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+      Letters From A Cat, by Helen Hunt.
+    </title>
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+<pre>
+
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Letters from a Cat, by Helen Jackson
+
+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: Letters from a Cat
+
+Author: Helen Jackson
+
+Release Date: April 20, 2010 [EBook #32069]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LETTERS FROM A CAT ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by V. L. Simpson and the Online Distributed
+Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+</pre>
+
+
+    <div class="frontispiece">
+      <img src="images/img1.jpg" alt="" />
+    </div>
+
+    <div class="title-page">
+
+      <h1 class="title">Letters from a Cat.</h1>
+
+      <div>
+        <span style="font-size:80%;">PUBLISHED BY HER MISTRESS</span>
+
+        <span>For the Benefit of all Cats</span>
+
+        <span style="font-size:80%;">AND</span>
+
+        <span>THE AMUSEMENT OF LITTLE CHILDREN.</span>
+      </div>
+
+      <div>
+        <span>BY H. H.,</span>
+        <span>AUTHOR OF "NELLY'S SILVER MINE."</span>
+      </div>
+
+      <div><i>WITH SEVENTEEN ILLUSTRATIONS BY ADDIE LEDYARD.</i></div>
+
+      <div>
+        <span>BOSTON:</span>
+
+        <span>ROBERTS BROTHERS.</span>
+
+        <span>1879.</span>
+      </div>
+    </div>
+
+    <div class="copyright">
+      <span><i>Copyright, 1879,</i></span>
+      <span class="smcap">By Roberts Brothers.</span>
+    </div>
+
+    <div class="image" style="width:442px;height:600px">
+      <img src="images/img2.jpg" alt="" /></div>
+
+<h2>INTRODUCTION.</h2>
+
+<p>Dear Children:</p>
+
+<div style="float:left;width:245px;height:250px;padding-right:1em;">
+<img src="images/img3.jpg" alt="" /></div>
+
+<p>
+I do not feel wholly sure that my Pussy wrote these letters herself. They
+always came inside the letters written to me by my mamma, or other friends,
+and I never caught Pussy writing at any time when I was at home; but the
+printing was pretty bad, and they were signed by Pussy's name; and my mamma
+always looked very mysterious when I asked about them, as if there were
+some very great secret about it all; so that until I grew to be a big girl,
+I never doubted but that Pussy printed them all alone by herself, after
+dark.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+They were written when I was a very little girl, and was away from home
+with my father on a journey. We made this journey in our own carriage, and
+it was one of the pleasantest things that ever happened to me. My clothes
+and my father's were packed in a little leather valise which was hung by
+straps underneath the carriage, and went swinging, swinging, back and
+forth, as the wheels went round. My father and I used to walk up all the
+steep hills, because old Charley, our horse, was not very strong; and I
+kept my eyes on that valise all the while I was walking behind the
+carriage; it seemed to me the most unsafe way to carry a valise, and I
+wished very much that my best dress had been put in a bundle that I could
+carry in my lap.  This was the only drawback on the pleasure of my
+journey,--my fear that the valise would fall off when we did not know it,
+and be left in the road, and then I should not have anything nice to wear
+when I reached my aunt's house. But the valise went through all safe, and I
+had the satisfaction of wearing my best dress every afternoon while I
+stayed; and I was foolish enough to think a great deal of this.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+On the fourth day after our arrival came a letter from my mamma, giving me
+a great many directions how to behave, and enclosing this first letter from
+Pussy. I carried both letters in my apron pocket all the time. They were
+the first letters I ever had received, and I was very proud of them. I
+showed them to everybody, and everybody laughed hard at Pussy's, and asked
+me if I believed that Pussy printed it herself. I thought perhaps my mamma
+held her paw, with the pen in it, as she had sometimes held my hand for me,
+and guided my pen to write a few words. I asked papa to please to ask
+mamma, in his letter, if that were the way Pussy did it; but when his next
+letter from mamma came, he read me this sentence out of it: "Tell Helen I
+did not hold Pussy's paw to write that letter."  So then I felt sure Pussy
+did it herself; and as I told you, I had grown up to be quite a big girl
+before I began to doubt it. You see I thought my Pussy such a wonderful
+Pussy that nothing was too remarkable for her to do. I knew very well that
+cats generally did not know how to read or write; but I thought there had
+never been such a cat in the world as this Pussy of mine. It is a great
+many years since she died; but I can see her before me to-day as plainly as
+if it were only yesterday that I had really seen her alive.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+She was a little kitten when I first had her; but she grew fast, and was
+very soon bigger than I wanted her to be. I wanted her to stay little. Her
+fur was a beautiful dark gray color, and there were black stripes on her
+sides, like the stripes on a tiger. Her eyes were very big, and her ears
+unusually long and pointed. This made her look like a fox; and she was so
+bright and mischievous that some people thought she must be part fox. She
+used to do one thing that I never heard of any other cat's doing: she used
+to play hide-and-seek.  Did you ever hear of a cat's playing hide-and-seek?
+And the most wonderful part of it was, that she took it up of her own
+accord. As soon as she heard me shut the gate in the yard at noon, when
+school was done, she would run up the stairs as hard as she could go, and
+take her place at the top, where she could just peep through the
+banisters. When I opened the door, she would give a funny little mew,
+something like the mew cats make when they call their kittens. Then as soon
+as I stepped on the first stair to come up to her, she would race away at
+the top of her speed, and hide under a bed; and when I reached the room,
+there would be no Pussy to be seen. If I called her, she would come out
+from under the bed; but if I left the room, and went down stairs without
+speaking, in less than a minute she would fly back to her post at the head
+of the stairs, and call again with the peculiar mew. As soon as I appeared,
+off she would run, and hide under the bed as before. Sometimes she would do
+this three or four times; and it was a favorite amusement of my mother's to
+exhibit this trick of hers to strangers. It was odd, though; she never
+would do it twice, when she observed that other people were watching.  When
+I called her, and she came out from under the bed, if there were strangers
+looking on, she would walk straight to me in the demurest manner, as if it
+were a pure accident that she happened to be under that bed; and no matter
+what I did or said, her frolic was over for that day.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+She used to follow me, just like a little
+dog, wherever I went. She followed me
+to school every day, and we had great difficulty
+on Sundays to keep her from following
+us to church. Once she followed me,
+when it made a good many people laugh,
+in spite of themselves, on an occasion
+when it was very improper for them to
+laugh, and they were all feeling very sad.
