I used to do other things , as you 'd admit if you saw my life-book . '' Anne was just going to ask what his life-book was when the First Mate created a diversion by springing upon Captain Jim 's knee . He was a gorgeous beastie , with a face as round as a full moon , vivid green eyes , and immense , white , double paws . Captain Jim stroked his velvet back gently . `` I never fancied cats much till I found the First Mate , '' he remarked , to the accompaniment of the Mate 's tremendous purrs . `` I saved his life , and when you 've saved a creature 's life you 're bound to love it . It 's next thing to giving life . There 's some turrible thoughtless people in the world , Mistress Blythe . Some of them city folks who have summer homes over the harbor are so thoughtless that they 're cruel . It 's the worst kind of cruelty -- the thoughtless kind . You ca n't cope with it . They keep cats there in the summer , and feed and pet 'em , and doll 'em up with ribbons and collars . And then in the fall they go off and leave 'em to starve or freeze . It makes my blood boil , Mistress Blythe . One day last winter I found a poor old mother cat dead on the shore , lying against the skin-and-bone bodies of her three little kittens . She 'd died trying to shelter 'em . She had her poor stiff paws around 'em . Master , I cried . Then I swore . Then I carried them poor little kittens home and fed 'em up and found good homes for 'em .
I knew the woman who left the cat and when she come back this XXXXX I jest went over the harbor and told her my opinion of her .
accompaniment day doll fall feed knee pet shelter summer world