The Cat and the Captain/Chapter 8

by Elizabeth Jane Coatsworth

Chapter VIII

The Cat's first party . . . .

SUSANNAH brought in the tea on a big red tray from China. The teapot was shaped like an elephant with steam coming from his trunk. Ted-Ted loved it. The cream came in a pitcher like a bright brown cow with her tail curled for a handle. Ted-Ted was so little he sat on a stool near the fire and held his cup in both hands. The grown-up people drank real tea, but Ted-Ted had only a spoonful of tea mixed with a great deal of milk.

Susannah smiled from ear to ear. She loved tea parties. She had made little cookies shaped like fish with caraway seeds for eyes, and big cookies filled with raisins, and cup cakes. But the cup cakes didn't have any frosting on them because most of the frosting was on the kitchen floor, and the rest was inside the Cat. Susannah told the Captain's daughter just how bad that cat was.

"We must call him for Ted-Ted to play with," said the Captain's daughter, who always laughed at Susannah's stories of the Cat.

"Yo'd bes' leave him whar he is, mum," said Susannah.

"Oh, cats are always good with little children," said the Captain's daughter, who knew a great deal about cats.

"Kitty, kitty," said Ted-Ted, who had been listening.

"Well, well, where is he?" asked the Captain, pleased that they wanted to see his cat.

"He was walkin' right on air, boss, the las' I see ob him," said Susannah with a sniff.

The Captain opened the door and called: "Here, kitty, kitty, kitty! Here, kitty, kitty, kitty! Come, puss, puss, puss!"

The Cat's head appeared over the edge of the veranda roof. He was delighted at being called, but he tried to appear unconcerned. He looked at the Captain, then slid down the veranda pillar, walked into the house, passed Susannah as though he didn't see her, and went right up to the Captain's daughter. She knew what cats like. She tickled him under the chin and rubbed his back and sang nonsense to him under her breath:

"Cat, Cat, it's perfectly evident
 You are a calico cat,
And your eyes are a pair of underclothes' buttons
 Sewed on with a black thread, at that.

"Cat, Cat, it's perfectly evident
 Your whiskers are made out of string.
Some one's tangled up those on the left of your nose
 Which I think is a rather good thing.

Cream from the brown cow's mouth

"And, Cat, that magnificent pout of your chest
 Just shows all the sawdust that's in it!
I must teach you your place as a little doorstop——
 At least for the half of a minute!"

At first when Ted-Ted came near, the Cat ran away. He had never seen him before, and he thought Ted-Ted must be a man who was very little. He wasn't used to children, anyway, and seeing such a very little man reaching out such a very little hand somehow scared him.

But pretty soon he got used to it. Ted-Ted poured cream from the brown cow's mouth into a saucer. Then the Cat settled down and tucked his paws under the saucer neatly and very carefully lapped up the cream, keeping his whiskers dry. The last drop was on his chin. He licked it off, wet the back of his right paw to smooth his shining fur, and then lightly jumped up on the Captain's lap and poked his head under the Captain's hand to be petted, which was very unusual for him to do in company. Ted-Ted leaned against the Captain's knee to listen to the Cat purring. It was better than the ticking of a watch.

"How happy they all look," thought the Captain's daughter. "It would make a pretty picture."

"His engine's going," said Ted-Ted, whose father had an automobile, and they all laughed.

But the grown-ups began talking about other things and the Cat grew sleepy and forgot to purr. "His engine's stopped," said Ted-Ted in his little voice. But the Captain didn't hear exactly what he said and only patted him on the back and said, "Yes, yes," kindly.

The Cat's big black tail, with a little curl at the tip of it, hung near Ted-Ted's hand.

"I'll crank him," said Ted-Ted, helpfully. If only the Captain had heard that time! But again he just said, "Yes, yes," and went on talking with his daughter.

Ted-Ted gave one crank and then everything happened at once.

The Cat yowled.

The Captain said, "Bless my soul!" in a loud voice.

The Captain's daughter cried, "What did you do, Ted-Ted?"

Ted-Ted began dropping tears on five pink scratches on his hand.

Susannah popped her head into the door, and then, without any questions, ran for the broom. It was really unfair of Susannah, for the Cat had meant to be as good as gold at his very first tea party.