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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Daisy, by Miranda Eliot Swan
+
+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: Daisy
+       the autobiography of a cat
+
+Author: Miranda Eliot Swan
+
+Release Date: October 23, 2011 [EBook #37826]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DAISY ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Adam Buchbinder, Mark Young and the Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This
+book was produced from scanned images of public domain
+material from the Google Print project.)
+
+
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: "DAISY." (FROM THE ORIGINAL PHOTOGRAPH.)]
+
+
+
+
+  Daisy
+
+  _The Autobiography of a Cat_
+
+  BY
+  MIRANDA ELIOT SWAN
+
+  Boston
+  NOYES BROTHERS
+  PUBLISHERS
+
+
+
+
+  COPYRIGHT, 1900, BY NOYES BROTHERS.
+
+  Norwood Press
+  J.S. Cushing & Co.--Berwick & Smith
+  Norwood Mass. U.S.A.
+
+
+
+
+INTRODUCTION
+
+
+This little story of one cat's life has been written during the
+intervals of a long and painful illness, when I missed the love and
+sympathy of my little four-footed friend of eighteen years, now, alas!
+nothing but a memory. Indeed, so vividly did his spirit speak to me,
+that I readily acknowledge him the author of this book, being myself his
+amanuensis.
+
+From my earliest childhood the love of animals, particularly cats, has
+been inherent with me. One tale of cruelty, heard by me when a child,
+distressed me and made me ill, and nightly the panorama of the
+disgusting crime would haunt my pillow. But I never regret the suffering
+it caused me, for it taught me my duty to our dumb friends so dependent
+on us.
+
+If the little stories in this book touch the hearts of its readers as
+that story touched mine, it will indeed have accomplished its mission.
+Just such stories are needed to create interest in the many societies
+now forming in aid of dumb animals.
+
+There are cases where one must not spare the knife, even though our
+tenderest and most sensitive feelings recoil, for the cure will be sure.
+There are crimes perpetrated every day, in the name of Science, that
+need just such stories to expose their iniquity. For I believe ignorance
+is the cause of cruelty in many instances, and a little story told
+attractively, where retribution follows the deed, will have more effect
+than reproof. I do not believe there are many hearts so callous, that a
+little anecdote of cruelty to these helpless creatures will not touch
+them.
+
+There are many who will read this book who have lost dear little pets,
+and I would say to them that the dear Father has them all in his care.
+In the boundless and beautiful fields of Paradise they will find the
+dear little friends they have lost waiting for them.
+
+I trust my readers will pardon the many imperfections of this little
+book, believing that an earnest wish to help our dumb animals is my
+heart's desire.
+
+                                                    MIRANDA ELIOT SWAN.
+
+    BOSTON,
+    December 11, 1899.
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+  CHAPTER I                                                 PAGE
+  EARLY DAYS                                                   1
+
+  CHAPTER II
+  MY MOTHER'S STORY                                            4
+
+  CHAPTER III
+  MY HOME                                                     17
+
+  CHAPTER IV
+  DAISY'S PARTY                                               21
+
+  CHAPTER V
+  REVERSES                                                    28
+
+  CHAPTER VI
+  DAISY'S ADVENTURE                                           36
+
+  CHAPTER VII
+  CAT MEMORIES                                                46
+
+  CHAPTER VIII
+  AN ACCIDENT                                                 50
+
+  CHAPTER IX
+  CAT TALES                                                   61
+
+  CHAPTER X
+  LITTLE PEARL                                                66
+
+  CHAPTER XI
+  REMINISCENCES                                               73
+
+  CHAPTER XII
+  CAT TALES                                                   83
+
+  CHAPTER XIII
+  MY FIRST THEFT                                              90
+
+  CHAPTER XIV
+  RELIGIOUS ASPIRATIONS                                       96
+
+  CHAPTER XV
+  CAT ANECDOTES                                              106
+
+  CHAPTER XVI
+  CAT PRANKS                                                 115
+
+  CHAPTER XVII
+  THE STORY OF FREIDA                                        132
+
+  CHAPTER XVIII
+  THANKSGIVING                                               145
+
+  CHAPTER XIX
+  MEWS AND PURRS                                             165
+
+  CHAPTER XX
+  HEADS AND TALES                                            187
+
+  CHAPTER XXI
+  JETT                                                       195
+
+  CHAPTER XXII
+  WATCH AND CHLOE                                            216
+
+  CHAPTER XXIII
+  THE STORY OF BLACKIE                                       235
+
+  CHAPTER XXIV
+  RETRIBUTION                                                249
+
+  CHAPTER XXV
+  EVENTIDE                                                   261
+
+
+
+
+DAISY
+
+THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A CAT
+
+
+
+
+DAISY
+
+_AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY_
+
+
+
+
+I
+
+EARLY DAYS
+
+
+I have no doubt people will wonder that a Cat should write a story. Of
+course, fighting is more in their line.
