<h2><SPAN name="III" id="III"></SPAN>III</h2>
<h3>CHASING MISS KITTY</h3>
<p><span class="smcap">When</span> Miss Kitty Cat awoke from her
nap she got up and stretched herself. In
her opinion, a nap was no nap at all if
one didn't stretch after taking it.
"There's nothing like a good stretch to
make a person limber," she often remarked.</p>
<p>Of course, in order to climb trees, or
spring successfully at a rat or a mouse,
Miss Kitty had to keep her muscles supple.
And since it happened, now and
then, that others jumped unexpectedly at
her, she believed in always being ready
either to chase or to be chased.<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="p_10" id="p_10"></SPAN></span></p>
<p>After she had smoothed her fur to suit
her, Miss Kitty went to the door and
mewed patiently until Farmer Green's
wife opened it. Then Miss Kitty Cat
slipped out of the kitchen and found herself
in the woodshed. A highly interesting
place, it seemed to her, with any number
of crannies to offer lurking-places for
mice. She decided at once that the woodshed
would be a fine spot in which to hunt
in stormy weather.</p>
<p>Feeling much pleased with her new
home, Miss Kitty hopped down upon the
great flat stone that served as a step from
the woodshed to the ground. She couldn't
help thinking, as she sat there, what
a pleasant yard Farmer Green had. She
noticed that there were trees enough about
the farmhouse to furnish homes for plenty
of birds.</p>
<p>And if there was one thing that Miss<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="p_11" id="p_11"></SPAN></span>
Kitty Cat liked it was to visit birds right
where they lived.</p>
<p>Seeing a faint stir in the grass not far
away, she began to creep towards it. Miss
Kitty had found that it paid to look into
such things. Often she had surprised a
meadow mouse in just that way.</p>
<p>This time, however, it was Miss Kitty
Cat herself that was surprised. She was
so intent on her own important business
that she never took her eyes off that spot
where the grass had moved. And that
was why she didn't see old dog Spot when
he stuck his nose around a corner of the
farmhouse.</p>
<p>Now, Spot's ways were quite different
from Miss Kitty's. Whenever he set out
on a hunt he never could keep still. So
the moment he caught sight of Miss Kitty
Cat he gave a joyful bark. At the same
time he bounded towards her.<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="p_12" id="p_12"></SPAN></span></p>
<p>Of course Spot's yelps warned her to
run. The moment she heard his first bark
she forgot all about her own hunt, being
herself the hunted. She scurried off across the farmyard, with Spot tearing
after her.</p>
<p>If she had had time enough Miss Kitty
would have climbed a tree. But Spot was
altogether too near her for that. And being
a stranger about the farmyard, she
hadn't learned all the fine hiding places.
Since Spot was between her and the house,
she made for the barn and sprang through
the open door. Inside Spot quickly cornered
her.</p>
<p>With her back arched and her tail almost
as big as Tommy Fox's brush, Miss
Kitty Cat turned and faced her pursuer.</p>
<hr class="chapter" />
<p class="chapter"><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="p_13" id="p_13"></SPAN></span></p>
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