CHAPTER XVI
JINNIE'S EAR GETS A TWEAK
Bobbie had been at the Grandoken home scarcely a week before Jinnieagain got into difficulty. One morning, wide-awake, beside the blindboy, she happened to glance toward the door. There stood Peg, her facedistorted by rage, staring at her with terrible eyes. Jinnie sat up ina twinkling.
"What is it, Peggy, dear?" she faltered. "What have I done now?"
Without reply, Peggy marched to the bed and took the girl by the ear.In this way she pulled her to the floor, walking her ahead of her tothe kitchen.
"I don't know what I've done, Peggy," repeated Jinnie, meekly.
"I'll show you. You'll know, all right, miss! Now if you've eyes,squint down there!"
She was pointing to the floor, and as the room was rather dark, Jinnieat first could discern nothing. Then as her eyes became accustomed tothe shadows, she saw----
"Oh, what is it, Peggy? Oh, my! Oh, my!"
Peggy gave her a rough little shake.
"I'll tell you what, Jinnie Grandoken, without any more ado. Well,they're cats, just plain everyday cats! Another batch of Miss MillyAnn's kits, if y' want to know. They can't stay in this house, miss,an' when I say a thing, I mean it! My word's law in this shanty!"
She was still holding the girl's ear, and suddenly gave it anothertweak. Jinnie pulled this tender member from Peggy's fingers with adelighted little chuckle.
"Peggy darling, aren't they sweet? Oh, Peggy----"
"Ain't they sweet?" mimicked Peggy. "They're just sweet 'nough to getchucked out. Now, you get dressed, an' take 'em somewhere. D' youhear?"
Jinnie wheeled about for another tug of war. It was dreadful how shehad to fight with Peggy to get her own way about things like this.First with Happy Pete, then with Bobbie, and now--to-day--with fivesmall kittens, not one of them larger than the blind child's hand. Shelooked into Mrs. Grandoken's face, which was still grim, but Jinniedecided not quite so grim as when the woman appeared at her bedroomdoor.
"I suppose you'll go in an' honey round Lafe in a minute, thinkin'he'll help you keep 'em," said Mrs. Grandoken. "But this time it won'tdo no good."
"Peggy!" blurted Jinnie.
"Shut your mouth! An' don't be Peggyin' me, or I'll swat you," vowedPeg.
The woman glared witheringly into a pair of beseeching blue eyes.
"Get into your clothes, kid," she ordered immediately, "then you----"
"Then I'll come back, dear," gurgled Jinnie, "and do just what youwant me to." Then with subtle modification, she continued, "I mean,Peg, I'll do just what you want me to after I've talked about it abit... Oh, please, let me give 'em one little kiss apiece."
Peggy flounced to the stove.
"Be a fool an' kiss 'em if you want to... I hate 'em."
In the coarse nightdress Peggy had made for her, Jinnie sat downbeside Milly Ann. The yellow mother purred in delight. She'd broughtthem five new babies, and no idea entered her mother heart that shewould have to part with even one.
Out came the kittens into the girl's lap, and one by one they weretenderly lifted to be kissed. Both Peggy and the kisser were silentwhile this loving operation was in process. Then Jinnie, stillsitting, looked from Milly Ann to Peggy.
"I guess she's awful fond of her children, don't you, Peg?"
Peggy didn't answer.
"You see it's like this, Peg----"
"Didn't I tell you not to Peggy me?"
"Then it's like this, darling," drawled Jinnie, trying to beobedient.
"An' you needn't darlin' me nuther," snapped Peggy.
Jinnie thought a minute.
"Then it's like this, honey bunch," she smiled again.
Peg whirled around on her.
"Say, you kid----"
"Wait, dearie!" implored Jinnie. "Don't you know mother cats alwayslove their kitties just like live mothers do their babies?"
Peggy rattled the stove lids outrageously. Hearing these words, shestopped abruptly. Who knows where her thoughts flew? Jinnie didn't,for sure, but she thought, by the sudden change of Mrs. Grandoken'sexpression, she could guess.