+
+However pleased I might have been to help my fellow-sufferers, and use
+my natural weapons in their defence, a remark I heard made by a very
+learned man decided me to use my brains instead of my claws.
+
+He quoted:--
+
+    "The _pen_ is mightier than the _sword_."
+
+Taking this quotation for my text, I have written my own story, hoping
+it will benefit the poor cats who are made the victims of great cruelty.
+No other animal has to suffer like the household pet, the cat.
+
+I am a Boston boy, born eighteen years ago, in one of the nice
+old-fashioned houses for which our quiet street was noted.
+
+I was born in a clothes-basket, and do not feel ashamed of my
+birthplace, though fire and the swill man long ago removed all trace of
+it.
+
+I cannot remember much about my home. Like all young things, my food and
+having a good frolic were all I thought of.
+
+I loved my mother, for she was very kind to me while I depended on her
+for sustenance; but when I grew large enough to lap milk, she began to
+wean me and teach me that hard lesson--self-dependence.
+
+My mother was very handsome--black as coal, with a long tail and white
+feet. She was very proud of the latter, keeping them as white as snow;
+and on account of their beauty she was called "White Foot." She was very
+graceful and slender--her fur soft and glossy as a raven's wing.
+
+She had brilliant, restless eyes, fierce in expression and watchful,
+never seeming to trust even her friends. But every one was attracted to
+her.
+
+We had not much room to boast of. The back yard was very small, but over
+the way a large unoccupied field gave us a grand opportunity to run and
+enjoy ourselves.
+
+It was a great neighborhood for cats. Though I thought them rough and
+aggressive, I enjoyed myself, for I could outrun the biggest of them,
+and never allowed myself to be defeated.
+
+One day my mother called me to her, and said: "I wish you to listen to
+what I am about to say to you. The cats who live here are rough alley
+cats, and have never learned good manners. You have a better chance than
+they have, and I hope you will grow up gentle and sweet-tempered. Never
+bite or scratch, and learn to control your angry passions. Then you will
+be a favorite and a very happy cat--happier than your mother, who never
+had a chance till now. And _now_ it is too late. I shall not be with you
+long, and you must try to do the best you can for yourself when I am
+gone."
+
+This conversation with my mother made me very sad, though I was young
+and full of frolic, and did not fully realize her true meaning. I never
+forgot her advice, for I knew she was a very wise cat, and her wisdom
+had been gained through suffering. My life with her was short, for she
+left us before I was six months old.
+
+Perhaps here I had better tell her story as she related it to me. She
+had always been very strict with me, and taught me to be very neat, and
+keep my fur and my claws clean. My claws were a great delight to me,
+they were so sharp, and I used to bite them with great satisfaction. It
+was delightful to feel how sharp my teeth were.
+
+Though I did not use a "toothpick," my nails were very useful instead,
+and I bit them and enjoyed the fun. But one day I bit them so loud that
+my mother, after reproving me many times, boxed my ears. She was very
+nervous, and the snapping provoked her very much.
+
+Of course, I was obliged to obey her; but I bit them all the same, only
+on the sly.
+
+
+
+
+II
+
+MY MOTHER'S STORY
+
+
+I do not know where I was born. I can only remember a dark cellar where
+I seemed to belong, and children who drove and frightened me every time
+I went near the house. The cook was kind to me and put out scraps of
+food in an old tin plate. I was often obliged by hunger to pick from the
+swill barrel my dinners. I soon found plenty of rats, and after I
+learned to kill them, life had some charm for me.
+
+It was a dirty, damp, dark cellar, for the people who owned the house
+were of the "newly rich" class. They thought only of decorating that
+part of the house open to public inspection. Everything was made to pay
+its way, and the servants were kept on short rations.
+
+I earned my living (picked from the swill barrel) by killing rats, for
+the house was infested with them. No one ever spoke a kind word to me,
+and I often wondered why I was made. I would creep into the house like a
+criminal.
+
+Once I enjoyed the luxury of sleeping in a chair. Oh, how soft and nice
+it was, and I began to purr, with the sense of happiness. But I was
+rudely shaken from my dream of bliss, and this was the only chance I
+ever had to test the delights of easy chairs. I was driven out with
+stones and bits of wood till I gladly found refuge for my poor bruised
+body in the cellar. There I lay in hunger and pain, my heart filled with
+bitterness toward all mankind. I felt the injustice, if only a poor cat.
