Page:They who walk in the wilds, (IA theywhowalkinwil00robe).pdf/35

 was expected of him. In his uncertainty he played his trump card. He lay down in the road and began to roll, with all four great furry paws waving childishly in the air.

The long-legged little girl was not only heroic at heart; she was also clear-headed and of a quick understanding. She dragged her brother to his feet.

"Why, Freddy, see!" she exclaimed, steadying her voice. "He ain't goin' to hurt us. He likes us. He wants us to play with him." She suddenly recalled the story of Androcles and the lion, which she had read in one of her schoolbooks. "Don't you remember that man in the story, that the big lion loved so?"

Terror slipped away from her.

"Puss! Puss!" she cried. "Nice Pussy!" And she stretched out her free hand, while with the other she thrust Freddy a little behind her. Even to Freddy the great beast began to look less formidable. He stopped crying, to stare with wondering interest. As soon as Mishi got near enough, the little girl, with inward trepidation but outward firmness, patted him on the head, and as if by a flash of insight, pulled his ears, gently but authoritatively.

In an ecstasy, Mishi rubbed his head against her scratched and sunburned legs, purring louder than ever. He felt that all his woes were at an