Show I I lt TIn TIlE Ron ROB CAT CAl GUESSES C By Thornton W Sometimes things happ n to be bc so My gain Is la In another's woe th thy Bob itoh Cat V I suspect that more often orten than not this thia is BO so Anyway 1 the Bob Itoh Cat always hat has his eye ye open open and his bis ears OI I and his 1 nose noso working that he te may not any chance of ot turning to his own own advantage the the and misfortunes ot of o others So it hap hap- happened happened happened that as he ws w w is sneaking through the Green Forest early that morning after Ja Jack k Frost rost had put a hard crust over over the snow he caught a d taint faint ral sound that ma mate e him pause and prick Jp ip his ears can For a moment or two he heard nothing Then oft off tf tu to o one une side I he heard a faint taint t tap p tap tap The cushions of his big bis feet teet made madeno madeno I Ino no sound as ab a turned and stole In that direction The noise ceased walt wall walled ed cd his stub of a tall tail twitching with eagerness is and excitement There was a gleam of ot hunger hunKer and ond fierceness In his yellow eyes ees eye Tap tap tap The sound was just a afew afew few tew feet teet away and Just as ho had thought it was coming from front be- be beneath be beneath neath nath that hard crust crusi moved forward until that tha tapping was tapping was as directly under him Tap tap tap It came caine directly beneath his nose noso tall talt that stub of a tail talt twitched faster HI lU His yellow eyes fairly blazed biased with eagerness Ills his mouth watered Ho lIe led what that tapping lapping mean meant flu that with only tho the ot of that Icy crust between them was Mrs Grouse he back back- backell backed ed ell away a few tew steps and then crouched with his eyes on the spot whence cam came that tap tap- tapping tap tapping ping After Ader a time the th fh tapping ceased waited just a as aslone long as he ho could Then Thea he be moved d forward and began bean to claw at that snow lie He was sos S trying lo to dig die a ahole ahole ahole hole through that crust It was then that Sirs Mrs Grouse heard the scratching sound and knew that some one was trying to set get at ather ather ather her But Rut Ice Is hard and didn't try long lone to scratch a hole through that crust for tor he knew that he would soon wear ear ear his claws down and that wouldn't do doat doat doat at all not at all So after walt w lt-Ini lt log around a while whilo he i e went vent off oct Ho He would look elsewhere for tor something to eat But Dut couldn't forget Sirs Mra Grouse and o-nd the fact that she ehe was under the crust a a prisoner Jack Frosta prisoner Thu more moro he thought about Mm Un Grouse the themore more his hi mouth watered There wo was nothing nothing at all aU ot of which ho could think that would taste quite BO so good as aa a u M meal ot of Grouse So very every once In a 11 while would teal steal leal buck back to that I llaCO to 10 listen tor for that tapping and so 80 mako make sure lIuro that Sire Grouse u wits win wa thord Once ho he found Reddy Fox ha- ha tuning hi his head to one ono side Ide Ida and his blaek cars ars rs cocked lo to catch that tap lAP p tap tap lap Get Gel a asay aay a ay y sn nari- nari rl- rl I u L hC r chat t Gre asa Is 18 mine Wt Yoi YO waited hL Ills his stub of ot a tail h lIh l eagerness anti i l noddy Reddy grinned as he backed I away Oh said he I r didn't know she was yours ours I 1 suppose you have her under this crust for tor I safe keeping merely snarled and took tooka looka a few tew steps toward Now Is la no match for tor and he hc knows it Ho lIe backed away stIll grinning Il II Is hard to get any anything to eat and Im I'm very hungry Wont Won't you save me a leg or a wing said he and grinned more broad broad- broadly broadly ly Jy than before merely gi way I down clown In his throat and twitched his stub of a tall tail Well Well said I I HeddY If you feel teel that way about It there is nothing more to beI be l I said ald I hope you will wilt enjoy that beI I I meal Dont Don't allow me mc tp to interfere Inter- Inter tore tere With thi this Reddy Roddy chuckled right out and turning trotted away lie He knew that he hadn't a chance to catch Mrs Irs Grout und Ind he be shrewdly suspected that holt hadn't either cither And when he chanced to catch a glimpse of a 11 quiet figure standing In a clump ot of evergreens he was sure of ot It Copyright 1926 1826 by T W Burgess Durges I The next sU- sU story The Silent Watcher I I |