"Now that he's good and wet, let's bury him," suggested Joseph.
"Alive?" said his comrades.
"Of course alive! And the old dame, his owner can--"
But here Paula suddenly lunged forward, seizing the wicked youngster by the
wrists with a surprising strength for one of her age.
"You'll do nothing of the kind," she cried. "Let him go; do you hear me?"
"Let me alone!" said the young bully as he tried to bite her.
Not being able to accomplish this, he gave her a ferocious kick, which
caused Paula to let go with a cry of pain. She now saw that her efforts
were useless.
"See here," she said to him, after a few seconds' thought, "If you give me
the cat, I'll give you four cents."
"Ah, you haven't got four cents."
"Yes, I have; I have it here in my pocket"
"All right, let me have the money."
"No, no," said Paula, "if I give you my four cents first, I know you will
never let me have the cat. Come, give him to me," she said beseechingly;
"he's never done you any harm and you have made him suffer so much." But
Joseph refused this appeal. With a diabolical grin he raised the cat again
to swing it over his head. There was a meow of agony--but it was the last
one! In spite of her former lack of success, Paula made one supreme effort
to rescue the cat.
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