Morton, who was the first to enter the
kitchen. "What is all this frightful noise occasioned by?"
"Oh, there is a man in the house!" answered Mrs. Thomas, her teeth
chattering with fright. "There was a man in here--he has just sprung out,"
she continued, pointing to the bread-jar.
"Pooh, pooh--that's nonsense, madam," replied the son-in-law. "Why an
infant could not get in there, much less a man!"
"I tell you it was a man then," angrily responded Mrs. Thomas; "and he is
in the house somewhere now."
"Such absurdity!" muttered Mr. Morton; adding, in a louder tone: "Why, my
dear mamma, you've seen a mouse or something of the kind."
"Mouse, indeed!" interrupted the old lady. "Do you think I'm in my dotage,
and I don't know a man from a mouse?"
Just then the cat, whose back had got severely singed in the _melee_, set
up a most lamentable caterwauling; and, on being brought to light from the
depths of a closet into which he had flown, his appearance immediately
discovered the share he had had in the transaction.
"It must have been the cat," said Robberts. "Only look at his back--why
here the fur is singed off him! I'll bet anything," continued he, "that air
boy has had something to do with this--for it's a clear case that the cat
couldn't git into the jar, and then put the lid on hissef.
Pages:
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123