Here's a Penny

by Carolyn Haywood

  Penny picked him up and carried him upstairs. He climbed into bed and put the kitten on the foot of his bed. Soon they were both fast asleep.

  The next day the kitten followed Penny everywhere. By the end of the week Penny loved the kitten just as much as the kitten loved him. Seven days of good food had made the kitten look quite different.

  Penny couldn't decide what to name him. Daddy wanted to name him Mustard and Mother thought Yellow Jack would be a good name. But they didn't suit Penny.

  The following Saturday Penny's grandaddy came to see him. To Penny's surprise Grandaddy was carrying a basket. When he opened the basket, there was a kitten. A beautiful coal black kitten with a white nose and white paws.

  Penny let out a squeal of delight. "Oh, Grandaddy!" he cried. "My really truly kitten!"

  Penny picked up the lovely kitten and held him to his cheek. He was soft and silky.

  "Mee-u!" came from the floor.

  Penny looked down. There was the mustard-colored kitten rubbing against his foot. The kitten looked up at Penny with pleading eyes.

  Penny stooped down and picked him up. He held him against his other cheek. The kitten purred.

  "What will you do now?" asked Daddy. "You can't have two kittens."

  "Why can't I have two kittens?" asked Penny, coaxingly. "I'll take care of them."

  "Why, you can't think of a name for one kitten," said Mother. "How will you ever find names for two kittens?"

  Penny's face lit up. "I've got names for them already," he said. "I'll call the yellow one Really and the black one Truly."

  3. Patsy's Twins

  The day after Truly arrived Penny took his two kittens over to see Patsy. When Patsy saw them, she said, "Oh, Penny! Can I play with them sometimes?"

  "Sure, you can play with them," said Penny. "You can play with them this afternoon if you want to. I have to go to town with my mother to get new shoes."

  Patsy's eyes shone. "You mean I can keep them all afternoon? Just as though they were mine?" she said.

  "Yep!" replied Penny. "But you must take good care of them. Don't let them get lost or hurt."

  "Oh, I'll take good care of them," said Patsy.

  Penny stroked each kitten and went off to get his new shoes.

  For a while Patsy sat in a big chair and held the kittens. She thought it was just like having two tiny babies. Like having twins, thought Patsy.

  She decided to make believe that they were twin babies.

  But if they were babies, thought Patsy, they would have clothes on.

  With this thought Patsy jumped up. She put the kittens down on the floor and went into her bedroom. Rosalie and Rose Mary, her two dolls, were sitting on her bed, dressed in their best white dresses and bonnets. Rosalie's bonnet was tied under her chin with pink ribbons and Rose Mary's was tied with blue.

  Patsy picked up the two dolls and carried them into her playroom. She untied their bonnets and took them off. Then she took off their dresses and their underwear. Then she tucked the dolls into their doll bed and covered them up with a blanket. "Now you take a nice nap," she said to Rosalie and Rose Mary.

  Patsy went back to the kittens. She picked up Really. Getting Really into Rose Mary's underwear was quite a struggle. When his back legs were in the right places, his front legs wouldn't go through the armholes. When his front legs were through the armholes his back legs wouldn't fit into the place where Rose Mary's pink legs fitted so nicely. Finally Patsy decided to give up the underwear. She tried Rose Mary's slip. This went over Really's head very nicely and his front legs went through the armholes. Patsy looked at Really admiringly. "Now that's nice," she said. "You look like a baby already."

  "Mee-ow!" said Really. Which probably meant, "I don't want to be a baby!"

  Patsy picked up Rose Mary's dress. She poked the kitten's head through the neck and his front legs through the sleeves and fastened the button at the back of the neck.

  "Oh, you're sweet!" cried Patsy, picking up the bonnet. She decided that blue ribbons would be more becoming to the yellow kitten.

  It took some time to put the bonnet on and to tie the ribbons under Really's chin. Really twisted and squirmed and even scratched, but finally Patsy tied the blue bow.

  "Oh, you beautiful kitten!" cried Patsy.

  Really said, "Mee-ow!" which probably meant, "Phooey!" or something like that.

