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OTHER BOOKS
BY BERTHA B. AND ERNEST COBB

ARLO
CLEMATIS
ANITA
PATHWAYS
ALLSPICE
DAN'S BOY
PENNIE
ANDRE
ONE FOOT ON THE GROUND
ROBIN

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[Illustration: "Are you going to sit here all day, little girl?"]

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CLEMATIS

By
BERTHA B. AND ERNEST COBB

Authors of Arlo, Busy Builder's Book,
Hand in Hand With Father Time, etc.

With illustrations by
A. G. Cram
and
Willis Levis

G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS
New York and London

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Copyright, 1917

By BERTHA B. and ERNEST COBB

Entered at Stationers' Hall, London
for Foreign Countries

Twenty-second Impression

All rights reserved. This book, or parts thereof, must
not be reproduced in any form without permission.

Made in the United States of America

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Somerset, Mass.

Dear Priscilla:

You have taken such a fancy to little Clematis that we hope other
children may like her, too. We may not be able to buy you all the
ponies, and goats, and dogs, and cats that you would like, but we
will dedicate the book to you, and then you can play with all the
animals Clematis has, any time you wish.

                                          With much love, from
                                       Bertha B. and Ernest Cobb.

To Miss Priscilla Cobb.

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CONTENTS

Chapter                                  Page
     1.  Lost in a Big City                 1
     2.  The Children's Home               16
     3.  The First Night                   28
     4.  Who is Clematis?                  41
     5.  Clematis Begins to Learn          52
     6.  Clematis Has a Hard Row to Hoe    61
     7.  What Clematis Found               72
     8.  A Visitor                         86
     9.  The Secret                        97
    10.  Two Doctors                      109
    11.  A Long, Anxious Night            121
    12.  Getting Well                     134
    13.  Off for Tilton                   145
    14.  The Country                      160
    15.  Clematis Tries to Help           172
    16.  Only a Few Days More             186
    17.  Where is Clematis?               200
    18.  Hunting for Clematis             215
    19.  New Plans                        230
    20.  The True Fairy Story             237

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ILLUSTRATIONS

1. "Are you going to sit here all day, little girl?"
2. "I don't want to stay here if you're going to throw my cat away."
3. With Katie in the kitchen.
4. Thinking of the land of flowers.
5. Clematis held out her hand.
6. Clematis is better.
7. Off for Tilton.
8. In the country at last.
9. The little red hen.
10. Clematis watched the little fishes by the shore.
11. "I shan't be afraid."
12. A little girl was coming up the path.
13. Deborah was very hungry.
14. "Didn't you ever peel potatoes?"
15. "What are you sewing?"
16. Clematis stuck one hand out.
17. She could see the little fish.
18. In Grandfather's house.

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CLEMATIS

CHAPTER I

LOST IN THE BIG CITY


It was early Spring. A warm sun shone down upon the city street. On
the edge of the narrow brick sidewalk a little girl was sitting.

Her gingham dress was old and shabby. The short, brown coat had lost
all its buttons, and a rusty pin held it together.

A faded blue cap partly covered her brown hair, which hung in short,
loose curls around her face.

She had been sitting there almost an hour when a policeman came
along.

"I wonder where that girl belongs," he said, as he looked down at
her. "She is a new one on Chambers Street."

He walked on, but he looked back as he walked, to see if she went
away.

The child slowly raised her big, brown eyes to look after him. She
watched him till he reached the corner by the meat shop; then she
looked down and began to kick at the stones with her thin boots.

At this moment a bell rang. A door opened in a building across the
street, and many children came out.

As they passed the little girl, some of them looked at her. One
little boy bent down to see her face, but she hid it under her arm.

"What are you afraid of?" he asked. "Who's going to hurt you?"

She did not answer.

Another boy opened his lunch box as he passed, and shook out the
pieces of bread, left from his lunch.

Soon the children were gone, and the street was quiet again.

The little girl kicked at the stones a few minutes; then she looked
up. No one was looking at her, so she reached out one little hand
and picked up a crust of bread.

In a wink the bread was in her mouth. She reached out for another,
brushed off a little dirt, and ate that also.

Just then the policeman came down the street from the other corner.
The child quickly bent her head and looked down.

