CHAPTER III

SNOOP ON THE TRAIN



"I'm glad Dinah looks nice," Flossie whispered to her mother, when she saw

how beautiful the parlor car was. "And isn't Freddie good?" the little girl

remarked anxiously, as if fearing her brother might forget his best manners

in such a grand place.



Freddie and Bert sat near their father on the big soft revolving chairs in

the Pullman car, while Nan and Flossie occupied the sofa at the end near

their mother. Dinah sat up straight and dignified, and, as Flossie said,

really looked nice, in her very clean white waist and her soft black skirt.

On her carefully parted hair she wore a neat little black turban. Bert

always laughed at the number of "parts" Dinah made in her kinky hair, and

declared that she ought to be a civil engineer, she could draw such splendid

maps even on the back of her head.



The grandeur of the parlor car almost overcame Freddie, but he clung to

Snoop in the pasteboard box and positively refused to let the kitten go into

the baggage car. Dinah's lunch basket was so neatly done up the porter

carried it very carefully to her seat when she entered the train, although

lunch baskets are not often taken in as "Pullman car baggage."



"I'm going to let Snoop out!" whispered Freddie suddenly, and before anyone

had a chance to stop him, the little black kitten jumped out of the box, and

perched himself on the window sill to look out at the fine scenery.



"Oh!" exclaimed Mrs. Bobbsey, "the porter will put him off the train!" and

she tried to catch the now happy little Snoop.



"No, he won't," Mr. Bobbsey assured her. "I will watch out for that."



"Here, Snoop," coaxed Nan, also alarmed. "Come, Snoop!"



But the kitten had been captive long enough to appreciate his liberty now,

and so refused to be coaxed. Flossie came down between the velvet chairs

very cautiously, but as soon as Snoop saw her arm stretch out for him, he

just walked over the back of the highest seat and down into the lap of a

sleeping lady!



"Oh, mercy me!" screamed the lady, as she awoke with Snoop's tail whisking

over her face. "Goodness, gracious! what is that?" and before she had fully

recovered from the shock she actually jumped up on the chair, like the funny

pictures of a woman and a mouse.



The people around could not help laughing, but Freddie and the other

Bobbseys were frightened.



"Oh, will they kill Snoop now?" Freddie almost cried. "Dinah, please help me

get him!"



By this time the much scared lady had found out it was only a little kitten,

and feeling very foolish she sat down and coaxed Snoop into her lap again.

Mr. Bobbsey hurried to apologize.



"We'll have to put him back in the box," Mr. Bobbsey declared, but that was

easier said than done, for no sooner would one of the Bobbseys approach the

cat than Snoop would walk himself off. And not on the floor either, but up

and down the velvet chairs, and in and out under the passengers' arms.

Strange to say, not one of the people minded it, but all petted Snoop until,

as Bert said, "He owned the car."



"Dat cat am de worst!" Dinah exclaimed. "'Pears like it was so stuck up an'

fine dar ain't no place in dis 'yere Pullin' car good 'nough fer him."



"Oh, the porter! the porter!" Bert cried. "He'll surely throw Snoop out of

the window."



"Snoop! Snoop!" the whole family called in chorus, but Snoop saw the porter

himself and made up his mind the right thing to do under the circumstances

would be to make friends.



"Cat?" exclaimed the good-looking colored man. "Scat! Well, I declare!

What you think of that?"



Freddie felt as if he were going to die, he was so scared, and Flossie's

tears ran down her cheeks.



"Will he eat him?" Freddie blubbered, thinking of some queer stories he had

heard like that. Mr. Bobbsey, too, was a little alarmed and hurried to

reach Snoop.



The porter stooped to catch the offending kitten, while Snoop walked right

up to him, sniffed his uniform, and stepped upon the out- stretched black

hand.



"Well, you is a nice little kitten," the porter admitted, fondling Snoop in

spite of orders.



"Oh, please, Mr. Porter, give me my cat!" cried Freddie, breaking away from

all restraint and reaching Snoop.



"Yours, is it? Well, I don't blame you, boy, for bringing dat cat along.

An' say," and the porter leaned down to the frightened Freddie, "it's

against orders, but I'd jest like to take dis yer kitten back in de kitchen

and treat him, for he's - he's a star!" and he fondled Snoop closer.



"But I didn't know it was wrong, and I'll put him right back in the box,"

Freddie whimpered, not quite understanding the porter's intention.



"Well, say, son!" the porter exclaimed as Mr. Bobbsey came up. "What do you

say if you papa let you come back in de kitchen wid me? Den you can jest

see how I treat de kitty-cat!"



So Freddie started off after the porter, who proudly carried Snoop, while

Mr. Bobbsey brought up the rear. Everybody along the aisle wanted to pet

Snoop, who, from being a little stowaway was now the hero of the occasion.

More than once Freddie stumbled against the side of the big seats as the

cars swung along like a reckless automobile, but each time his father caught

him by the blouse and set him on his feet again, until at last, after

passing through the big dining car, the kitchen was reached.



"What you got dar? Somethin' fer soup?" laughed the good-natured cook, who

was really fond of cats and wouldn't harm one for the world.



Soon the situation was explained, and as the porters and others gathered

around in admiration, Snoop drank soup like a gentleman, and then took two

courses, one of fish and one of meat, in splendid traveler fashion.



"Dat's de way to drink soup on a fast train," laughed the porter. "You

makes sure of it dat way, and saves your clothes. Ha! ha! ha!" he laughed,

remembering how many men have to have their good clothes cleaned of

soup after a dinner on a fast train. Reluctantly the men gave Snoop back to

Freddie, who, this time, to make sure of no further adventures, put the

popular black kitten in his box in spite of protests from the admiring

passengers.



"You have missed so much of the beautiful scenery," Nan told Freddie and her

father when they joined the party again. "Just see those mountains over

there," and then they sat at the broad windows gazing for a long time at the

grand scenery as it seemed to rush by.

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