  "Now after I get Truly dressed I'll take you for a nice ride in the coach," said Patsy, as she tucked Really into her doll coach. Really did a good bit of pawing and clawing but he finally decided to make the best of it and curled up for a snooze.

  Patsy proceeded to dress Truly in Rosalie's clothes. Truly made noises that were worse than Really's. He wiggled and squirmed and twisted. Twice he broke away from Patsy but she finally tied the pink ribbons under his chin.

  "Now, my beautiful babies," said Patsy, as she tucked the kittens under a pink blanket, "I'll take you for an airing."

  Very carefully Patsy took her doll coach down the front stairs and out the front door. Then she looked into the coach to see if the kittens were all right. They were both curled up at the foot of the coach. Realty's bonnet had slipped down over one eye. Truly was all tangled up in his white dress and was sticking out of the blankets, tail first.

  "Oh, dear!" sighed Patsy. "Such babies!" She picked up Truly and smoothed his dress. She straightened Realty's bonnet. Then, pushing the coach before her, she started down the street.

  When she reached the corner, Patsy went into the grocery store to spend a penny for some candy. She left her coach standing by the step. Patsy didn't mean to stay in the store so long but she couldn't make up her mind about the candy. She didn't know whether to buy a chocolate marshmallow or a big green gumdrop.

  Meanwhile the kittens had wiggled out of the pink blanket and were looking over the side of the coach.

  "Mee-u!" said Realty. Which probably meant, "Let's get out of this."

  "Mee-u!" said Truly. Which surety meant, "You said it, pal!"

  And then, racing down the street, came a wirehaired fox terrier. His pink tongue was hanging out and there was a gleam of mischief in his eyes. He was out for a good time and looking for fun wherever he could find it.

  He was just flashing past the doll coach when, "Wow!"—he spied the kittens. This was just the kind of fun he had been looking for. He made a lunge at the coach and over it went. The kittens flew, bonnets, dresses, ribbons and all.

  When Patsy came out of the store, all she saw were what looked like two white rags, racing up the street, followed by a wirehaired fox terrier.

  Patsy picked up her doll coach and ran as fast as she could after them.

  The kittens ran as fast as their doll-baby clothes would let them. Really soon lost his bonnet. It landed in a puddle of muddy water.

  Truly's bonnet had slipped down so that it covered his face entirely but he kept on running.

  Without knowing it, the kittens ran straight for Penny's house.

  Minnie was standing at the back door when the two kittens appeared. At first she thought they were two paper bags, blowing in the wind. But when they blew right past her and into the kitchen, she could hardly believe her eyes.

  She banged the kitchen door on the barking fox terrier and hurried to see what it was that had blown in. She looked in the dining room but there was nothing there. She looked in the living room but there was nothing there. Then she climbed the front stairs and went into Penny's room. And there, curled up on the bed, were the two kittens wrapped up in what looked like muddy rags.

  Minnie picked them up. She looked at their clothes and at Truly's bonnet, hanging from his neck like a wet bib. "Goodness!" she cried. "Where did you get those clothes? I declare, I never did see kittens dressed up like that before. And just see the mud you got on Penny's bedspread. He's going to whip you when he comes home."

  Just then there was a knock on the back door. Minnie went downstairs with a kitten in each arm. When she opened the door, there stood Patsy
with her doll coach.

  "Oh, Minnie!" she cried. "Are the kittens all right?"

  "All right!" exclaimed Minnie. "They're all right, I guess. But they gave me an awful scare, rushing in here like floor rags that had come alive. You take them clothes off those kittens. Don't you know they don't like clothes? They like to run in their skin."

  "Not skin, Minnie," said Patsy. "Fur."

  "Humph!" said Minnie. "When Penny comes home, he'll 'fur' you. Dressing his kittens up like sissies."

  Patsy took the muddy clothes off the kittens. She had picked up Really's bonnet from the puddle. Then she went home, leaving the kittens with Minnie.

  When she reached home, she took out her little washtub. She put soap flakes into it and warm water. Then she began to wash the doll clothes.

  In a few minutes Penny returned.

  "Hi, Patsy!" he cried. "I got my new shoes."

  He looked around for the kittens. "Where are Really and Truly?" he asked.

  "Oh, they're over at your house," said Patsy.

  "Did you have fun playing with them?" asked Penny.