+It was at the funeral of one of the professors
+in the college.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The professors' families all sat together; and when the time came for them
+to walk out of the house and get into the carriages to go to the graveyard,
+they were called, one after the other, by name. When it came to our turn,
+my father and mother went first, arm-in-arm; then my sister and I; and
+then, who should rise, very gravely, but my Pussy, who had slipped into the
+room after me, and had not been noticed in the crowd. With a slow and
+deliberate gait she walked along, directly behind my sister and me, as if
+she were the remaining member of the family, as indeed she was.  People
+began to smile, and as we passed through the front door, and went down the
+steps, some of the men and boys standing there laughed out. I do not
+wonder; for it must have been a very comical sight.  In a second more,
+somebody sprang forward and snatched Pussy up. Such a scream as she gave!
+and scratched his face with her claws, so that he was glad to put her
+down. As soon as I heard her voice I turned round, and called her in a low
+tone. She ran quickly to me, and I picked her up and carried her in my arms
+the rest of the way. But I saw even my own papa and mamma laughing a
+little, for just a minute. That was the only funeral Pussy ever attended.
+</p>
+
+<p>Pussy lived several years after the events which are related in these
+letters.</p>
+
+<p>It was a long time before her fur grew
+out again after that terrible fall into the
+soft-soap barrel. However, it did grow
+out at last, and looked as well as ever.
+Nobody would have known that any thing
+had been the matter with her, except that
+her eyes were always weak. The edges of
+them never got quite well; and poor Pussy
+used to sit and wash them by the hour;
+sometimes mewing and looking up in my
+face, with each stroke of her paw on her
+eyes, as much as to say, "Don't you see
+how sore my eyes are? Why don't you
+do something for me?"</p>
+
+<p>She was never good for any thing as a
+mouser after that accident, nor for very
+much to play with. I recollect hearing
+my mother say one day to somebody,--"Pussy
+was spoiled by her experience in
+the cradle. She would like to be rocked
+the rest of her days, I do believe; and it
+is too funny to see her turn up her nose
+at tough beef. It was a pity she ever
+got a taste of tenderloin!"</p>
+
+<p>At last, what with good feeding and very little exercise, she grew so
+fat that she was clumsy, and so lazy that she did not want to do any thing
+but lie curled up on a soft cushion.</p>
+
+<p>She had outgrown my little chair, which had a green moreen cushion in it,
+on which she had slept for many a year, and of which I myself had very
+little use,--she was in it so much of the time. But now that this was too
+tight for her, she took possession of the most comfortable places she could
+find, all over the house. Now it was a sofa, now it was an arm-chair, now
+it was the foot of somebody's bed. But wherever it happened to be, it was
+sure to be the precise place where she was in the way, and the poor thing
+was tipped headlong out of chairs, shoved hastily off sofas, and driven off
+beds so continually, that at last she came to understand that when she saw
+any person approaching the chair, sofa, or bed on which she happened to be
+lying, the part of wisdom for her was to move away. And it was very droll
+to see the injured and reproachful expression with which she would slowly
+get up, stretch all her legs, and walk away, looking for her next
+sleeping-place. Everybody in the house, except me, hated the sight of her;
+and I had many a pitched battle with the servants in her behalf. Even my
+mother, who was the kindest human being I ever knew, got out of patience at
+last, and said to me one day:--</p>
+
+<p>"Helen, your Pussy has grown so old and so fat, she is no comfort to
+herself, and a great torment to everybody else.  I think it would be a
+mercy to kill her."</p>
+
+<p>"Kill my Pussy!" I exclaimed, and burst out crying, so loud and so hard
+that I think my mother was frightened; for she said quickly:--</p>
+
+<p>"Never mind, dear; it shall not be done, unless it is necessary. You would
+not want Pussy to live, if she were very uncomfortable all the time."</p>
+
+<p>"She isn't uncomfortable," I cried; "she is only sleepy. If people would
+let her alone, she would sleep all day.  It would be awful to kill her. You
+might as well kill me!"</p>
+
+<p>After that, I kept a very close eye on Pussy; and I carried her up to bed
+with me every night for a long time.</p>
+
+<p>But Pussy's days were numbered.  One morning, before I was up, my mamma
+came into my room, and sat down on the edge of my bed.</p>
+
+<p>"Helen," she said, "I have something to tell you which will make you feel
+very badly; but I hope you will be a good little girl, and not make mamma
+unhappy about it. You know your papa and mamma always do what they think is
+the very best thing."</p>
+
+<p>"What is it, mamma?" I asked, feeling very much frightened, but never
+thinking of Pussy.</p>
+
+<p>"You will never see your Pussy any more," she replied. "She is dead."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, where is she?" I cried. "What killed her? Won't she come to life
+again?"</p>
+
+<p>"No," said my mother; "she is
+drowned."</p>
+
+<p>Then I knew what had happened.</p>
+
+<p>"Who did it?" was all I said.</p>
+
+<p>"Cousin Josiah," she replied; "and
+he took great care that Pussy did not
+suffer at all. She sank to the bottom
+instantly."</p>
+
+<p>"Where did he drown her?" I asked.</p>
+
+<p>"Down by the mill, in Mill Valley,
+where the water is very deep," answered
+my mother; "we told him to take her
+there."</p>
+
+<p>At these words I cried bitterly.</p>
+
+<p>"That's the very place I used to go
+with her to play," I exclaimed. "I'll never
+go near that bridge as long as I live, and
+I'll never speak a word to Cousin Josiah
+either--never!"</p>
+
+<p>My mother tried to comfort me, but
+it was of no use; my heart was nearly
+broken.</p>
+
+<p>When I went to breakfast, there sat
+my cousin Josiah, looking as unconcerned
+as possible, reading a newspaper. He was
+a student in the college, and boarded at our
+house. At the sight of him all my indignation
+and grief broke forth afresh. I began
+to cry again; and running up to him, I
+doubled up my fist and shook it in his face.</p>
+
+<p>"I said I'd never speak to you as long
+as I lived," I cried; "but I will. You're
+just a murderer, a real murderer; that's
+what you are! and when you go to be a
+missionary, I hope the cannibals'll eat
+you! I hope they'll eat you alive raw,
+you mean old murderer!"</p>
+
+<p>"Helen Maria!" said my father's voice
+behind me, sternly. "Helen Maria! leave
+the room this moment!"</p>
+
+<p>I went away sullenly, muttering, "I
+don't care, he is a murderer; and I hope
+he'll be drowned, if he isn't eaten! The
+Bible says the same measure ye mete shall
+be meted to you again. He ought to be
+drowned."</p>
+
+<p>For this sullen muttering I had to go
+without my breakfast; and after breakfast
+was over, I was made to beg Cousin
+Josiah's pardon; but I did not beg it
+in my heart--not a bit--only with my
+lips, just repeating the words I was told
+to say; and from that time I never spoke
+one word to him, nor looked at him, if I
+could help it.</p>
+
+<p>My kind mother offered to get another
+kitten for me, but I did not want one.
