One eye was blue and one green , and the green one was always half shut , as if he was winking at you , which gave him a rowdy air comical to see . Then he swaggered in his walk , never turned out for any one , and if offended fell into rages fit to daunt the bravest soul . Yes , the Imp was truly an awful animal ; and when a mischievous cousin of ours told us he wanted a black cat , without a single white hair on it , to win a wager with , we at once offered ours . It seems that sailors are so superstitious they will not sail in a ship with a black cat ; and this rogue of a cousin was going to send puss off on a voyage , unknown to any one but the friend who took him , and when the trip was safely over , he was to be produced as a triumphant proof of the folly of the nautical superstition . So the Imp was delivered to his new master , and sailed away packed up in an old fishing-basket , with his head poked out of a hole in the cover . We waited anxiously to hear how the joke ended ; but unfortunately the passage was very rough , his guardian too ill to keep him safe and quiet , so the irrepressible fellow escaped from prison , and betrayed himself by growling dismally , as he went lurching across the deck to the great dismay of the sailors . They chased , caught , and tossed the poor Imp overboard without loss of time . And when the joke came out , they had the best of it , for the weather happened to improve , and the rest of the voyage was prosperous . So , of course , they laid it all to the loss of the cat , and were more fixed in their belief than ever . We were sorry that poor old Imp met so sad a fate , but did not mourn him long , for he had not won our hearts as some of our other pets had . He was the last of the seven black cats , and we never had another ; for I really did feel as if there was something uncanny about them after my tragical experiences with Czar , Blot , Mother Bunch 's family , and the martyred Imp . V. ROSA 'S TALE . `` Now , I believe every one has had a Christmas present and a good time . Nobody has been forgotten , not even the cat , '' said Mrs. Ward to her daughter , as she looked at Pobbylinda , purring on the rug , with a new ribbon round her neck and the remains of a chicken bone between her paws . It was very late , for the Christmas-tree was stripped , the little folks abed , the baskets and bundles left at poor neighbors ' doors , and everything ready for the happy day which would begin as the clock struck twelve . They were resting after their labors , while the yule log burned down ; but the mother 's words reminded Belinda of one good friend who had received no gift that night . `` We 've forgotten Rosa ! Her mistress is away , but she shall have a present nevertheless . Late as it is , she will like some apples and cake and a Merry Christmas from the family . '' Belinda jumped up as she spoke , and , having collected such remnants of the feast as a horse would relish , she put on her hood , lighted a lantern , and trotted off to the barn .
As she opened the door of the loose box in which XXXXX was kept , she saw her eyes shining in the dark as she lifted her head with a startled air .
Blot Christmas-tree Imp Merry Mother Pobbylinda Rosa Ward fishing-basket yule