  "Oh, yes!" replied Patsy, rubbing the clothes very hard.

  "What are you washing?" asked Penny.

  "My doll clothes," said Patsy.

  "Gee, it's muddy water," said Penny. "How did they get so dirty?"

  "A dog chased 'em," said Patsy.

  "A dog chased them!" exclaimed Penny.

  "It was that nasty old wirehaired fox terrier that lives up the street. He chased 'em."

  "You mean he chased Rosalie and Rose Mary!" exclaimed Penny.

  "Well," said Patsy, "not 'zactly. But he chased their clothes."

  Penny screwed up his face and looked puzzled. "How could he chase their clothes?" he demanded.

  "Well, he did," said Patsy. "That's how they got so dirty."

  Suddenly Penny's eyes grew very big. "Patsy," he said, "did you have those doll clothes on Really and Truly? Did you?"

  "Well," said Patsy. "Well, ah ... well, ah ... sort of."

  Penny frowned and looked very angry. "You did?" he shouted.

  Then his face broke into a broad grin. "Gee, I bet they looked funny!" he said.

  Then the two children began to laugh and they laughed and laughed and laughed.

  4. Another Kitten Hunt

  Every day when Penny came home from school he played with his kittens, Really and Truly. One day when he came into the house Really was curled up in the kitten basket, fast asleep. When he heard Penny's footsteps, he opened his eyes and hopped out of the basket. He knew that when Penny arrived it was time to play. The most fun was a ball of newspaper tied to the end of a string.

  "Where's Truly?" asked Penny, looking all around.

  "Mee-u!" said Really.

  Penny went through the rooms on the first floor calling, "Here, Truly, Truly, Truly!" No black kitten appeared.

  Penny went upstairs. Really followed him slowly. The steps were high and Really was still very little.

  "Mother!" called Penny. "Did you see anything of Truly?"

  Mother answered from the bedroom. "Why, no, dear. I haven't seen him this afternoon. I know that Minnie gave them both their dinner at noon."

  "Are you sure?" asked Penny.

  "Yes, I'm sure," replied Mother. "Because I remember Minnie said that she thought they both ought to grunt instead of mee-u."

  "Well, where do you suppose Truly is?" said Penny.

  "Did you look on my best sofa pillow?" asked Mother. "That seems to be his favorite spot."

  Penny went downstairs to look in the living room again. Really rolled down after him.

  Penny looked on the best sofa pillow, but Truly wasn't there. Penny looked under all of the pillows and under the sofa and under all of the chairs. Truly was nowhere to be seen. He went through the house again, calling, "Here, Truly, Truly, Truly! Here, Puss, Puss, Puss!" But there was no black kitten.

  "Do you think he could have gone out when Minnie went out?" Penny asked his mother.

  "He may have," replied Mother.

  Penny went outdoors. He went all around the house calling, "Here, Truly, Truly, Truly! Here, Kitty, Kitty, Kitty!" There was no answer.

  Really stood inside the door, meowing. He wondered what was the matter with Penny. Why didn't he play with him?

  Penny went over to Patsy's to see if she had seen Truly. But Patsy hadn't seen him. She joined the search. The two children hunted for the kitten until dinnertime.

  At dinner Penny told Daddy that Truly had disappeared.

  "Well, now, don't worry about him," said Daddy. "He'll turn up."

  "But he's very little," said Penny, "and maybe he doesn't know where he lives or how to get home."

  "Oh, yes, he will," said Daddy. "He's a smart kitten. He'll know his way home."

  All evening Penny kept opening the front door and then the back door. Each time he would call, "Here, Truly, Truly, Truly! Here, Pussy, Pussy, Pussy!" But when it was time to go to bed Penny only had one kitten to carry upstairs. He felt very sad.

  Penny got undressed and washed his face and hands and brushed his teeth. Then he climbed into bed. When Mother came to hear him say his prayers, Penny threw his arms around her neck and cried. "Oh, Mummy!" he sobbed. "I can't lose Truly. I can't lose him. I waited so long for him and now he's gone."

  Mother held her little boy close to her breast. "Darling," she said, "who gave Truly to you?"

  "Why, you know," said Penny. "Grandaddy gave him to me."

