CHAPTER IX

VISITORS TO PURRINGTON

Ban-Ban and Kiku-san started out from Purrington at a good pace, swinging along through the wood-path and out into the open road. At least Kiku swung; he had a very swinging gait, but Ban-Ban trotted along with his usual businesslike air. As they put behind them more and more length of road, and the way ahead shortened, their speed increased, driven onward by their impatience to get home. For these two petted cats found themselves thinking of their old home as “home,” and not Purrington. Nor was this strange, since they had been so short a time in Purrington, and had spent all the rest of their lives being made much of by the children to whom they were hastening.

They met with no particular adventures. Once a dog chased them up a tree, and again they had to run away from an old lady in a victoria, who, seeing this pair of beautiful cats hurrying along the road, side by side, ordered her driver to stop and let her try to catch them. She was a cat-lover, but to Ban-Ban and Kiku-san’s minds as much to be dreaded as the dog. However, they had no difficulty in getting away from her, since she was past the age of rapid running, and her dignity forbade her chasing cats a long distance down the public way.

Timid Kiku-san began to be exhausted from the nervousness of his journey, but Ban-Ban kept up his heart and urged him on, knowing quite well himself that there was considerable risk in travelling alone and unprotected.

But this only made that spirited cat hasten the faster, and, as they drew near the city, impatience seemed to wing each of the eight dusty paws, and they broke into a run, and reached the rear of their former homes—they stood side by side, you know—half an hour at least before they had calculated on being there.

They sat down under the fence to get their breath and brush up their dusty clothes. It was hard work to do this, for they could hear plainly the voices of Rob and Lois shouting to each other in play, and burned to rush into their arms.

It was a very hasty toilet that the travellers made. Ban-Ban sprang to his feet, shook out the places in his fur which his rapid licking had flattened, and cried: “Come on, Kiku; I won’t wait another minute!”

Kiku-san arose, shook himself also, and said: “You don’t suppose I want to wait, do you? Lois is just on the other side of that fence!” Cold print cannot convey the happiness in white Kiku-san’s voice.

They sprang together to the top of the fence. Here they paused a moment to look with purring hearts down on the old garden. There was the pink-bordered flower-bed; among its fragrant pinks Kiku-san had always loved to take his nap after lunch, when the shadow rested there. And there was the fountain, on the edge of which Ban-Ban had loved to sit and see his saucy short face reflected in the water, and from which he had been rescued once, just in time, in his early kittenhood. And there, running like colts around the corner of the house, came Lois and Rob!

That sight brought the cats down from the fence in a twinkling, and side by side they ran forward, backs and tails up, joy sparkling on their very whisker-tips. Rob and Lois stopped abruptly and gazed at the cats.

Then the garden rang with their shout: “It’s Kiku! Kiku-san and Bannie-Ban!” screamed Lois. “Kiku, my darling, Kiku, you lamb-cat, where have you been all this time?”

She gathered the happy, purring white creature into her arms and showered kisses on him, murmuring the while, too delighted to utter words. And Kiku-san rubbed his face against Lois’s, and purred and purred, and gave little mews and coos of rapture, till Lois knew the truth—that he was as glad to see her again as she was to get him back.

Rob’s face turned dark red with emotion when he saw Ban-Ban, whom he had given up as dead or lost for ever. “Why, Ban-Ban!” he managed to say, but he could hardly speak.

Ban-Ban spread his fore feet

wide apart and put down the top of his head between them till it rested on the ground as he saw Rob coming toward him; this was Ban’s old way of showing pleasure, and it upset Rob completely.

Boys cannot cry when they feel strongly, but Rob was dangerously near tears of joy. He gathered silky Ban-Ban into his arms, Ban-Ban flattening his body against Rob’s in his old way till he fitted Rob like a Russian squirrel coat. Rob hid his excited face in Ban-Ban’s close, fine fur. “Ah, Ban!” was all he said, but Ban understood; it was quite enough, and he purred so loud he could have been heard all over the garden, for Ban-Ban was a wonderful songster.

After awhile the children were able to talk—indeed, they were not able to stop talking. They both chattered at once, exclaiming over the sleek and prosperous look the two beloveds wore, and their entire indifference to the food brought them. Where could they have been? Ban-Ban and Kiku-san ran into their respective houses ahead of the children. Like a flash Ban-Ban rushed from room to room, seeing that nothing was changed, and seeing, too, that there was no other cat nor smallest kitten in the house taking his place. Rob was constant to him. It was a great temptation to settle down in comfort and love, and never to return to Purrington! And yet not a great temptation, either, when he remembered the Purrers all waiting his return, and leaning on him as their Founder.

Kiku-san looked up into Lois’s face as he strolled from room to room in his house, finding, as Ban-Ban was finding, his place still empty. He was so glad to get home that it seemed to him that he never, never could go back to Purrington. He thought with dread of the perils of the journey which he was to take twice again, if he returned—for he had made up his mind that, with or without Ban-Ban, he was coming back to Lois when his duty toward the Purrers was done.

He looked up into Lois’s face. It was just the same sweet, old-fashioned little face as ever. Her brown hair, fine and straight, was tied with just the same big, soft ribbon; her eyes, as blue as the ribbon, looked at him with just the same look of devoted love. White Kiku mewed aloud, thinking, with pity for himself, how long it had been since he had seen this dear little gentle face.

