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diff --git a/28119.txt b/28119.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..eaea700 --- /dev/null +++ b/28119.txt @@ -0,0 +1,768 @@ +The Project Gutenberg EBook of My Father, the Cat, by Henry Slesar + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: My Father, the Cat + +Author: Henry Slesar + +Release Date: February 19, 2009 [EBook #28119] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MY FATHER, THE CAT *** + + + + +Produced by Greg Weeks, Stephen Blundell and the Online +Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net + + + + + + + + + + _Henry Slesar, as we have said before, is a young advertising + executive who has rapidly become one of the better known writers in + the field. Here is an off-trail story that is guaranteed to make + some of you take a very searching second look at some of the young + men you know._ + + + my + father, + the + cat + + _by HENRY SLESAR_ + + + He wondered if I'd told her everything, and, faltering, I + had to admit that I hadn't. She was wonderful--but human. + + +My mother was a lovely, delicate woman from the coast of Brittany, who +was miserable sleeping on less than three mattresses, and who, it is +said, was once injured by a falling leaf in her garden. My grandfather, +a descendant of the French nobility whose family had ridden the tumbrils +of the Revolution, tended her fragile body and spirit with the same +loving care given rare, brief-blooming flowers. You may imagine from +this his attitude concerning marriage. He lived in terror of the vulgar, +heavy-handed man who would one day win my mother's heart, and at last, +this persistent dread killed him. His concern was unnecessary, however, +for my mother chose a suitor who was as free of mundane brutality as a +husband could be. Her choice was Dauphin, a remarkable white cat which +strayed onto the estate shortly after his death. + +Dauphin was an unusually large Angora, and his ability to speak in +cultured French, English, and Italian was sufficient to cause my mother +to adopt him as a household pet. It did not take long for her to +realize that Dauphin deserved a higher status, and he became her friend, +protector, and confidante. He never spoke of his origin, nor where he +had acquired the classical education which made him such an entertaining +companion. After two years, it was easy for my mother, an unworldly +woman at best, to forget the dissimilarity in their species. In fact, +she was convinced that Dauphin was an enchanted prince, and Dauphin, in +consideration of her illusions, never dissuaded her. At last, they were +married by an understanding clergyman of the locale, who solemnly filled +in the marriage application with the name of M. Edwarde Dauphin. + +I, Etienne Dauphin, am their son. + +To be candid, I am a handsome youth, not unlike my mother in the +delicacy of my features. My father's heritage is evident in my large, +feline eyes, and in my slight body and quick movements. My mother's +death, when I was four, left me in the charge of my father and his +coterie of loyal servants, and I could not have wished for a finer +upbringing. It is to my father's patient tutoring that I owe whatever +graces I now possess. It was my father, the cat, whose gentle paws +guided me to the treasure houses of literature, art, and music, whose +whiskers bristled with pleasure at a goose well cooked, at a meal well +served, at a wine well chosen. How many happy hours we shared! He knew +more of life and the humanities, my father, the cat, than any human I +have met in all my twenty-three years. + +Until the age of eighteen, my education was his personal challenge. +Then, it was his desire to send me into the world outside the gates. He +chose for me a university in America, for he was deeply fond of what he +called "that great raw country," where he believed my feline qualities +might be tempered by the aggressiveness of the rough-coated barking dogs +I would be sure to meet. + +I must confess to a certain amount of unhappiness in my early American +years, torn as I was from the comforts of the estate and the wisdom of +my father, the cat. But I became adapted, and even upon my graduation +from the university, sought and held employment in a metropolitan art +museum. It was there I met Joanna, the young woman I intended to make my +bride. + +Joanna was a product of the great American southwest, the daughter of a +cattle-raiser. There was a blooming vitality in her face and her body, a +lustiness born of open skies and desert. Her hair was not the gold of +antiquity; it was new gold, freshly mined from the black rock. Her eyes +were not like old-world diamonds; their sparkle was that of sunlight on +a cascading river. Her figure was bold, an open declaration of her sex. + +She was, perhaps, an unusual choice for the son of fairy-like mother and +an Angora cat. But from the first meeting of our eyes, I knew that I +would someday bring Joanna to my father's estate to present her as my +fiancee. + +I approached that occasion with understandable trepidation. My father +had been explicit in his advice before I departed for America, but on no +point had he been more emphatic than secrecy concerning himself. He +assured me that revelation of my paternity would bring ridicule and +unhappiness upon me. The advice was sound, of course, and not even +Joanna knew that our journey's end would bring us to the estate of a +large, cultured, and conversing cat. I had deliberately fostered the +impression that I was orphaned, believing that the proper place for +revealing the truth