The Cherry-colored Kitten
BARBARA sat on the front steps playing with a big stuffed cat that Auntie Grace had given her on her birthday. Pretty soon she heard the gate slam, and saw Uncle Bob coming up the walk.
“Hello, Barbara, why don’t you have a truly kitten that will say ‘meow’ and play with its tail instead of that old calico thing?”
“I love my kitty,” said Barbara, and hugged it tighter than ever.
“We’ve got three little kitties at our house—a white one, a yellow one and a—cherry-colored one. Don’t you want one?”
“Yes, please,” answered Barbara politely.
“Well, then, what color would you like best?” asked Uncle Bob. “White, yellow, or—cherry-colored?”
“Cherry-colored, I guess,” answered Barbara; and Uncle Bob went whistling down the street.
When Barbara went into the house, she asked her mother what color “cherry-colored” was, and her mother said that it was a very pretty shade of deep pink. So Barbara thought she was going to have a pink cat, and she told the little girl next door and the little boy across the street all about it, and promised to show them the wonderful kitten as soon as it came.
One day Uncle Bob came running up the steps and asked Barbara what she supposed he had in his pocket. “Oh, I know—my kitten!” said Barbara; and, sure enough, he put his hand in his pocket and pulled out a dear little black kitten.
“That isn’t mine,” said Barbara. “Mine is a pink kitten; you said so.”
“No, indeed, I said ‘cherry-colored,’” laughed Uncle Bob, “all cherries aren’t the same color; some of them are black, just like the kitten.”
At first Barbara was so disappointed that she did not want the kitten at all, but it was such a dear little thing that she soon began to love it. She carried it in to her mother and told her the whole story. Her mother gave her a piece of beautiful pink ribbon to tie around the kitten’s neck and advised Barbara to name it “Cherry.” Barbara did so; and now she thinks that black is the prettiest color in the world for a kitten.