+After a while, my sister Ann had a present
+of a pretty little gray kitten; but I never
+played with it, nor took any notice of it
+at all. I was as true to my Pussy as she
+was to me; and from that day to this, I
+have never had another Pussy!</p>
+
+<div class="image" style="width:214px;height:300px;">
+  <img src="images/img4.jpg" alt="" /></div>
+
+<div class="image" style="width:282px;height:400px;"><img src="images/img5.jpg" alt="" /></div>
+
+<h2>I.</h2>
+
+
+<p class="smcap">My Dear Helen:</p>
+
+<p>That is what your mother calls
+you, I know, for I jumped up on
+writing-table just now, and
+looked, while she was out of the
+room; and I am sure I have as
+much right to call you so as she
+has, for if you were my own little
+kitty, and looked just like me, I
+could not love you any more than
+I do. How many good naps I
+have had in your lap! and how
+many nice bits of meat you have
+saved for me out of your own dinner!
+Oh, I'll never let a rat, or a
+mouse, touch any thing of yours so
+long as I live.</p>
+
+<p>I felt very unhappy after you
+drove off yesterday, and did not
+know what to do with myself. I
+went into the barn, and thought I
+would take a nap on the hay, for
+I do think going to sleep is one of
+the very best things for people who
+are unhappy; but it seemed so
+lonely without old Charlie stamping
+in his stall that I could not bear it,</p>
+
+<div class="image" style="width:499px;height:650px;">
+  <img src="images/img6.png" alt="" />
+<p>  "I felt very unhappy after you drove off yesterday."</p>
+</div>
+
+<p>so I went into the garden, and lay
+down under the damask rose-bush,
+and caught flies. There is a kind
+of fly round that bush which I like
+better than any other I ever ate.
+You ought to see that there is a
+very great difference between my
+catching flies and your doing it. I
+have noticed that you never eat
+them, and I have wondered that
+when you were always so kind to
+me you could be so cruel as to kill
+poor flies for nothing: I have often
+wished that I could speak to you
+about it: now that your dear mother
+has taught me to print, I shall be
+able to say a great many things to
+you which I have often been unhappy
+about because I could not
+make you understand. I am entirely
+discouraged about learning to
+speak the English language, and I
+do not think anybody takes much
+trouble to learn ours; so we cats
+are confined entirely to the society
+of each other, which prevents our
+knowing so much as we might; and
+it is very lonely too, in a place where
+there are so few cats kept as in
+Amherst. If it were not for Mrs.
+Hitchcock's cat, and Judge Dickinson's,
+I should really forget how to
+use my tongue. When you are at
+home I do not mind it, for although
+I cannot talk to you, I understand
+every word that you say to me, and
+we have such good plays together
+with the red ball. That is put away
+now in the bottom drawer of the
+little workstand in the sitting-room.
+When your mother put it in, she
+turned round to me, and said, "Poor
+pussy, no more good plays for you
+till Helen comes home!" and I
+thought I should certainly cry. But
+I think it is very foolish to cry over
+what cannot be helped, so I pretended
+to have got something into my
+left eye, and rubbed it with my paw.
+It is very seldom that I cry over
+any thing, unless it is "spilt milk."
+I must confess, I have often cried
+when that has happened: and it
+always is happening to cats' milk.
+They put it into old broken things
+that tip over at the least knock, and
+then they set them just where they
+are sure to be most in the way.
+Many's the time Josiah has knocked
+over that blue saucer of mine, in the
+shed, and when you have thought
+that I had had a nice breakfast of
+milk, I had nothing in the world
+but flies, which are not good for
+much more than just a little sort
+of relish. I am so glad of a
+chance to tell you about this,
+because I know when you come</p>
+
+<div class="image" style="width:501px;height:625px;">
+  <img src="images/img7.jpg" alt="" />
+<p class="caption">"I hope you found the horse-chestnuts which I put in the carriage for you. I had
+a dreadful time climbing up over the dasher with them."</p>
+</div>
+
+<p>home you will get a better dish
+for me.</p>
+
+<p>I hope you found the horse-chestnuts
+which I put in the bottom
+of the carriage for you. I
+could not think of any thing else to
+put in, which would remind you of
+me: but I am afraid you will never
+think that it was I who put them
+there, and it will be too bad if you
+don't, for I had a dreadful time
+climbing up over the dasher with
+them, and both my jaws are quite
+lame from stretching them so, to
+carry the biggest ones I could find.</p>
+
+<p>There are three beautiful dandelions
+out on the terrace, but I
+don't suppose they will keep till
+you come home. A man has been
+doing something to your garden, but
+though I watched him very closely
+all the time, I could not make out
+what he was about. I am afraid it
+is something you will not like; but
+if I find out more about it, I will
+tell you in my next letter. Good
+by.</p>
+
+
+<p>Your affectionate Pussy.</p>
+
+
+<h2>II.</h2>
+
+
+<p>My Dear Helen:</p>
+
+<p>I do wish that you and your
+father would turn around directly,
+wherever you are, when you get this
+letter, and come home as fast as you
+can. If you do not come soon there
+will be no home left for you to
+come into. I am so frightened and
+excited, that my paws tremble, and I
+have upset the ink twice, and spilled
+so much that there is only a little
+left in the bottom of the cup, and
+it is as thick as hasty pudding; so
+you must excuse the looks of this
+letter, and I will tell you as quickly
+as I can about the dreadful state of
+things here. Not more than an
+hour after I finished my letter to
+you, yesterday, I heard a great noise
+in the parlor, and ran in to see what
+was the matter. There was Mary
+with her worst blue handkerchief
+tied over her head, her washing-day
+gown on, and a big hammer in her
+hand. As soon as she saw me, she
+said, "There's that cat! Always
+in my way," and threw a cricket at
+me, and then shut the parlor door
+with a great slam. So I ran out
+and listened under the front windows,
+for I felt sure she was in
+some bad business she did not want
+to have known. Such a noise I
+never heard: all the things were
+being moved; and in a few minutes,
+what do you think--out came the
+whole carpet right on my head! I
+was nearly stifled with dust, and felt
+as if every bone in my body must
+be broken; but I managed to creep
+out from under it, and heard Mary
+say, "If there isn't that torment of
+a cat again! I wish to goodness
+Helen had taken her along!"