This time he came to where she sat, and stopped.

"Are you going to sit here all day, little girl?" he asked.

She did not answer.

"Your mother will be looking for you. You'd better run home now,
like a good girl. Where do you live, anyway?"

He bent down and lifted her chin, so she had to look up at him.

"Where do you live, miss? Tell us now, that's a good girl."

"I don't know." The child spoke slowly, half afraid.

"O come now, of course you know, a big girl like you ought to know.
What's the name of the street?"

"I don't know."

"Ah, you're only afraid of me. Don't be afraid of Jim Cunneen now.
I've a little girl at home just about your age."

He waited for her to answer, but she said nothing.

"Come miss, you must think. How can I take you home if you don't
tell me where you live?"

"I don't know."

"Oh, dear me! That is all I get for an answer. Well then, I'll have
to take you down to the station. May be you will find a tongue down
there."

As he spoke, he took hold of her arm to help her up. Then he tried
one more question.

"What is your name?"

"My name is Clematis."

As she spoke she moved her arm, and out from the coat peeped a
kitten. It was white, with a black spot over one eye.

"There, that is better," answered the policeman. "Now tell me your
last name."

"That is all the name I have, just Clematis."

"Well then, what is your father's name?"

"I haven't any father."

"Ah, that is too bad, dear. Then tell me your mother's name." He
bent down lower to hear her reply.

"I haven't any mother, either."

"No father? No mother?" The policeman lifted her gently to her feet.
"Well miss, we won't stay here any longer. It is getting late."

Just then the kitten stuck its head out from her coat and said,
"Miew."

It seemed very glad to move on.

"What's that now, a cat? Where did you get that?"

"It is my kitty, my very own, so I kept it. I didn't steal it. Its
name is Deborah, and it is my very own."

"Ah, now she is finding her tongue," said the policeman, smiling;
while Clematis hugged the kitten.

But the little girl could tell him no more, so he led her along the
street toward the police station.

Before they had gone very far, they passed a baker's shop.

In the window were rolls, and cookies, and buns, and little cakes
with jam and frosting on them.

The smell of fresh bread came through the door.

"What is the matter, miss?" The man looked down, as Clematis stood
still before the window.

She was looking through the glass, at the rolls, and cakes, and
cookies.

[Illustration: "I don't want to stay here if you are going to
throw my cat away"]

The policeman smelled the fresh bread, and it made him hungry.

"Are you hungry, little girl?" he asked, looking down with a smile.

"Wouldn't you be hungry if you hadn't had anything to eat all day
long?" Clematis looked up at him with tears in her big brown eyes.

"Nothing to eat all day? Why, you must be nearly starved!" As he
spoke, the policeman started into the store, pulling Clematis after
him.

She was so surprised that she almost dropped her kitten.

"Miew," said poor Deborah, as if she knew they were going to starve
no longer. But it was really because she was squeezed so tight she
couldn't help it.

"Now, Miss Clematis, do you see anything there you like?"

Jim Cunneen smiled down at Clematis, as she peeped through the glass
case at the things inside.

She stood silent, with her nose right against the glass.

There were so many things to eat it almost took her breath away.

"Well, what do you say, little girl? Don't you see anything you
like?"

"May I choose anything I want?"

"Yes, miss. Just pick out what you like best."

The lady behind the counter smiled, as the policeman lifted Clematis
a little, so she could see better. There were cakes, and cookies,
and buns, and doughnuts.

"May I have a cream cake?" asked Clematis.

"Of course you may. What else?" He lifted her a bit higher.

"Miew!" said Deborah, from under her coat.

"Oh, excuse me, cat," he said, as he set Clematis down. "I forgot
you were there too."

The woman laughed, as she took out a cream cake, a cookie with nuts
on it, and a doughnut.

"May I eat them now?" asked Clematis, as she took the bag.

"You start right in, and if that's not enough, you can have more.
But don't forget the cat."

Jim Cunneen laughed with the baker woman, while Clematis began to
eat the doughnut, as they started out.

Before long they came to a brick building that had big doors.

"Here we are," said the policeman. They turned, and went inside.

There another policeman was sitting at a desk behind a railing.

