' "'Why, but how thin and poor Blackie has grown,' said Mabel's mother. She must have had a mighty hard time while she was on her vacation.' "'Oh, mother, cats don't have a vacation,' laughed Arthur. "'Well, I guess Blackie did,' said the lady. She must have had many adventures. And Blackie had, as you can tell by this book. Of course Blackie herself could not tell about her own adventures, as she cannot write or talk our language. So I've written them down for her. Blackie was given a fine supper, and then she washed herself and went to sleep on her own soft cushion again. And oh, how good it felt after her nights of sleeping under haystacks and among boxes and barrels. In a few days Blackie began to get fat again, and soon she was like herself. She even dared get up on the fence and make faces at the dog next door, and he was so surprised at seeing how brave Blackie was that he forgot to bark. Blackie was lonesome for Speckle, the other cat, and she wanted to tell him some of her adventures. But he was not home, nor were the people who lived in the house. But one day Blackie heard a noise in the next yard. She heard a door on the house open. Oh, perhaps that is Speckle coming back, Blackie thought. She gave a jump, and easily went over the fence, and there sure enough in the yard was Speckle. Why, how well you jumped that fence, said Speckle. Yes, I learned that on my journey when I was lost and had so many adventures, cried Blackie. That's right, you did go away, said Speckle. I had forgotten. Where have you been? asked Blackie. Oh, off in the country on a vacation with my folks, answered the cat. I had a fine time, too. Did you? Well, no, not all the while, Blackie answered, but I think the trip did me good. I met Daito, a dancing bear, Tum Tum, the jolly elephant, and Flopier, the rabbit. My, you did have some time, mute Speckle. You must tell me about your adventures. And Blackie did, especially about Flopier, and as that little chap had many things happen to him, I'm going to put them in a book so you may read them. It will be called Flopier, the funny rabbit, his many adventures. Yes, you certainly had quite a time, spoke Speckle, as Blackie finished telling him of her journey. And I learned how to scare dogs, too, as well as how to jump fences at Blackie, coming over and I'll show you how to scare that dog next door when he barks at us. And the two cats went up on the fence and made funny faces at the dog, but so surprised him that he crept in his kennel house and did not even growl. So having brought Blackie safely home again, I will tell her goodbye for all of you. The end. End of Chapter 12 End of Blackie, A Lost Cat by Richard Barnum