  "But what was it that made Grandaddy want to give him to you?" asked Mother. "What makes Daddy and me want to give you things that make you happy?"

  "It's 'cause you love me," said Penny, gulping on a sob.

  "Exactly," said Mother. "So it was love that really gave you the kitten, wasn't it?"

  "Yes," answered Penny.

  "And do you remember what you learned in Sunday school last Sunday?" asked Mother.

  "Yes," said Penny. "It was 'God is Love.'"

  "That's right," said Mother. "Now the love that gave Truly to you is taking care of Truly."

  "And will bring Truly back to me again?" asked Penny.

  "I'm sure of it," said Mother, as she kissed her little boy.

  Then Penny said his prayer. When he finished, he said, "Mother, I said thank you to Grandaddy for Truly, but I didn't say thank you to God."

  "Well, you can say it now," said Mother. "It's never too late to say thank you to anyone."

  Penny closed his eyes and said, "Thank you, God, for Truly. And for Really, too. Mother, will you lie down beside me until I go to sleep?"

  Mother lay down beside Penny. He snuggled up close to her. Soon he was fast asleep.

  In the middle of the night he woke up. He thought someone had called him. Penny sat up. The full moon was shining in his window. It made the room very light. Then he thought he heard something that sounded like a very faint "Mee-u."

  He sat very still and listened. There was the sound again. It seemed far away. He couldn't tell whether the sound came from outside of the house or inside.

  Penny got out of bed. He went to the window. "Mee-u," he heard. He was sure now that it was Truly. But where was he?

  Penny leaned out of the window. In a few moments he heard the sound again. "Mee-u." It seemed to come from overhead.

  Outside of Penny's window there was a big tree. Penny wondered whether Truly was up in the tree. He listened for the sound again. In a moment he heard "Mee-u." Penny was sure then that the sound didn't come from the tree. He was certain it came from the roof.

  Penny tiptoed down the back stairs. He unlocked the back door and ran around the house to the big tree. He had climbed the tree many times. Now he would climb up to the roof and rescue Truly.

  Penny started up. Higher and higher he went. He had never been up as high as the roof before. He had always been a little bit afraid to go that high. But he didn't think about being afraid now. All he thought of was that his precious kitten had to be rescued.

&n
bsp; At last he reached the roof. The moon was so bright it lit up the roof almost as well as a flashlight. Penny could hear Truly crying, but he couldn't see him. He listened closely. Then he heard him again. The sound seemed to come from one of the rain pipes.

  Very carefully Penny crawled over to the rain pipe. He looked. What did he see but a white spot and two round yellow eyes! It was Truly. He was stuck in the rain pipe. Penny could just poke his little hand down to lift him out. Penny hugged him very tight. "How did you ever get up here, Truly?" he whispered. Truly rubbed his head against Penny and said, "Mee-u."

  Penny began to think about getting down off the roof. Now that he had to carry Truly it wasn't as easy as it had been to come up. In fact, Penny couldn't even crawl over to the tree. To crawl he had to hold on with both hands. But now one arm had to hold Truly.

  Penny sat on the edge of the roof with his legs hanging over. He wondered what he would do next.

  At last he thought of something. He stuck Truly back in the rain pipe. "Now you just stay there a minute," he said.

  Penny proceeded to get out of his pajamas. It wasn't easy but he finally got them off. Then he tied one leg in a knot and then the other. Then he tied each sleeve in a knot. Finally he lifted Truly out of the rain pipe. He put him inside of his pajamas. It was just like putting him into a

  hammock. Then Penny tied the legs of his pajamas together and the sleeves together and hung them around his neck. Now he knew that Truly would be safe.

  With both hands free, Penny crawled over to the big tree. He climbed down very slowly. He didn't want to hurt Truly. At last he reached the ground.

  He ran into the house and up the back stairs. No one had heard him. He took his pajamas from around his neck and lifted Truly out. Then Penny tried to unfasten the knots in the legs and sleeves of his pajamas but he couldn't budge them. Finally he threw them on his chair, picked up Truly, and climbed into bed. Soon he was fast asleep again.

  In the morning when he woke up he found his mother leaning over him. He wondered why Mother looked so surprised.