+Then I felt surer than ever that
+some mischief was on foot: and
+ran out into the garden, and climbed
+up the old apple-tree at the foot of
+the steps, and crawled out on a
+branch, from which I could look
+directly into the parlor windows.
+Oh! my dear Helen, you can fancy
+how I felt, to see all the chairs and
+tables and bookshelves in a pile in
+the middle of the floor, the books
+all packed in big baskets, and Mary
+taking out window after window as
+fast as she could. I forgot to tell
+you that your mother went away
+last night. I think she has gone to
+Hadley to make a visit, and it looks
+to me very much as if Mary meant
+to run away with every thing which</p>
+
+<div class="image" style="width:511px;height:460px;">
+  <img src="images/img8.jpg" alt="" />
+<p>"I climbed up the old apple-tree, and crawled out on a branch from which I could
+look directly into the parlor windows."</p>
+</div>
+
+<p>could be moved, before she comes
+back. After awhile that ugly Irishwoman,
+who lives in Mr. Slater's
+house, came into the back gate: you
+know the one I mean,--the one that
+threw cold water on me last spring.
+When I saw her coming I felt
+sure that she and Mary meant
+to kill me, while you were all away;
+so I jumped down out of the tree,
+and split my best claw in my hurry,
+and ran off into Baker's Grove, and
+stayed there all the rest of the day,
+in dreadful misery from cold and
+hunger. There was some snow in
+the hollows, and I wet my feet, which
+always makes me feel wretchedly;
+and I could not find any thing to
+eat except a thin dried-up old mole.
+They are never good in the spring.
+Really, nobody does know what
+hard lives we cats lead, even the
+luckiest of us! After dark, I went
+home; but Mary had fastened up
+every door, even the little one into
+the back shed. So I had to jump
+into the cellar window, which is a
+thing I never like to do since I got
+that bad sprain in my shoulder from
+coming down on the edge of a milk-pan.
+I crept up to the head of the
+kitchen stairs, as still as a mouse, if
+I'm any judge, and listened there
+for a long time, to try and make</p>
+
+<div class="image" style="width:400px;height:401px;">
+  <img src="images/img9.jpg" alt="" />
+<p>"I crept up to the head of the kitchen stairs, as still
+as a mouse, if I'm any judge, and listened."</p>
+</div>
+
+<p>out, from Mary's talk with the Irishwoman,
+what they were planning to
+do. But I never could understand
+Irish, and although I listened till I
+had cramps in all my legs, from
+being so long in one position, I was
+no wiser. Even the things Mary
+said I could not understand, and I
+usually understand her very easily.
+I passed a very uncomfortable night
+in the carrot bin. As soon as I
+heard Mary coming down the cellar
+stairs, this morning, I hid in the
+arch, and while she was skimming
+the milk, I slipped upstairs, and ran
+into the sitting-room. Every thing
+there is in the same confusion; the
+carpet is gone; and the windows too,
+and I think some of the chairs have
+been carried away. All the china
+is in great baskets on the pantry
+floor; and your father and mother's
+clothes are all taken out of the nursery
+closet, and laid on chairs. It
+is very dreadful to have to stand
+and see all this, and not be able to
+do any thing. I don't think I ever
+fully realized before the disadvantage
+of being only a cat. I have
+just been across the street, and
+talked it all over with the Judge's
+cat, but she is very old and stupid,
+and so taken up with her six kittens
+(who are the ugliest I ever saw),
+that she does not take the least interest
+in her neighbors' affairs. Mrs.
+Hitchcock walked by the house this
+morning, and I ran out to her, and
+took her dress in my teeth and
+pulled it, and did all I could to
+make her come in, but she said,
+"No, no, pussy, I'm not coming
+in to-day; your mistress is not at
+home." I declare I could have
+cried. I sat down in the middle
+of the path, and never stirred for
+half an hour.</p>
+
+<p>I heard your friend, Hannah
+Dorrance, say yesterday, that she
+was going to write to you to-day,
+so I shall run up the hill now and
+carry my letter to her. I think she
+will be astonished when she sees me,
+for I am very sure that no other
+cat in town knows how to write.
+Do come home as soon as possible.</p>
+
+<p>Your affectionate Pussy.
+</p>
+
+<p>P. S. Two men have just
+driven up to the front gate in a
+great cart, and they are putting all
+the carpets into it. Oh dear, oh
+dear, if I only knew what to do!
+And I just heard Mary say to
+them, "Be as quick as you can, for I
+want to get through with this business
+before the folks come back."</p>
+
+
+<h2>III.</h2>
+
+
+<p>My Dear Helen:</p>
+
+<p>I am too stiff and sore from a
+terrible fall I have had, to write
+more than one line; but I must let
+you know that my fright was very
+silly, and I am very much mortified
+about it. The house and the things
+are all safe; your mother has come
+home; and I will write, and tell
+you all, just as soon as I can use
+my pen without great pain.</p>
+
+<p>Some new people have come
+to live in the Nelson house; very
+nice people, I think, for they keep
+their milk in yellow crockery pans.