The woman looked from Milly Ann to the wriggling kittens in Jinnie'slap, then she stooped down and again brought to view Jinnie's littleear tucked away under the black curls.
"Get up out o' here an' dress; will you? I've said them cats've got togo, and go they will!"
Jinnie returned the kittens to their mother, and when she got back toher room, Bobbie was sitting up in bed rubbing his eyes.
"I couldn't find you, girl," he whimpered. "I felt the bed over andyou was gone."
Jinnie bent over him.
"Peg took me out in the kitchen, dear... What do you think, Bobbie?"
Bobbie began to tremble.
"I got to go away from here ... eh?"
"Mercy, no!" laughed Jinnie. "Milly Ann's got a lot of new babies."
Bobbie gave a delighted squeal.
"Now I'll have something else to love, won't I?" he gurgled.
Jinnie hoped so! But she hadn't yet received Peg's consent to keep thefamily, so when the little boy was dressed and she had combed her hairand dressed herself, they went into the shop, where the cobbler metthem with a smile.
"Peg's mad," Jinnie observed with a comprehensive glance at Mr.Grandoken.
"Quite so," replied Lafe, grinning over the bowl of his pipe. "She hadfrost on her face a inch thick when she discovered them cats. Ithought she'd hop right out of the window."
"She says I must throw 'em away," ventured Jinnie.
"Cluck! Cluck!" struck Lafe's tongue against the roof of his mouth,and he smiled. Jinnie loved that cluck. It put her in mind of theMottville mother hens scratching for their chickens.
"Hain't she ever said anything like that to you before, lass?" thecobbler suggested presently.
"She said it about me," piped in Bobbie.
"An' about Happy Pete, too," added Lafe.
"I bet I keep 'em," giggled Jinnie.
"I'll bet with you, kid," said the cobbler gravely.
"I want to see 'em!" Bobbie clamored with a squeak.
But he'd no more than made the statement before the door burstviolently open and Peg stood before them. Her apron was gatheredtogether in front, held by one gripping hand; something moved againsther knees as if it were alive. In the other hand was Milly Ann,carried by the nape of her neck, hanging straight down at the woman'sside, her long yellow tail dragging on the floor. The woman lookedlike an avenging angel.
"I've come to tell you folks something," she imparted in a very loudvoice. "Here's this blasted ragtail, that's went an' had this batch offive cats. Now I'm goin' to warn y' all----"
Bobbie interrupted her with a little yelp.
"Let me love one, Peggy, dear," he begged.
"I'm goin' to warn you folks," went on Peg, without heeding thechild's interjection, "that--if--you don't want their necks wrung,you'd better keep 'em out of my way."
Saying this, she dropped the mother cat with a soft thud, and withoutlooking up, dumped the kittens on top of her, and stalked out of theroom.
When Jinnie appeared five minutes later in the kitchen with a smallkitten in her hand, Peg was stirring the mush for breakfast.
"You hate the kitties, eh, Peg?" asked Jinnie.
The two tense wrinkles at the corners of Mrs. Grandoken's mouth didn'trelax by so much as a hair's line.
"Hate 'em!" she snapped, "I should say I do! I hate every one of themcats, and I hate you, too! An' if y' don't like it, y' can lump it. Ifthe lumps is too big, smash 'em."
"I know you hate us, darling," Jinnie admitted, "but, Peg, I want totell you this: it's ever so much easier to love folks than to hate'em, and as long as the kitties're going to stay, I thought mebbe ifyou kissed 'em once--" Then she extended the kitten. "I brought youone to try on."
"Well, Lord-a-massy, the girl's crazy!" expostulated Peg. "Keep thecats if you're bound to, you kid, but get out of this kitchen or I'llkiss you both with the broom."
Jinnie disappeared, and Peggy heard a gleeful laugh as the girlscurried back to the shop.
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