THE LOST KITTEN.

‘“Mi-a-ow! Mi-a-ow!” she cried again as she jumped back to the floor and
buried her head in the coal-scuttle. Then she ran under the bed, and then
under the chest-of-drawers, and then popped behind the curtains, and at last
ran back to the door and scratched to be let out.

“What can be the matter with the cat?” said Nurse, as she opened the
door and away ran Fluff, mewing all the time.

‘‘ Perhaps she is hungry, and wants her breakfast,” said Poppy.

= But it was more than breakfast that poor pussy
| wanted, as Poppy found out as soon as she got
down-stairs. It was enough to make any cat mew ;
enough to.make any mother weep.

Midge, the kitten, had disappeared !

Midge, the kitten, had gone, and nobody knew
where. Nobody could even guess what had become
of her. Fora kitten a day old that could neither
see nor walk to go off of her own accord was indeed
too wonderful.

‘We shall be having the month-old. babies

 

getting out of their cots next, and washing and
dressing themselves, and going out to walk to get an appetite before break-
fast,” said Cook. ;

This was a rather funny idea, but it didn’t make Poppy laugh: she was far
too miserable to think of anything else but crying for her kitten.

They hunted up-stairs and down-stairs. They looked into cupboards, boxes,
and baskets, but with no success, and at last they had to give up the search in
despair. Poppy had to console herself with her new doll, the doll’s-house, and
her picture-book, while poor Fluff, who didn’t care very much about toys,
continued to roam about the house, mewing piteously.

Now, I wonder, dear, if you could guess where that little kitten was. I
don’t think you would guess rightly if you tried a hundred times; and so to
save you so much trouble I will tell you.

Just as Poppy had finished her dinner, and thought that she would have
one more search for Midge, a rat-tat-tat came at the hall-door, and presently
in walked a little boy. Frank was his name; he lived next door, and was a
great friend of Poppy.

‘I say, Pop, something very wonderful happened at home this morning,”
said Master Frank, lookingly exceedingly mysterious. |