“Oh, mother, I am just counting to see how many marbles I have,” he answered.

 

“Well, would you mind going to the store for me?” asked Mrs. No-Tail. “I was going to make a cake, but I find I have no cocoanut to put on top.”

 

“Oh, indeed, I’ll go for you, mother, right away!” cried Bully, quickly, for he was very fond of cocoanut cake. But I guess he would have gone to the store anyhow, even if his mamma had only wanted vinegar, or lemons, or a yeast² cake.

 

So off he started, whistling a little tune³ about a fuzzy-wuzzy pussy⁴ cat, who drank a lot of milk and had a crinkly Sunday dress, made out of yellow silk.

 

“Well, I feel better after that!” exclaimed Bully, as he hopped⁵ along, sailing high in the air, above the clouds. Oh, there I go again! I was thinking of Dickie Chip-Chip, the sparrow. No, Bully hopped along on the ground, and pretty soon he came to the store and bought the cocoanut for the cake.

 

He was hopping⁷ home, hoping his mamma would give him and his brother Bawly some of the cake when it was baked, when, just as he came near a pond of water he heard some one crying. Oh, such a sad, pitiful cry as it was, and at first Bully thought it might be some bad wolf, or fox, or owl⁸, crying because it hadn’t any dinner, and didn’t see anything to catch to eat for supper.

 

“I must look out that they don’t catch me,” thought Bully, and he took tight hold of the cocoanut, and peeked⁹ through the bushes. And what did he see but poor Kittie Kat—you remember her, I dare say; she was a sister to Joie and Tommie Kat—there was Kittie Kat, crying as if her heart would break, and right in front of her was a

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