"And you well know, Floss, that when I feel mixy-up, there"s nothing so comforting and soothing as a nice little, soft little, cuddly little kitty-cat."
Flossy blinked her eyes, and purred gently, and was just as comforting as she could be, which is saying a good deal.
There was a big, wide swing on the side verandah, one of those cushioned settee affairs that are so cosy to snuggle into, and read.
And it was without a glance at the house next door, that Dolly snuggled herself in among the red cushions and opened her book, while Flossy cuddled in the hollow of her arm; and concluding that she would be quite as comforting asleep as awake, the kitten promptly fell into a doze.
Meantime there were arrivals at the Rose house.
Eugenia, the eleven year old girl, had been staying with a cousin until the house should be put in order, and now she had come to the new home.
She was a black-haired witch, and of exceeding vivacious and volatile disposition.
"OO!--ee!" she exclaimed; "isn"t it great! Take me everywhere, Dot! Show me all the rooms and all the outdoorses and everything! I didn"t know it was such a big house. Which is my room?"
Even as she talked, Eugenia was flying upstairs, only to turn right around and fly down again. She danced from room to room, sometimes followed or preceded by Dotty and sometimes not. Her own room delighted her. It faced the Fayres" house, being the one Dorothy had rejected in favour of the other.
"Where"s Blot?" asked Dotty; "didn"t you bring him?"
"Oh, yes; he"s down with Thomas. He"s crazy. He barked all the way here."
But Dotty was already flying down stairs to find her beloved puppy.
"Here he is, Miss Dorothy," and the chauffeur, Thomas, gave the black poodle into her arms.
"Oh, you blessed Blotty-boy! Oh, you cunnin" Blotsy-wotsy! Does him love hims Dotty?"
The love was manifested by some moist caresses and then Blot was all for a scamper. Dotty took him out on the lawn and set him down, herself all ready for a romp.
Now only a minute before, Flossy, the white kitten, had waked from her nap, and seeing that Dolly was absorbed in her story-book, inferred that kitten comfort was not at the moment needed, and decided to go after a very yellow b.u.t.terfly out on the Fayre lawn.
Stealthily across the gra.s.s, Flossy went b.u.t.terflywards, on tippy-toe.
Each white paw was daintily lifted and softly set down on the thick turf, as her progress continued. From the Rose lawn Blot spied the advancing Flossy. He didn"t then know her name, but he had liberal ideas on the subject of introductions, and he made a wild dash toward the oncoming kitten.
When Floss saw the small black whirlwind hurling itself at her, she was either too brave or too frightened to retreat, so she put her white back up as high as possible and stood her ground. She expressed her opinion of the performance in a series of sputtering yowls that drew Dolly"s attention from her book to the impending battle.
She sprang out of the swing, and rushed toward Flossy just as the two belligerents met in the gra.s.sy arena.
Dorothy Rose, on her side of the lawn was shaking with laughter, and this sight was the last straw to Dorinda Fayre"s overburdened soul.
"Don"t you let your dog eat up my cat!" she cried out, angrily, to the black-haired girl opposite.
"Don"t you let your cat eat up my dog, then!" was the immediate response, delivered with enthusiasm equalling Dolly"s own.
"Cats don"t eat dogs!"
"Neither do dogs eat cats!"
"Well, these will eat each other! Oh! look, we _must_ get them apart!"
The battle was of the pitched variety, whatever that may mean. But it is a phrase used to describe the most intense and desperate battles of history, and surely this was one of them. Dolly Fayre had no idea that gentle little Flossy had so much fight in her small white body, and Dotty Rose never dreamed that Blot was such a fire-eater under his curly black coat.
Really alarmed for their pets, the two girls went nearer to the agile warriors, who now looked like an indistinct moving-picture film that was going too fast.
"Come here, Blot!" Dotty cried, in most commanding tones.
"Come here, Flossy!" Dolly called, in coaxing accents.
Insubordination ensued on both sides.
"We"ll have to grab them!" declared Dotty Rose; dancing about the war zone.
"We can"t!" wailed Dolly Fayre, wringing her hands as she edged away from the seat of battle.
"Well, I just guess we will!" and Dotty Rose seized Blot by the scruff of his black neck and shook him loose from the white kitten.
With a little cry of rejoicing, Dolly Fayre picked up Flossy and plumped herself down on the gra.s.s to make sure the kitten was intact.
Dotty sat down too, and felt of Blot"s small and well-hidden bones.
As neither animal gave any cry of pain and as each glared at its late opponent, the respective owners of the combatants drew sighs of relief and held on tightly to their pets, lest a fresh attack should begin.
Now it stands to reason that after a scene like that just described, the two girls couldn"t get up and walk off home without a word.
So they sat on the gra.s.s and looked at each other.
And when the troubled blue eyes of Dolly Fayre saw the big brown eyes of Dotty Rose twinkle and saw her red lips smile, she discovered that the scowl she had objected to was not permanent, and she smiled back.
But somehow, they could think of nothing to say. The smile broke the ice a little, but Dolly Fayre was timid, and Dotty Rose was absorbed in looking at the other"s blue eyes and yellow hair.
But it was Dotty who spoke first. "Well," she said, "how do you like me?"
It was an unfortunate question. For Dolly Fayre hadn"t a single definite notion regarding Dotty Rose except that she didn"t like her. However, it would hardly do to tell her that, so she said, slowly: "I don"t know yet; how do you like me?"
"Well, I think you"re awfully pretty, to begin with."
"So do I you," put in Dolly, glad to find a favourable report that she could make truthfully.
"Aren"t we different," went on the other thoughtfully; "you"re so blonde and I"m so dark."
"Yes; I just hate my hair,--towhead, Bert calls me."
"Who"s Bert?"
"He"s my brother; he"s away at school. He"s seventeen years old." Dolly spoke proudly, as if she had said, "he"s captain of the Fleet."
"Why, I"ve got a brother away at school, too."
"Have you? What"s his name?"