+They have brought with them a
+splendid black cat whose name is
+C�sar, and everybody is talking
+about him. He has the handsomest
+whiskers I ever saw. I do hope
+I shall be well enough to see him
+before long, but I wouldn't have
+him see me now for any thing.</p>
+
+<p>Your affectionate Pussy.</p>
+
+<div class="image" style="width:647px;height:580px;">
+  <img src="images/img10.jpg" alt="" />
+  <p>"They have brought with them a splendid black cat whose name is C�sar,
+    and everybody is talking about him. He has the handsomest whiskers I ever
+    saw."</p>
+</div>
+
+<h2>IV.</h2>
+
+
+<p>My Dear Helen:</p>
+
+<p>There is one thing that cats
+don't like any better than men and
+women do, and that is to make fools
+of themselves. But a precious fool
+I made of myself when I wrote you
+that long letter about Mary's moving
+out all the furniture, and taking
+the house down. It is very mortifying
+to have to tell you how it all
+turned out, but I know you love me
+enough to be sorry that I should
+have had such a terrible fright for
+nothing.</p>
+
+<p>It went on from bad to worse
+for three more days after I wrote
+you. Your mother did not come
+home; and the awful Irishwoman
+was here all the time. I did not
+dare to go near the house, and I do
+assure you I nearly starved: I used
+to lie under the rose-bushes, and
+watch as well as I could what was
+going on: now and then I caught
+a rat in the barn, but that sort of
+hearty food never has agreed with
+me since I came to live with you,
+and became accustomed to a lighter
+diet. By the third day I felt too
+weak and sick to stir: so I lay still
+all day on the straw in Charlie's
+stall; and I really thought, between
+the hunger and the anxiety, that I
+should die. About noon I heard
+Mary say in the shed, "I do believe
+that everlasting cat has taken herself
+off: it's a good riddance anyhow,
+but I should like to know what has
+become of the plaguy thing!"</p>
+
+<p>I trembled all over, for if she
+had come into the barn I know one
+kick from her heavy foot would
+have killed me, and I was quite too
+weak to run away. Towards night
+I heard your dear mother's voice
+calling, "Poor pussy, why, poor
+pussy, where are you?"</p>
+
+<p>I assure you, my dear Helen,
+people are very much mistaken who
+say, as I have often overheard them,
+that cats have no feeling. If they
+could only know how I felt at that
+moment, they would change their
+minds. I was almost too glad to
+make a sound. It seemed to me
+that my feet were fastened to the
+floor, and that I never could get to
+her. She took me up in her arms,
+and carried me through the kitchen
+into the sitting-room. Mary was
+frying cakes in the kitchen, and as
+your mother passed by the stove
+she said in her sweet voice, "You
+see I've found poor pussy, Mary."
+"Humph," said Mary, "I never
+thought but that she'd be found
+fast enough when she wanted to
+be!" I knew that this was a lie,
+because I had heard what she said
+in the shed. I do wish I knew
+what makes her hate me so: I
+only wish she knew how I hate
+her. I really think I shall gnaw
+her stockings and shoes some night.
+It would not be any more than fair;
+and she would never suspect me,
+there are so many mice in her room,
+for I never touch one that I think
+belongs in her closet.</p>
+
+<p>The sitting-room was all in
+most beautiful order,--a smooth
+white something, like the side of a
+basket, over the whole floor, a beautiful
+paper curtain, pink and white,
+over the fire-place, and white muslin
+curtains at the windows. I stood
+perfectly still in the middle of the
+room for some time. I was too surprised
+to stir. Oh, how I wished
+that I could speak, and tell your
+dear mother all that had happened,
+and how the room had looked three
+days before. Presently she said,
+"Poor pussy, I know you are almost
+starved, aren't you?" and I
+said "Yes," as plainly as I could
+mew it. Then she brought me a
+big soup-plate full of thick cream,
+and some of the most delicious cold
+hash I ever tasted; and after I had
+eaten it all, she took me in her lap,
+and said, "Poor pussy, we miss
+little Helen, don't we?" and she
+held me in her lap till bed-time.
+Then she let me sleep on the foot
+of her bed: it was one of the happiest
+nights of my life. In the
+middle of the night I was up for
+a while, and caught the smallest
+mouse I ever saw out of the nest.
+Such little ones are very tender.</p>
+
+<p>In the morning I had my
+breakfast with her in the dining-room,
+which looks just as nice as
+the sitting-room. After breakfast
+Mrs. Hitchcock came in, and your
+mother said: "Only think, how fortunate
+I am; Mary did all the
+house-cleaning while I was away.
+Every room is in perfect order;
+all the woollen clothes are put
+away for the summer. Poor pussy,
+here, was frightened out of the
+house, and I suppose we should
+all have been if we had been at
+home."</p>
+
+<p>Can you imagine how ashamed
+I felt? I ran under the table and
+did not come out again until after
+Mrs. Hitchcock had gone. But now</p>
+
+<div class="image" style="width:343px;height:490px;">
+  <img src="images/img11.jpg" alt="" />
+<p>"Can you imagine how ashamed I felt? I ran under the table and did not
+come out again until after Mrs. Hitchcock had gone."</p></div>
+
+<div class="image" style="width:461px;height:490px;">
+  <img src="images/img12.jpg" alt="" />
+<p>"I knew that there was no time to be lost if I meant to
+catch that robin, so I ran with all my might and tried to jump
+through."</p></div>
+
+<p>comes the saddest part of my story.