"Well, who comes here?" asked the policeman at the desk.

"That is more than I know," replied Jim Cunneen. "I guess she's lost
out of the flower show. She says her name is Clematis."

Clematis said nothing. Her mouth was full of cream cake now, and a
little cream was running over her fingers.

Deborah was silent also. She was eating the last crumbs of the
doughnut.

"Is that all you could find out?" The other man looked at Clematis.

"She says she has no father and no mother. Her cat is named Deborah.
That is all she told me."

"Oh, well, I guess you scared her, Jim. Let me ask her. I'll find
out."

The new policeman smiled at Clematis. "Come on now, sister," he
said. "Tell us where you live. That's a good girl."

Clematis reached up one hand and took hold of her friend's big
finger. She looked at the new policeman a moment.

"If you didn't know where you lived, how could you tell anyone?" she
said.

Jim Cunneen laughed. He liked to feel her little hand.

"See how scared she is of me," he said. "We are old friends now."

Again they asked the little girl all the questions they could think
of. But it was of no use. She could not tell them where she lived.
She would not tell them very much about herself.

At last the Captain came in. They told him about this queer little
girl.

He asked her questions also. Then he said:

"We shall have to send her to the Home. If anyone claims her he can
find her there."

So Clematis and Deborah were tucked into the big station wagon, and
Jim Cunneen took her to the Home, where lost children are sheltered
and fed.




CHAPTER II

THE CHILDREN'S HOME


As they climbed the steps leading to the Home, Clematis looked up at
the policeman.

"What is this place?" she asked.

"This is the Children's Home, miss. You will have a fine time
here."

A young woman with a kind face opened the door.

The policeman did not go in. "Here is a child I found on Chambers
Street," he said. "We can't find out where she lives."

"Oh, I see," said the woman.

"Could you take her in for a while, till we can find her parents?"

"Yes, I guess we have room for her. Come in, little girl."

At that moment there was a scratching sound, and Deborah stuck her
head out.

"Miew," said Deborah, who was still hungry. Perhaps she thought it
was another bakery.

"Dear me!" cried the young woman, "we can't have that cat in here."

Clematis drew back, and reached for Jim Cunneen's hand.

"It's a very nice cat, I'm sure," said the policeman.

He felt sorry for Clematis. He knew how she loved her kitten.

"But it's against the rules. The children can never have cats or
dogs in here."

Clematis, with tears in her eyes, turned away.

"Come on," she said to her big friend. "Let us go."

But Jim Cunneen drew her back. He loved little girls, and was also
fond of cats.

"Don't you think the cook might need it for a day or two, to catch
the rats?" he asked, with his best smile.

"Oh dear me, I don't know. I don't think so. It's against the rules
for children to bring in pets."

"Ah then, just wait a minute. I'll be right back."

The policeman ran down the steps and around the corner of the house,
while the young woman asked Clematis questions.

"It's all right then, I'm sure," he called as he came back. "Katie
says she would be very glad to have that cat to help her catch the
rats."

The young woman laughed; Clematis dried her tears, and Jim Cunneen
waved his hand and said goodby.

In another moment the door opened, and Clematis, with Deborah still
in her arms, was in her new home.

It was supper hour at the Children's Home. In the big dining room
three long tables were set.

At each place on the clean, bare table was a plate, a small yellow
bowl, and a spoon.

Beside each plate was a blue gingham bib.

Jane, one of the girls in the Home, was filling the bowls on her
table with milk from a big brown pitcher.

Two little girls worked at each of the tables. While one filled the
bowls, the other brought the bread.

She put two thick slices of bread and a big cookie on each plate.

The young woman who had let Clematis in, came to the table near the
door.

"There is a new girl at your table tonight, Jane," she said. "She
will sit next to me."

"All right, Miss Rose," answered Jane, carefully filling the last
yellow bowl.

"Please may I ring the bell tonight, Miss Rose?" asked Sally, who
had been helping Jane.

Miss Rose looked at the table. Every slice of bread and every cookie
was in place.

"Yes, dear; your work is well done. You may ring."

At the sound of the supper bell, a tramping of many feet sounded in
the long hall.

The doors of the dining room were opened, and Mrs. Snow came in,
followed by a double line of little girls.

