It seems the dear thing pined for her old home , and kept returning to it in spite of age or bad weather . Several times she was taken back when she ran away , but at last they were tired of fussing over her , and let her go . A storm came on , and when they went to see what had become of her , they found her frozen , in the old sideboard , where I first discovered her with her kits about her . As a delicate attention to me , Mrs. Bunch 's skin was preserved , and presented when the tale was told . I kept it some time , but the next Christmas I made it into muffs for several dolls , who were sent me to dress ; and very nice little muffs the pretty black fur made , lined with cherry silk , and finished off with tiny tassels . I loved the dear old puss , but I knew the moths would get her skin if I kept it , and preferred to rejoice the hearts of several small friends with dolls in full winter costume . I am sure Mrs. Bunch would have agreed with me , and not felt that I treated her remains with disrespect . The last of my cats was the blackest of all , and such a wild thing we called him the Imp . He tumbled into the garret one day through a broken scuttle , and took possession of the house from that time forth , acting as if bewitched . He got into the furnace pipes , but could not get out , and kept me up one whole night , giving him air and light , food and comfort , through a little hole in the floor , while waiting for a carpenter to come and saw him out . He got a sad pinch in his tail , which made it crooked forever after . He fell into the soft-soap barrel , and was fished out a deplorable spectacle . He was half strangled by a fine collar we put on him , and was found hanging by it on a peg . People sat down on him , for he would lie in chairs . No one loved him much , for he was not amiable in temper , but bit and scratched if touched , worried the bows off our slippers in his play , and if we did not attend to him at once , he complained in the most tremendous bass growl I ever heard . He was not beautiful , but very impressive ; being big , without a white hair on him . 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 XXXXX 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 .
Bunch Imp day first muffs night one puss skin storm