Rob and Ban-Ban had a game of hide-and-seek that night before they went to bed. It made the Maltese cat quite crazy with joy to hear the whistle again which he had heard from his kittenhood, and to dash up and down-stairs, looking behind portières and doors for Rob, in the old way. And he puffed like a little gray porpoise from sheer excitement when he found Rob, and the boy darted out at him and chased him down-stairs, where Ban-Ban would scuttle into a place of hiding in his own turn and lie, with close-wrapped tail, while Rob looked for him, softly calling: “Where is Ban? Why, where is Ban?” But Ban-Ban knew better than to come out; he would lie as still as stillness till he was found, and then dash at Rob with all his fur on end. Oh, it was glorious! Ban-Ban thought anew that there were no comrades like human ones when a cat was lucky enough to find the right sort.

Ban-Ban went to sleep at last on Rob’s feet. But in the next house Kiku-san crept into Lois’s arms, just as he had always done, both paws around her neck, his white cheek pillowed on the little girl’s rosy one, and softly purred himself to sleep in his quiet voice, the kind of purring you can feel more plainly than you can hear. And Lois was purring, too, in her loving little heart, for she had mourned bitterly for her lost darling, and words could not have told how glad she was to have him back.

In the morning, however, Lois ran over to see Rob, Kiku-san held tight in her arms. “I don’t know what ails Kiku,” she cried, as soon as Rob and Ban-Ban were within hearing. “He acts as if he wanted to tell me something and make me go somewhere. I do wish I could understand.”

“That’s queer,” said Rob. “Ban-Ban is acting the same way. I told him a little while ago to go ahead, I’d follow him. I’m sure he wants me to go somewhere.”

Ban-Ban and Kiku-san looked at each other, and the children thought they were mewing. What they were saying, or, what Kiku-san was saying, was this: “If we’ve got to go back, Ban-Ban, we ought to go soon, for those Purrers are waiting for us anxiously. But I tell you now I am coming back here as soon as we settle things in Purrington.”

“To tell the truth I’ve about made up my mind to coming back, too,” said Ban-Ban. “But the only thing to do now is to hurry to Purrington. If only we can make these blessed children follow us! You see it will be safe enough going back by daylight if they are with us.”

“Now do hear them mew!” cried Lois, in a worried tone. “Kiku, darling, what do you want?”

“Go on, Ban-Ban; I’ll come,” said Rob at a venture. “Mamma knows I’m going out, and she’ll tell your mother, Lois.” You see he little thought what was to be the end of this walk.

He went to the outside door and set it open. Instantly Ban-Ban darted out, followed more slowly by Kiku-san, and the children went out on the steps and watched them. Both cats came back, rubbed their heads against Lois’s skirt and Rob’s knickerbockers; mewed a little; ran ahead, came back, and did everything that they could think of to coax their boy and girl to come after them.

Rob took Lois’s hand. “They want us,” he said. “It’s queer, but we must go.”

Ban-Ban immediately stood on his head, between his forepaws, in his most delighted fashion, and Kiku-san said: “M-m-m-m-mmmm!” as he always did when he was happy. And so the children knew that they were doing what their beloved cats wanted them to do, and followed steadily.

When they found that Rob and Lois fully understood what was wanted of them, Ban-Ban and Kiku-san stopped looking back at them, and swung into a steady, rapid trot.

“They know just what they want and where it is,” said Rob, wondering. Lois was too amazed to speak. Still more surprised the children grew as the cats took them briskly along the road, toward the outskirts of the city, and finally into the suburbs, and, still farther, along a country road.

“What can it mean?” said Lois, but Rob held her hand tight, so she was not much afraid, only for the cats when a dog came in sight. But there was no mishap, and little delay on the way. Toward the last of the journey, just as they had done in going back to their old home, Ban-Ban and Kiku-san broke into a run, and the two cats and two children came in sight of Purrington on the trot.

“Oh, look, Rob!” cried Lois, whose blue eyes were long of vision. “There is a city, a tiny city, with little, wee houses! What can it mean?”

On the walls the children saw a great crowd of cats, all waving paws and tails, and mewing wildly.

“My goodness! I believe it’s a city of cats!” gasped Rob, dropping Lois’s hand in his amazement. “For pity’s sake—”

But he could get no further, for Ban-Ban and Kiku-san dashed through the gates of Purrington, the children after them, too dazed to realize fully the wonderful adventure that had befallen them.

And the instant they passed the gates it was just as Tommy Traddles had said it would be: Rob and Lois understood every word that the cats on the walls, and swarming around their feet, were saying. And they discovered that what they had taken for a chorus of mews was in reality a song of welcome, sung to the air of “Bonnie Dundee,” with these words:

“Welcome, oh, welcome, you are truly well come, Dear Ban-Ban and Kiku-san, back to your home! To Purrington first our good Brindle Ban brought, And sympathy now from our child friends he’s sought.

_Chorus:_ “Then climb on the walls, and wave happy tails; When Ban-Ban attempts he sure never fails; Fling Pussy-Town’s gates wide and mightily mew, Let both cats and children triumphantly through!

“We waited your coming unable to purr, While anxious thoughts rumpled our minds and our fur; Afar off we saw you, and mounted the walls, Our voices quite hoarse from our eager catcalls!

_Chorus:_ “All hail to you, Ban-Ban, and hail, Kiku-san! All hail, little woman, and hail, little man! Our joy shall be full since with us you have part, Kind childhood, kind cathood united in heart!”