+Soon after this, as I was looking
+out of the window, I saw the fattest,
+most tempting robin on the
+ground under the cherry-tree: the
+windows did not look as if they
+had any glass in them, and I took
+it for granted that it had all been
+taken out and put away upstairs,
+with the andirons and the carpets,
+for next winter. I knew that there
+was no time to be lost if I meant
+to catch that robin, so I ran with
+all my might and tried to jump
+through. Oh, my dear Helen, I do
+not believe you ever had such a
+bump: I fell back nearly into the
+middle of the room; and it seemed
+to me that I turned completely
+over at least six times. The blood
+streamed out of my nose, and I cut
+my right ear very badly against one
+of the castors of the table. I could
+not see nor hear any thing for some
+minutes. When I came to myself,
+I found your dear mother holding
+me, and wiping my face with her
+own nice handkerchief wet in cold
+water. My right fore-paw was badly
+bruised, and that troubles me very
+much about washing my face, and
+about writing. But the worst of all
+is the condition of my nose. Everybody
+laughs who sees me, and I do
+not blame them; it is twice as large
+as it used to be, and I begin to be
+seriously afraid it will never return
+to its old shape. This will be a
+dreadful affliction: for who does not
+know that the nose is the chief
+beauty of a cat's face? I have got
+very tired of hearing the story of
+my fall told to all the people who
+come in. They laugh as if they
+would kill themselves at it, especially
+when I do not manage to get
+under the table before they look to
+see how my nose is.</p>
+
+<p>Except for this I should have
+written to you before, and would
+write more now, but my paw aches
+badly, and one of my eyes is nearly
+closed from the swelling of my
+nose: so I must say good-by.</p>
+
+<p>Your affectionate Pussy.</p>
+
+<p>P. S. I told you about C�sar,
+did I not, in my last letter? Of
+course I do not venture out of the
+house in my present plight, so I
+have not seen him except from the
+window.</p>
+
+
+<h2>V.</h2>
+
+
+<p>My Dear Helen:</p>
+
+<p>I am sure you must have wondered
+why I have not written to
+you for the last two weeks, but
+when you hear what I have been
+through, you will only wonder that
+I am alive to write to you at all. I
+was very glad to hear your mother
+say, yesterday, that she had not written
+to you about what had happened
+to me, because it would make you
+so unhappy. But now that it is all
+over, and I am in a fair way to be
+soon as well as ever, I think you
+will like to hear the whole story.</p>
+
+<p>In my last letter I told you
+about the new black cat, C�sar,
+who had come to live in the Nelson
+house, and how anxious I was to
+know him. As soon as my nose
+was fit to be seen, Judge Dickinson's
+cat, who is a good, hospitable
+old soul, in spite of her stupidity,
+invited me to tea, and asked him
+too. All the other cats were asked
+to come later in the evening, and we
+had a grand frolic, hunting rats
+in the Judge's great barn. C�sar</p>
+
+<div class="image" style="width:642px;height:550px;">
+  <img src="images/img13.jpg" alt="" />
+<p>"Judge Dickinson's cat, who is a good hospitable old soul, in spite of
+her stupidity, invited me to tea, and asked C�sar too."</p></div>
+
+<div class="image" style="width:518px;height:450px;">
+  <img src="images/img14.jpg" alt="" />
+<p>"When there suddenly came down on us a whole pailful of water."</p>
+</div>
+
+<p>is certainly the handsomest and most gentlemanly cat I ever saw. He paid
+me great attention: in fact, so much, that one of those miserable
+half-starved cats from Mill Valley grew so jealous that she flew at me and
+bit my ear till it bled, which broke up the party. But C�sar went home with
+me, so I did not care; then we sat and talked a long time under the nursery
+window. I was so much occupied in what he was saying, that I did not hear
+Mary open the window overhead, and was therefore terribly frightened when
+there suddenly came down on us a whole pailful of water. I was so startled
+that I lost all presence of mind; and without bidding him good-night, I
+jumped directly into the cellar window by which we were sitting. Oh, my
+dear Helen, I can never give you any idea of what followed.  Instead of
+coming down as I expected to on the cabbages, which were just under that
+window the last time I was in the cellar, I found myself sinking, sinking,
+into some horrible soft, slimy, sticky substance, which in an instant more
+would have closed over my head, and suffocated me; but, fortunately, as I
+sank, I felt something hard at one side, and making a great effort, I
+caught on it with my claws. It proved to be the side of a barrel, and I
+succeeded in getting one paw over the edge of it. There I hung, growing
+weaker and weaker every minute, with this frightful stuff running into my
+eyes and ears, and choking me with its bad smell. I mewed as loud as I
+could, which was not very loud, for whenever I opened my mouth the stuff
+trickled into it off my whiskers; but I called to C�sar, who stood in great
+distress at the window, and explained to him, as well as I could, what had
+happened to me, and begged him to call as loudly as possible; for if
+somebody did not come very soon, and take me out, I should certainly
+die. He insisted, at first, on jumping down to help me himself; but I told
+him that would be the most foolish thing he could do; if he did, we should
+certainly both be drowned. So he began to mew at the top of his voice, and
+between his mewing and mine, there was noise enough for a few minutes; then
+windows began to open, and I heard your grandfather swearing and throwing
+out a stick of wood at C�sar; fortunately he was so near the house that it
+did not hit him. At last your grandfather came downstairs, and opened the
+back door; and C�sar was so frightened that he ran away, for which I have
+never thought so well of him since, though we are still very good
+friends. When I heard him running off, and calling back to me, from a
+distance, that he was so sorry he could not help me, my courage began to
+fail, and in a moment more, I should have let go of the edge of the barrel,
+and sunk to the bottom; but luckily your grandfather noticed that there was
+something very strange about my mewing, and opened the door at the head of
+the cellar stairs, saying, "I do believe the cat is in some trouble down
+here."  Then I made a great effort and mewed still more piteously. How I
+wished I could call out and say, "Yes, indeed, I am; drowning to death, in
+I'm sure I don't know what, but something a great deal worse than water!"
