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“S’pose so.”

Sammy reached forth his eager hands, and took the kicking puppy from Benjamin’s reluctant arms. “Nice fellar–nice little fellar,” said he, tenderly.

“I’ve named him Caesar,” said Benjamin.

“That’s a good name,” assented Sammy. “Hi, Caesar! Hi, sir!”

Sammy’s father came smilingly forward to the fence; he was fond of dogs. He also took the puppy, and talked to it. Benjamin thought to himself that he wished his grandfather was more like Sammy’s father. He looked on gloomily.

“Hate to give it up, don’t you, Ben?” said Mr. Tucker, kindly.

“Sha’n’t never have such a chance again.”

“Oh yes, you will; your grandfather’ll let you have a dog some time.”

“No; he won’t never let me have nothing.”

“Oh, don’t you give up yet, Ben.”

Benjamin shook his head like a discouraged old man, and turned to go home.

“Sammy’ll feed him, and take real good care of him, and you can come over here and see him,” Mr. Tucker called after him, as he went down the road.

Benjamin thought to himself that he should not want to, as he marched wearily homeward. His arms were lightened of the puppy, but his heart seemed heavy within him. Two boys whom he knew sang out to him from a load of hay, but he gave only a grim nod in response. “They’ve got a dog,” he muttered; and indeed the pretty shepherd dog was following after the load.

Benjamin, when he came in sight of home, thought he would take a short-cut through the orchard. He meditated stealing up the back stairs to his chamber, staying up there, and saying that he did not want any supper; he was not hungry. They had not cut the grass in the orchard, and he plunged through clover, feathery grass, and daisies to his waist. He felt pleased to think how he was making a furrow through his grandfather’s hay. He emerged from the orchard, and went on towards the barn; directly back of it was the old well. When he reached that he stopped short. There was Seventoes–beautiful great yellow cat–stretched in the sun, all his wonderful seven-toed paws spread out. The ledge of the old well was a strange place for a cat, but Seventoes was fond of it, and stayed there much of the time when he was not on the shed roof.

Benjamin walked close to the well and looked at Seventoes. His small face was burning red with the heat; his blue eyes gleamed angrily. “You lazy old cat,” said he. He stood a second longer; then he thrust out his right hand and gave Seventoes a push. There was a piteous yawl and a great clawing, and Seventoes was out of sight. Benjamin ran. He gasped; a white streak was settling around his mouth. He was well versed in Bible stories, and he thought of Cain. What had he done? What would happen to him? Could he ever get away from his guilt, run fast as he would? Benjamin ran as he had never run before, his heart pounding, although he did not know clearly what he was running for. He tore around the barn, through the pasture bars, towards the house. When he came in sight of the shed a great qualm of guilt and remorse forced him to glance up at the place where poor Seventoes had so loved to sit, and where he would sit no more. Benjamin glanced, then he stood stock-still, fairly aghast with awe and terror–there sat Seventoes!

All the red faded out of Benjamin’s cheeks. He had never been encouraged in superstitious beliefs, but he was an imaginative child, and just now bewildered and unstrung. He stared at the shed roof. Yes! he saw Seventoes there, and Seventoes was at the bottom of the old well. Had he not seen him fall, clawing, down?

Benjamin rushed staggering into the kitchen. “Oh, grandsir! oh, mother!” he wailed–“oh, I’ve pushed Seventoes into the old well and drowned him, and his ghost’s sitting on the shed roof! Oh, mother!”