+
+It was a great neighborhood for cats, and I soon made friends with them.
+I was perfectly reckless, and caterwauled with them, joining their
+midnight revels with all my heart. We cared not for bottles or
+bootjacks, but made night terrible. Why should we keep quiet? We had no
+homes, no nice beds, no friend to speak to us. Why should we care to
+please those who remembered us only to abuse us?
+
+Now this is all very sad. Since I have seen what life ought to be, in
+this dear home, I wish with all my heart I had earlier known these good
+people. I am very thankful that you, my only living child, will grow up
+in this refined atmosphere.
+
+To return to my dismal history. Soon after my introduction to the
+nightly revels, I had my first kittens. I never was so happy in my life.
+Though I had suffered all alone the most severe pain, the dear little
+creatures compensated me for my hours of anguish. There were four of
+them. Two of them were black, and two of them gray. Such perfect little
+creatures, I was delighted with them. Though we had only an ash-heap for
+our bed, I kept them on my fur, and did not care for the ashes on my own
+nice fur coat. No mother on her bed of down, with laces and embroideries
+around her, could have kept her children nicer than I kept mine.
+
+I followed just the instinct my Maker gave me, and what came after was
+from no fault of mine, but from the wickedness of human nature, which
+has unsettled my beliefs and made me a sceptical and unbelieving cat.
+
+I hated to leave my kittens to take my food. How I fought for the best I
+could get, to nourish them! I swallowed things I had always disliked,
+for I was determined to carry back milk enough for all four of them.
+
+This happiness lasted but a short time. The tyrant of the family, a
+dreadful boy of ten years, discovered them one morning. With shouts of
+delight, he took them and dropped them, one by one, into a pail of
+scalding hot water.
+
+The cook called to him and tried to remove the pail, but it was too
+late; he continued his cruel work till my four dear little kittens were
+lost to me forever.
+
+When I heard their last feeble wail, I tried to save them or share their
+fate. I was driven back with laughter, and the blows from a huge stick
+in the hands of the young murderer soon drove me down to the cellar,
+where I lay bruised, and oblivious of my pain and loss, for some hours.
+
+Late at night I crawled out, faint and hungry, a hopeless outcast on the
+face of the earth. Tom, one of the neighbors' cats, shared his supper
+with me, and listened with sympathy to my sad story.
+
+"Oh, is that all?" he said, when I had finished. "You may be glad they
+are dead, and out of the reach of that boy. If he is not hung," said
+Tom, with a wise shake of his head, "I miss my guess. Why, he is the
+terror of the neighborhood. He invents cruel things to practise on
+animals. Some time ago he cut a little baby pup's throat with a
+penknife, and sewed it up with cotton and a great big needle, while he
+never winced. The little pup died in great agony. And the boy's mother
+said, 'The dear child will certainly be a doctor, he has such skill.'
+Old Tabby, who lives next door, when she heard this speech of his
+mother's, said, 'He may be, and is, a devil, but he never ought to be a
+doctor.' And as we all believed in this wise saying, we gave old Tabby
+three cheers."
+
+Tom tried to comfort me, telling such heartrending stories of the abuse
+of poor cats that my hair stood on end with horror. I then and there
+vowed hatred to all mankind. Even the peace of this dear home and the
+love of these dear people have not cured me of my distrust. I see an
+enemy on every hand.
+
+Tom could not console me, and I was too wretched to confide my plans to
+him. I was suffering intense agony. My breasts were swollen like
+crab-apples. I could not bear the pain, and dragged myself to a puddle
+of water, hoping to cool the heat in them.
+
+That night's suffering was the turning-point with me. I made up my mind
+I would take myself miles away from these cruel people, where every hand
+had been against me and mine.
+
+I started slowly, and crawled through alleys and back yards, it seemed
+to me, for miles. The sound of a human voice, particularly that of a
+child, acted like a whip on me. I would run till my breath grew short,
+and I would sink down, feeling I must die, that I could never move
+again. Then at some sound I would start once more.
+
+At last, worn out with fatigue, hunger, and fever (caused by my inflamed
+breasts), I reached a gate just as it opened to admit a man with
+groceries. I rushed in, spent and breathless, and hid myself in a dark
+corner. Here, thought I, will be a rest for one night.
+
+As I crouched down in the dark corner, the man came out of the house,
+with the servant behind him, to close the gate. What an anxious moment
+for me! She returned to the house without seeing me, and I was safe.