was the atmosphere of my father's home in France. I +was certain that Joanna would accept her father-in-law without distress. +Indeed, hadn't nearly a score of human servants remained devoted to +their feline master for almost a generation? + +We had agreed to be wed on the first of June, and on May the fourth, +emplaned in New York for Paris. We were met at Orly Field by Francois, +my father's solemn manservant, who had been delegated not so much as +escort as he was chaperone, my father having retained much of the old +world proprieties. It was a long trip by automobile to our estate in +Brittany, and I must admit to a brooding silence throughout the drive +which frankly puzzled Joanna. + +However, when the great stone fortress that was our home came within +view, my fears and doubts were quickly dispelled. Joanna, like so many +Americans, was thrilled at the aura of venerability and royal custom +surrounding the estate. Francois placed her in charge of Madame Jolinet, +who clapped her plump old hands with delight at the sight of her fresh +blonde beauty, and chattered and clucked like a mother hen as she led +Joanna to her room on the second floor. As for myself, I had one +immediate wish: to see my father, the cat. + +He greeted me in the library, where he had been anxiously awaiting our +arrival, curled up in his favorite chair by the fireside, a wide-mouthed +goblet of cognac by his side. As I entered the room, he lifted a paw +formally, but then his reserve was dissolved by the emotion of our +reunion, and he licked my face in unashamed joy. + +Francois refreshed his glass, and poured another for me, and we toasted +each other's well-being. + +"To you, _mon purr_," I said, using the affectionate name of my +childhood memory. + +"To Joanna," my father said. He smacked his lips over the cognac, and +wiped his whiskers gravely. "And where is this paragon?" + +"With Madame Jolinet. She will be down shortly." + +"And you have told her everything?" + +I blushed. "No, _mon purr_, I have not. I thought it best to wait until +we were home. She is a wonderful woman," I added impulsively. "She will +not be--" + +"Horrified?" my father said. "What makes you so certain, my son?" + +"Because she is a woman of great heart," I said stoutly. "She was +educated at a fine college for women in Eastern America. Her ancestors +were rugged people, given to legend and folklore. She is a warm, human +person--" + +"Human," my father sighed, and his tail swished. "You are expecting too +much of your beloved, Etienne. Even a woman of the finest character may +be dismayed in this situation." + +"But my mother--" + +"Your mother was an exception, a changeling of the Fairies. You must not +look for your mother's soul in Joanna's eyes." He jumped from his chair, +and came towards me, resting his paw upon my knee. "I am glad you have +not spoken of me, Etienne. Now you must keep your silence forever." + +I was shocked. I reached down and touched my father's silky fur, +saddened by the look of his age in his gray, gold-flecked eyes, and by +the tinge of yellow in his white coat. + +"No, _mon purr_," I said. "Joanna must know the truth. Joanna must know +how proud I am to be the son of Edwarde Dauphin." + +"Then you will lose her." + +"Never! That cannot happen!" + +My father walked stiffly to the fireplace, staring into the gray ashes. +"Ring for Francois," he said. "Let him build the fire. I am cold, +Etienne." + +I walked to the cord and pulled it. My father turned to me and said: +"You must wait, my son. At dinner this evening, perhaps. Do not speak of +me until then." + +"Very well, father." + +When I left the library, I encountered Joanna at the head of the +stairway, and she spoke to me excitedly. + +"Oh, Etienne! What a _beautiful_ old house. I know I will love it! May +we see the rest?" + +"Of course," I said. + +"You look troubled. Is something wrong?" + +"No, no. I was thinking how lovely you are." + +We embraced, and her warm full body against mine confirmed my conviction +that we should never be parted. She put her arm in mine, and we strolled +through the great rooms of the house. She was ecstatic at their size and +elegance, exclaiming over the carpeting, the gnarled furniture, the +ancient silver and pewter, the gallery of family paintings. When she +came upon an early portrait of my mother, her eyes misted. + +"She was lovely," Joanna said. "Like a princess! And what of your +father? Is there no portrait of him?" + +"No," I said hurriedly. "No portrait." I had spoken my first lie to +Joanna, for there was a painting, half-completed, which my mother had +begun in the last year of her life. It was a whispering little +watercolor, and Joanna discovered it to my consternation. + +"What a magnificent cat!" she said. "Was it a pet?" + +"It is Dauphin," I said nervously. + +She laughed. "He has your eyes, Etienne." + +"Joanna, I must tell you something--" + +"And this ferocious gentleman with the moustaches? Who is he?" + +"My grandfather. Joanna, you must listen--" + +Francois, who had been following our inspection tour at shadow's-length, +interrupted. I suspected that his timing was no mere coincidence. + +"We will be serving dinner at seven-thirty," he said. "If the lady would +care to dress--" + +"Of course," Joanna said. "Will you excuse me, Etienne?" + +I bowed to her, and she was gone. + +At fifteen minutes to the appointed dining time, I was ready, and +hastened below to talk once more with my father. He was in the dining +room, instructing the servants as to the placement of the silver and +accessories. My father was proud of the excellence of his