+However, he understood me as it was, and came down with a lamp. As soon as
+he saw me, he set the lamp down on the cellar bottom, and laughed so that
+he could hardly move. I thought this was the most cruel thing I ever heard
+of. If I had not been, as it were, at death's door, I should have laughed
+at him, too, for even with my eyes full of that dreadful stuff, I could see
+that he looked very funny in his red night-cap, and without his teeth. He
+called out to Mary, and your mother, who stood at the head of the stairs,
+"Come down, come down; here's the cat in the soft-soap barrel!" and then he
+laughed again, and they both came down the stairs laughing, even your dear
+kind mother, who I never could have believed would laugh at any one in such
+trouble.  They did not seem to know what to do at first; nobody wanted to
+touch me; and I began to be afraid I should drown while they stood looking
+at me, for I knew much better than they could how weak I was from holding
+on to the edge of the barrel so long.  At last your grandfather swore that
+oath of his,--you know the one I mean, the one he always swears when he is
+very sorry for anybody,--and lifted me out by the nape of my neck, holding
+me as far off from him as he could, for the soft soap ran off my legs and
+tail in streams.  He carried me up into the kitchen, and put me down in the
+middle of the floor, and then they all stood round me, and laughed again,
+so loud that they waked up the cook,</p>
+
+<div class="image" style="width:395px;height:550px;">
+  <img src="images/img15.jpg" alt="" />
+<p>"He lifted me out by the nape of my neck, holding me as far off from him
+as he could."</p></div>
+
+<p>who came running out of her bedroom with her tin candlestick and a chair
+in her hand, thinking that robbers were breaking in. At last your dear
+mother said, "Poor pussy, it is too bad to laugh at you, when you are in
+such pain" (I had been thinking so for some time). "Mary, bring the small
+washtub. The only thing we can do is to wash her."</p>
+
+<p>When I heard this, I almost
+wished they had left me to drown
+in the soft soap; for if there is any
+thing of which I have a mortal
+dread, it is water. However, I was
+too weak to resist; and they plunged
+me in all over, into the tub full of ice-cold
+water, and Mary began to rub
+me with her great rough hands, which,
+I assure you, are very different from
+yours and your mother's. Then
+they all laughed again to see the
+white lather it made; in two minutes
+the whole tub was as white as
+the water under the mill-wheel that
+you and I have so often been together
+to see. You can imagine how my
+eyes smarted. I burnt my paws
+once in getting a piece of beefsteak
+out of the coals where it had fallen
+off the gridiron, but the pain of that
+was nothing to this. You will
+hardly believe me when I tell you
+that they had to empty the tub and
+fill it again ten times before the soap
+was all washed out of my fur. By
+that time I was so cold and exhausted,
+that I could not move, and
+they began to think I should die.
+But your mother rolled me up in
+one of your old flannel petticoats,
+and made a nice bed for me behind
+the stove. By this time even Mary
+began to seem sorry for me, though
+she was very cross at first, and hurt
+me much more than she need to
+in washing me; now she said,
+"You're nothing but a poor beast
+of a cat, to be sure; but it's mesilf
+that would be sorry to have the little
+mistress come back, and find ye
+kilt." So you see your love for
+me did me service, even when you
+were so far away. I doubt very
+much whether they would have ever
+taken the trouble to nurse me
+through this sickness, except for your
+sake. But I must leave the rest for
+my next letter. I am not strong
+enough yet to write more than two
+hours at a time.</p>
+
+
+<p>Your affectionate Pussy.</p>
+
+<h2>VI.</h2>
+
+<p>My Dear Helen:</p>
+
+<p>I will begin where I left off in
+my last letter.</p>
+
+<p>As you may imagine, I did not
+get any sleep that night, not even
+so much as a cat's nap, as people say,
+though how cat's naps differ from
+men's and women's naps, I don't
+know. I shivered all night, and it
+hurt me terribly whenever I moved.
+Early in the morning your grandfather
+came downstairs, and when
+he saw how I looked, he swore
+again, that same oath: we all know
+very well what it means when he
+swears in that way: it means that
+he is going to do all he can for you,
+and is so sorry, that he is afraid of
+seeming too sorry. Don't you remember
+when you had that big
+double tooth pulled out, and he gave
+you five dollars, how he swore then?
+Well, he took me up in his arms,
+and carried me into the dining-room;
+it was quite cool; there was a nice
+wood fire on the hearth, and Mary
+was setting the table for breakfast.
+He said to her in a very gruff voice,
+"Here you, Mary, you go up into
+the garret and bring down the
+cradle."</p>
+
+<p>Sick as I was, I could not help
+laughing at the sight of her face.
+It was enough to make any cat laugh.</p>
+
+<p>"You don't ever mean to say, sir,
+as you're going to put that cat into
+the cradle."</p>
+
+<p>"You do as I tell you," said he,
+in that most awful tone of his, which
+always makes you so afraid. I felt
+afraid myself, though all the time
+he was stroking my head, and saying,
+"Poor pussy, there, poor pussy, lie
+still." In a few minutes Mary
+came down with the cradle, and set
+it down by the fire with such a bang
+that I wondered it did not break.
+You know she always bangs things
+when she is cross, but I never could
+see what good it does. Then your
+grandfather made up a nice bed in
+the cradle, out of Charlie's winter
+blanket and an old pillow, and laid
+me down in it, all rolled up as I was
+in your petticoat. When your
+mother came into the room she
+laughed almost as hard as she did
+when she saw me in the soft-soap
+barrel, and said, "Why, father, you
+are rather old to play cat's cradle!"
+The old gentleman laughed at this,</p>
+
+<div class="image" style="width:496px;height:450px;">
+  <img src="images/img16.jpg" alt="" />
+<p>"Then your grandfather made up a nice bed in the cradle, and laid me
+down in it."</p></div>
+
+<p>till the tears ran down his red cheeks.
+"Well," he said, "I tell you one
+thing; the game will last me till
+that poor cat gets well again." Then
+he went upstairs, and brought down
+a bottle of something very soft and
+slippery, like lard, and put it on my
+eyes, and it made them feel much
+better. After that he gave me some
+milk into which he had put some
+of his very best brandy: that was
+pretty hard to get down, but I
+understood enough of what they
+had said, to be sure that if I did
+not take something of the kind I
+should never get well. After breakfast
+I tried to walk, but my right
+paw was entirely useless. At first
+they thought it was broken, but
+finally decided that it was only
+sprained, and must be bandaged.
+The bandages were wet with something
+which smelled so badly it
+made me feel very sick, for the first
+day or two. Cats' noses are much
+more sensitive to smells than people's
+are; but I grew used to it, and it
+did my poor lame paw so much
+good that I would have borne it if
+it had smelled twice as badly. For
+three days I had to lie all the time
+in the cradle: if your grandfather
+caught me out of it, he would swear
+at me, and put me back again.
