Page 52 - Among the camps, or, Young people's stories of the war

from the way she put them together that kittens, like coffee,
were something to have on the table ; but she had heard her
mamma wishing for coffee at breakfast that morning, and she
herself had long been wanting a. kitten. Indeed, she used to
ask fojJ one in her prayers.

Evelyn had no fancy for anything that, in her own words,
"'w as not live.” A thing that had life was of more value in
her eyes than all the toys that were ever given hen A
young bird which, too fat to fly, had fallen from the nest, or
a broken-1 egged chicken, which was too lame to keep up with

its mother, had her tertderest care ; a little mouse slipping
along the wainscot or playing on the carpet excited her live­
liest interest; but a kitten, a 'real live kittykin," she had
never possessed, though for a long time she had set her
heart on having one. One dayf however, she was out walk­

ing with her mammy in the "b ig road,” when she met several
am all negro children coming along, and one of them had a
little bit of a white kitten squeezed up in his arm. It looked
very scared, and every now and then it cried 1 Mew,
mew.”

" Oh, mammy, look at that dear little kittykin I " cried
Evelyn, running up to the children and stroking the little
mite tenderly.
“ W hat you children gwine do wld dat little cat ? h asked
mammy, severely.

" W e gwine loss it,” said the boy who had it, promptly.
**Ohj mammy, don't let them do that! Don’t let them