Yet her dainty, close-set
ears looked as though they were listening.
The young men gazed at one another.
"That girl is well bred," said Smith in a low, agitated voice. "You--you
wouldn't think of venturing to speak to her!"
"I'm obliged to, I tell you! This all happened before. I recognize
everything as it occurs.... Even to your making a general nuisance of
yourself."
Smith straightened up.
"I'm going to push you forcibly from this car. Do you remember _that_
incident?"
[Illustration: "The lid of the basket tilted a little. Then a plaintive
voice said 'Meow-w'."]
"No," said Brown with conviction, "that incident did not happen. You only
threatened to do it. I remember now."
In spite of himself Smith felt a slight chill creep up over his neck and
inconvenience his spine.
He said, deeply agitated: "What a terrible position for me to be in--with
a friend suddenly gone mad in the streets of New York and running after a
basket containing what he believes to be a cat. A _Cat!_ Good----"
Brown gripped his arm. "Watch it!" he breathed.
The lid of the basket tilted a little, between lid and rim a soft, furry,
six-toed gray paw was thrust out. Then a plaintive voice said, "Meow-w!"
[Illustration]
X
THE LID OFF
_An Alliance, Offensive, Defensive, and Back-Fensive_
Smith, petrified, looked blankly at the paw.
For a while he remained stupidly incapable of speech or movement, then,
as though arousing from a bad dream:
"What are you going to do, anyway?" he asked with an effort.
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