| Show tonight with Pa There not much bread left Again he started to feel alone 01d Scratch yowled again his patience about gone Peter hitched upsuspender with the hand not surrounding the bread and went to the door Laneliness had crept behind the adobe walls and Peter almost glancing around the kitchen with guilt opened the doorbit and let the cat in Ma had told him again and again No animals in this house Only once had she Tet 01d Scratch in when in his younger saucier days he was suffering from the results ofneighborhood first but finally he settled into old rocker was About dusk the somewhat cooler tomcat fight 01d Scratch was uneasy at Peterlap and Peter settled into the boy and the cat went outside to do the chores It now The boy gave Bessybucket of oats and she stood to be milked withoutrope The dark head brown cow Occasionally he squirtedwhite warm but Pa wasmuch better shot The wet cat shook safe distance to lick his chest and paws cow waited for him but heck he was 01d Scratch to fill lots the faster bucket than Peter hummed to Bessy and the He was he was leaned against the old stream at 01d Scratch his head and moved to always before much When slower he was than Pa allowed to milk before Pa usually ended up doing the last half He finally filled the gallon backet and Tugged it into the house splashingbowlful for but as beside he pour store 01d had been Scratch the barn doing could the rest of the chores It was darker door with not as he went Pa for the be persuaded to by Now last week leave his Ma should he did milk take over again-Strain so Peter did alone now Even though the days were hot the desert air cooled quite fast when the sun went down Peter was happy and proud to have done everything Pahad told him to do and to have done it well Peterm looked And going down at O1d Scratch as m going to help Dad put to take care of the wagon he his and washed horse team get up when Pa does and help And Ma will Peter bent and ruffled the yellow fur Peter treated and himself realized how bad either the to cat went back the piece last inside his the of bread hands away when he gets And tomorrowm be here house with to fix Peter butter breakfast 1it and home going the milk And to again lamp and He much he loved and missed his mother And sister Ann wasnso In the middle of his thoughts he heard some movement outside Great They re home Peter jumped out of his chair dumping 01d Scratch and put down his empty cup Then he suddenly realized he must et rid of the cat Pa home 1d Ma Peter told the cat You better get outside The cat wasninterested in moving much less in getting outside so Peter scooped him up and hurried to the front door He was anxious to hurry to the reunion with his family He swung open the door and was about the dump 01d Scratch when he caught his breath sharply and stared upward into the hard dark face of an |
