Fat & Bones Read Online Free PDF

shock.
    Water.
    Jimmy had no way of knowing how deep the water was, and he did not wish to jump in, both because he didn’t know how to swim and because before he left, he had licked his coat until it appeared as smooth as velvet. If he got wet, he would look like a ragamuffin and stand no chance of competing with that Smitty.
    Oh, that cursed Smitty. That handsome, cursed Smitty. Smitty would not let a wet floor stop him. Perhaps Smitty was on the other side of the kitchen already, whispering plans about a dream nest into Alice’s ear. Perhaps he was tickling her big, beautiful paws and telling her what he intended to name their many children.
    Jimmy ground his teeth.
    Think, Jimmy. Think.
    He needed a boat.
    With some effort, he jumped back up the stairs, panting when he reached the top. He ran back into the bright family nest and threw the scraps of cloth out of the measuring cup that served as his bed. Then he grabbed a metal souvenir spoon with a windmill on the handle and lugged it inside the cup.
    â€œEverything all right, Jimmy?” said his mother, coming out of her bedroom in her nightcap.
    â€œYou betcha,” said Jimmy.
    He hauled the measuring cup out of the nest, into the hallway, and carefully dropped it down each step until once again he stood at the bottom, water in front of him and Alice somewhere far away to the left.
    Every second he lost was a second Smitty gained, so he jumped into the measuring cup, dipped the spoon into the water, and began paddling vigorously.
    Left, right. Left, right. Left, right.
    He used his tail as a rudder, directing himself across the floor. He paddled for he didn’t know how long. He stopped, just for a second, just to let his weary shoulders relax, when he heard a low wheezing sound.

    The cat!
    Back he sprang, brandishing the spoon like a sword.
    Wheeze.
    Jimmy’s heart raced, his mind raced, his blood raced, and he wished he were racing right back up the stairs.
    He would have, too, had it not been for the lingering vision of that Smitty tickling Alice’s feet. Smitty would not have let the cat stop him. In fact, Smitty was probably with Alice right that moment.
    Right that moment!
    Wheeze.
    The measuring cup came to an abrupt stop. Instinctively, Jimmy ducked. He cowered on the floor of his small craft, imagining a giant paw swinging down from above, crushing him completely.
    And still, he thought of Alice.
    He cautiously stood up and then lifted one paw out of the measuring cup, feeling around for whatever he had bumped into.
    His toes brushed against something—a little mushy, yes, and damp, but relatively firm. Not cat but land!
    He jumped out of the measuring cup, still holding onto the spoon.
    Wheeze.
    The sound came from below his feet.
    Jimmy kneeled down. A thin line of something grasslike lifted slowly before him, revealing an enormous weeping eye.
    Wheeze.
    The eye blinked.
    Sniff.
    A sniff of a different pitch entirely.
    Jimmy whirled around, and his nose bumped into something furry.
    â€œHello, mousie-pie.”
    Jimmy’s life flashed before his eyes. Or, rather, the life he would never live. He saw Alice, he saw their nest, he saw their children—he saw all that would never be. He saw his life given away to that Smitty.
    â€œGoing someplace?” said the cat.
    â€œYou-you-betcha,” said Jimmy. He took a step backward and landed on the eye.
    â€œGet off her eye, rodent!” hissed the cat.
    Jimmy stumbled. He saw now that there was a second eye on the floor. Both blinked. Both wept.
    Jimmy turned to hop into the measuring cup and paddle for freedom, but a paw on his tail held him back.
    â€œWhere are you running off to, mousie-pie?”
    Jimmy was too terrified to answer.
    The cat stuck his nose in Jimmy’s face. “I’d like to get your thoughts on this,” said the cat. “Can I count on you to give me your honest opinion?”
    Jimmy had no choice but to nod.

    â€œGood.” The