Each girl knew just where to find her place, and stood waiting for
the signal to sit.

A teacher stood at the head of each table, and beside Miss Rose was
the little stranger.

Mrs. Snow was the housemother. She asked the blessing, while every
little girl bowed her head.

Clematis stared about at the other children all this time, and
wondered what they were doing.

Now they were seated, and each girl buttoned her bib in place before
she tasted her supper.

Sally sat next to Clematis.

"They gave you a bath, didn't they?" she said, as she put her bread
into her bowl.

Clematis nodded.

"And you got a nice clean apron like ours, didn't you?"

Clematis nodded again.

"Oh, see her hair, it's lovely!" sighed a little girl across the
table, who had short, straight hair.

Clematis' soft brown curls were neatly brushed, and tied with a dark
red ribbon.

She did not look much like the child who came in an hour before.

"What's her name?" asked Jane, looking at Miss Rose.

"We'll ask her tomorrow. Now stop talking please, so she can eat her
supper."

At that, the little girl looked up at Miss Rose and said: "My name
is Clematis, and my kitty's name is Deborah."

Just as she said this, a very strange noise was heard. Every child
stopped eating. Miss Rose turned red, and Mrs. Snow looked up in
surprise.

"Miew, miew, miew," came from under the table. In another minute a
little head peeped over the edge of the table where Clematis sat. It
was a kitten, with a black spot over one eye.

"Miew, miew," Deborah continued, and stuck her little red tongue
right into the yellow bowl. She was very hungry, and could wait no
longer.

[Illustration: Deborah was very hungry]

Mrs. Snow rapped on the table, for every child laughed right out.
What fun it was! No one had ever seen a cat in there before.

"Miss Rose, will you kindly put that cat out. Put her out the front
door." Mrs. Snow was very stern. She didn't wish any cats in the
Home.

Clematis looked at Mrs. Snow. Her eyes filled with tears, and she
began to sob.

Miss Rose turned as red as Deborah's tongue. She had not asked Mrs.
Snow if she might let the cat in. She thought it would stay in the
kitchen with Katie.

"Did you hear me, Miss Rose? I wish you would please put the cat out
the door. We can't have it here."

Miss Rose started to get up, when Clematis slipped out of her chair,
hugging Deborah tightly to her breast.

The tears were running down her cheeks, as she started for the
door.

"Where are you going, little girl?" said Mrs. Snow.

Clematis did not answer, but kept right on.

"Stop her, Miss Rose. What is the matter, anyway? Dear me, what a
fuss!"

Miss Rose caught Clematis by the arm.

"Wait, dear," she said. "Don't act like that. Answer Mrs. Snow."

"I don't care," sobbed Clematis, looking back. "I don't want to stay
here if you are going to throw my cat away."

"I should have asked you, Mrs. Snow," said Miss Rose. "She had the
kitten with her. She cried to bring it in, and Katie said she would
care for it in the kitchen."

"Oh, so that is it. Well, don't cry, child. Take it back to Katie,
and tell her to keep the door shut."

"She's hungry," said Clematis, drying her eyes on her sleeve.

"Well, ask Katie to feed her then, and come right back to the
table."




CHAPTER III

THE FIRST NIGHT


Supper was soon finished, with many giggles from the little girls,
who hoped that Deborah would get in again.

Clematis ate every crumb of her bread and cookie. Her yellow bowl
looked as if Deborah had lapped it dry.

"After supper, we play games. It's great fun," said Sally, as they
were folding their bibs.

The bell rang, and the long line of children formed once more.

They marched out through the long hall, up the broad stairs to the
play room.

There were little tables, with low chairs to match. Some of the
tables held games.

In one corner of the room was a great doll house, that a rich lady
had given to the Home.

In another corner was a small wooden swing with two seats.

A rocking horse stood near the window, and a box of bean bags lay on
a low shelf near by.

Soon all were playing happily, except Clematis, who stood near the
window.

She was looking at the trees, which were sending out red buds. The
sun had set, and the sky was rosy with the last light of day.

"Don't you want to play?" asked Miss Rose, coming across the room.

Clematis shook her head.

"What would you like to do, dear?"

Clematis thought a moment.

"I should like to help