table, and +took all his meals in the splendid manner. His appreciation of food and +wine was unsurpassed in my experience, and it had always been the +greatest of pleasures for me to watch him at table, stalking across the +damask and dipping delicately into the silver dishes prepared for him. +He pretended to be too busy with his dinner preparations to engage me in +conversation, but I insisted. + +"I must talk to you," I said. "We must decide together how to do this." + +"It will not be easy," he answered with a twinkle. "Consider Joanna's +view. A cat as large and as old as myself is cause enough for comment. A +cat that speaks is alarming. A cat that dines at table with the +household is shocking. And a cat whom you must introduce as your--" + +"Stop it!" I cried. "Joanna must know the truth. You must help me reveal +it to her." + +"Then you will not heed my advice?" + +"In all things but this. Our marriage can never be happy unless she +accepts you for what you are." + +"And if there is no marriage?" + +I would not admit to this possibility. Joanna was mine; nothing could +alter that. The look of pain and bewilderment in my eyes must have been +evident to my father, for he touched my arm gently with his paw and +said: + +"I will help you, Etienne. You must give me your trust." + +"Always!" + +"Then come to dinner with Joanna and explain nothing. Wait for me to +appear." + +I grasped his paw and raised it to my lips. "Thank you, father!" + +He turned to Francois, and snapped: "You have my instructions?" + +"Yes, sir," the servant replied. + +"Then all is ready. I shall return to my room now, Etienne. You may +bring your fiancee to dine." + +I hastened up the stairway, and found Joanna ready, strikingly beautiful +in shimmering white satin. Together, we descended the grand staircase +and entered the room. + +Her eyes shone at the magnificence of the service set upon the table, at +the soldiery array of fine wines, some of them already poured into their +proper glasses for my father's enjoyment: _Haut Medoc_, from _St. +Estephe_, authentic _Chablis_, _Epernay Champagne_, and an American +import from the Napa Valley of which he was fond. I waited expectantly +for his appearance as we sipped our aperitif, while Joanna chatted about +innocuous matters, with no idea of the tormented state I was in. + +At eight o'clock, my father had not yet made his appearance, and I grew +ever more distraught as Francois signalled for the serving of the +_bouillon au madere_. Had he changed his mind? Would I be left to +explain my status without his help? I hadn't realized until this moment +how difficult a task I had allotted for myself, and the fear of losing +Joanna was terrible within me. The soup was flat and tasteless on my +tongue, and the misery in my manner was too apparent for Joanna to miss. + +"What is it, Etienne?" she said. "You've been so morose all day. Can't +you tell me what's wrong?" + +"No, it's nothing. It's just--" I let the impulse take possession of my +speech. "Joanna, there's something I should tell you. About my mother, +and my father--" + +"Ahem," Francois said. + +He turned to the doorway, and our glances followed his. + +"Oh, Etienne!" Joanna cried, in a voice ringing with delight. + +It was my father, the cat, watching us with his gray, gold-flecked eyes. +He approached the dining table, regarding Joanna with timidity and +caution. + +"It's the cat in the painting!" Joanna said. "You didn't tell me he was +here, Etienne. He's beautiful!" + +"Joanna, this is--" + +"Dauphin! I would have known him anywhere. Here, Dauphin! Here, kitty, +kitty, kitty!" + +Slowly, my father approached her outstretched hand, and allowed her to +scratch the thick fur on the back of his neck. + +"Aren't you the pretty little pussy! Aren't you the sweetest little +thing!" + +"Joanna!" + +She lifted my father by the haunches, and held him in her lap, stroking +his fur and cooing the silly little words that women address to their +pets. The sight pained and confused me, and I sought to find an opening +word that would allow me to explain, yet hoping all the time that my +father would himself provide the answer. + +Then my father spoke. + +"Meow," he said. + +"Are you hungry?" Joanna asked solicitously. "Is the little pussy +hungry?" + +"Meow," my father said, and I believed my heart broke then and there. He +leaped from her lap and padded across the room. I watched him through +blurred eyes as he followed Francois to the corner, where the servant +had placed a shallow bowl of milk. He lapped at it eagerly, until the +last white drop was gone. Then he yawned and stretched, and trotted back +to the doorway, with one fleeting glance in my direction that spoke +articulately of what I must do next. + +"What a wonderful animal," Joanna said. + +"Yes," I answered. "He was my mother's favorite." + + +[Illustration] + + + + +Transcriber's Note: + + This etext was produced from _Fantastic Universe_ December 1957. + Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. + copyright on this publication was renewed. Minor spelling and + typographical errors have been corrected without note. + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of My Father, the Cat, by Henry Slesar + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MY FATHER, THE CAT *** + +***** This file should be named 28119.txt or 28119.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + https://www.gutenberg.org/2/8/1/1/28119/ + +Produced by Greg Weeks, Stephen Blundell and the Online +Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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