+Every morning he put the soft white
+stuff on my eyes, and changed the
+bandages on my leg. And, oh, my
+dear Helen, such good things as I
+had to eat! I had almost the same
+things for my dinner that the rest
+of them did: it must be a splendid
+thing to be a man or a woman! I
+do not think I shall ever again be
+contented to eat in the shed, and
+have only the old pieces which nobody
+wants.</p>
+
+<p>Two things troubled me very
+much while I was confined to the
+cradle: one was that everybody who
+came in to see your mother laughed
+as if they never could stop, at the
+first sight of me; and the other was
+that I heard poor C�sar mewing
+all around the house, and calling me
+with all his might; and I knew he
+thought I was dead. I tried hard
+to make your kind mother notice
+his crying, for I knew she would be
+willing to let him come in and see
+me, but I could not make her understand.
+I suppose she thought it
+was only some common strolling cat
+who was hungry. I have always
+noticed that people do not observe
+any difference between one cat's
+voice and another's; now they really
+are just as different as human voices.
+C�sar has one of the finest, deepest-</p>
+
+<div class="image" style="width:671px;height:550px;">
+  <img src="images/img17.jpg" alt="" />
+<p>"One day he slipped in between the legs of the butcher boy, but before I
+had time to say a word to him, Mary flew at him with the broom."</p></div>
+
+<p>toned voices I ever heard. One
+day, after I got well enough to be in
+the kitchen, he slipped in, between
+the legs of the butcher's boy who
+was bringing in some meat; but
+before I had time to say one word
+to him, Mary flew at him with the
+broom, and drove him out. However,
+he saw that I was alive, and
+that was something. I am afraid
+it will be some days yet before I
+can see him again, for they do not
+let me go out at all, and the bandages
+are not taken off my leg.
+The cradle is carried upstairs, and
+I sleep on Charlie's blanket behind
+the stove. I heard your mother
+say to-day that she really believed
+the cat had the rheumatism. I do
+not know what that is, but I think
+I have got it: it hurts me all over
+when I walk, and I feel as if I
+looked like Bill Jacobs's old cat,
+who, they say, is older than the oldest
+man in town; but of course that
+must be a slander.</p>
+
+<p>The thing I am most concerned
+about is my fur; it is coming off in
+spots: there is a bare spot on the
+back of my neck, on the place by
+which they lifted me up out of the
+soap barrel, half as large as your
+hand; and whenever I wash myself,
+I get my mouth full of hairs,
+which is very disagreeable. I heard
+your grandfather say to-day, that he
+believed he would try Mrs. Somebody's
+Hair Restorer on the cat, at
+which everybody laughed so that
+ran out of the room as fast as I
+could go, and then they laughed
+still harder. I will write you again
+in a day or two, and tell you how
+I am getting on. I hope you will
+come home soon.</p>
+
+<p>Your affectionate Pussy.</p>
+
+
+<h2>VII.</h2>
+
+
+<p>My Dear Helen:</p>
+
+<p>I am so glad to know that you
+are coming home next week, that
+I cannot think of any thing else.
+There is only one drawback to my
+pleasure, and that is, I am so
+ashamed to have you see me in such
+a plight. I told you, in my last
+letter, that my fur was beginning to
+come off. Your grandfather has
+tried several things of his, which are
+said to be good for hair; but
+they have not had the least effect.
+For my part I don't see why they
+should; fur and hair are two very
+different things, and I thought at
+the outset there was no use in putting
+on my skin what was intended
+for the skin of human heads, and
+even on them don't seem to work
+any great wonders, if I can judge
+from your grandfather's head, which
+you know is as bald and pink and
+shiny as a baby's. However, he
+has been so good to me, that I let
+him do any thing he likes, and every
+day he rubs in some new kind of
+stuff, which smells a little worse
+than the last one. It is utterly impossible
+for me to get within half a
+mile of a rat or a mouse. I might
+as well fire off a gun to let them
+know I am coming, as to go about
+scented up so that they can smell
+me a great deal farther off than they
+can see me. If it were not for this
+dreadful state of my fur, I should
+be perfectly happy, for I feel much
+better than I ever did before in my
+whole life, and am twice as fat as
+when you went away. I try to be
+resigned to whatever may be in store
+for me, but it is very hard to look
+forward to being a fright all the rest
+of one's days. I don't suppose such
+a thing was ever seen in the world
+as a cat without any fur. This
+morning your grandfather sat looking
+at me for a long time and stroking
+his chin: at last he said, "Do
+you suppose it would do any good
+to shave the cat all over?" At this
+I could not resist the impulse to
+scream, and your mother said, "I
+do believe the creature knows whenever
+we speak about her." Of
+course I do! Why in the world
+shouldn't I! People never seem to
+observe that cats have ears. I often
+think how much more careful they
+would be if they did. I have
+many a time to see them
+send children out of the room, and
+leave me behind, when I knew perfectly
+well that the children would
+neither notice nor understand half
+so much as I would. There are
+some houses in which I lived,
+before I came to live with you,
+about which I could tell strange
+stories if I chose.</p>
+
+<p>C�sar pretends that he likes the
+looks of little spots of pink skin,
+here and there, in fur; but I know
+he only does it to save my feelings,
+for it isn't in human nature--I mean
+in cat's nature--that any one should.
+You see I spend so much more
+time in the society of men and women than of cats, that I find myself
+constantly using expressions which
+sound queerly in a cat's mouth.
+But you know me well enough to be
+sure that every thing I say is perfectly
+natural. And now, my dear
+Helen, I hope I have prepared you
+to see me looking perfectly hideous.
+I only trust that your love for me
+will not be entirely killed by my
+unfortunate appearance. If you do
+seem to love me less, I shall be
+wretched, but I shall still be, always,</p>
+
+<p>Your affectionate Pussy.</p>
+
+<div class="image" style="width:333px;height:500px;margin-top:2em;">
+  <img src="images/img18.jpg" alt="" /></div>
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+<pre>
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Letters from a Cat, by Helen Jackson
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+</pre>
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+  </body>
+</html>
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diff --git a/32069-h/images/img6.png b/32069-h/images/img6.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..245c08d
--- /dev/null
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diff --git a/32069-h/images/img7.jpg b/32069-h/images/img7.jpg
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index 0000000..2139e63
--- /dev/null
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diff --git a/32069-h/images/img8.jpg b/32069-h/images/img8.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..eef51ac
--- /dev/null
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diff --git a/32069-h/images/img9.jpg b/32069-h/images/img9.jpg
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index 0000000..6912944
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