Jims ' fingers tingled to stroke him . Jims had never been allowed to have even a kitten because Aunt Augusta had a horror of cats . And you can not stroke gobblers ! The Very Handsome Cat came through the rose garden paths on his beautiful paws , ambled daintily around the rockery , and sat down in a shady spot under a pine tree , right where Jims could see him , through a gap in the little poplars . He looked straight up at Jims and winked . At least , Jims always believed and declared he did . And that wink said , or seemed to say , plainly : `` Be a sport . Come down here and play with me . A fig for your Aunt Augusta ! '' A wild , daring , absurd idea flashed into Jims ' brain . Could he ? He could ! He would ! He knew it would be easy . He had thought it all out many times , although until now he had never dreamed of really doing it . To unhook the window and swing it open , to step out on the pine bough and from it to another that hung over the wall and dropped nearly to the ground , to spring from it to the velvet sward under the poplars -- why , it was all the work of a minute . With a careful , repressed whoop Jims ran towards the Very Handsome Cat . The cat rose and retreated in deliberate haste ; Jims ran after him . The cat dodged through the rose paths and eluded Jims ' eager hands , just keeping tantalizingly out of reach . Jims had forgotten everything except that he must catch the cat .
He was full of a fearful joy , with an elfin delight running XXXXX it .
At after because for in into on over through towards