+
+After a brief rest, broken by the throbbing of my breast, I aroused
+myself, and, attracted by a bright light, I approached the window. The
+light came from the kitchen, where the half-curtain, open in the middle,
+gave me a glimpse of paradise.
+
+This is the picture I looked upon with longing eyes: A large,
+old-fashioned kitchen, scrupulously clean, a table covered with a red
+cloth, a shade lamp standing in the centre, and a nice work-basket by
+its side, completed this homelike picture. The servant, a woman of
+middle age, nice, fresh, and pleasant looking, sat by the table, in a
+large rocking-chair, darning stockings. A more homelike scene never
+greeted the eye of a poor outcast. But the crowning object of all was a
+large black cat, spread out on a nice rug in front of the fire.
+
+Presently she arose, walked about, swinging her tail, "monarch of all
+she surveyed," as I soon found she was.
+
+How my heart beat as I thought, "Why is this? Why am I homeless, cast
+out to starve, while this cat has a beautiful home and is well fed and
+happy?"
+
+Alas! even in the animal world is the vexed question, which disturbs
+human beings, of why one being, created by our "Heavenly Father," should
+be high in power, while others who are just as worthy are down under his
+feet. We ask, but who can answer?
+
+Very soon, while I stood looking in, shivering with envy and my bodily
+pain, a door opened, and a lady came in. She was no longer young, but
+ladylike, and very kind and pleasant looking. She sat down and called,
+"Topsy, Topsy," in such a kind voice it made my heart ache. I looked
+with surprise, for Topsy took not the least notice of her. The lady
+laughed a very pleasant laugh, as she said, "What an odd creature you
+are," as she took Topsy in her arms, and smoothed her fur. Topsy did not
+seem to care for the affection lavished on her, never responding at all.
+
+But just then another lady, somewhat younger than the other, came in.
+Topsy gave a great rush into her arms, and to my surprise, clasped her
+black paws around her neck, while the lady hugged and kissed her just
+like a child.
+
+I could watch no longer. Envy, hatred, and malice, added to my swollen
+breasts, made me too wretched to live. I just dragged myself back to my
+dark corner and closed my eyes for a long time, oblivious of everything
+around me. At intervals I slept when the violent throbbing of my breasts
+would allow me; but when I could think, one idea had taken full
+possession of me, and that was a determination to get into this home.
+
+"Surely," I said, "they have such kind hearts, they will not refuse help
+to such a miserable object as I am."
+
+This comforted me a little; and as the neighborhood was a quiet one, and
+as I was worn out by the miles I had run and the pain of my bruises, I
+was able to sleep till morning.
+
+The first thing I heard was a step approaching, and Bridget, the girl I
+had seen the night before, bent over me, saying, "Bless me! here's a
+strange cat in our yard." Then, as she looked again, she said in a
+sympathizing voice, "Poor creature! you look half starved."
+
+She ran in, and soon returned with a saucer of milk. She held it to my
+lips, and I tried very hard to move myself up, that I might swallow. It
+was impossible; for the slightest movement gave me great pain, and I
+moaned and closed my eyes.
+
+She then got an old blanket, and folding it nicely, she lifted me up
+tenderly and placed me on it. I tried to lap some of the milk, but the
+effort brought back all my pains. The anguish of my swollen breasts was
+more than I could bear, and I fell back on the blanket, hoping I should
+die. Everything was so peaceful that I had no desire to arouse myself to
+battle with life any longer.
+
+"Here," I thought, "they will care for me and bury me, then I shall be
+with my dear little kittens perhaps."
+
+I had no fear, but a great pleasure in a quiet death; for I knew that
+God would care for all the creatures He had made. I was glad to die and
+escape from persecution,--no more to be kicked and cuffed, no more be
+hunted by cruel children.
+
+As I dozed off, I heard voices, and on opening my eyes I saw Miss
+Eleanor, the lady I had first seen the night before. As she bent over
+me, I thought her face was beautiful. Her eyes were filled with tears in
+pity of my suffering. She smoothed my fur with her soft hand, and when I
+moaned as she touched my breast, she exclaimed, "You poor creature! your
+breasts are like bricks. Look here, Milly," she called to her sister,
+"just see this poor cat's condition. What brutes she must have lived
+with, to treat her in this manner, taking away her kittens, and leaving
+her to suffer."
+
+"Take her in, Bridget, and put her in Topsy's basket," said Miss Milly.
+"I wish I could deal with those people! They would never abuse another
+cat."
+
+I was lifted tenderly and placed in a large basket, with a beautiful
+soft rug inside to lie on. Miss Eleanor bathed my breasts with warm
+milk, and then applied some healing lotion after the milk had dried. It
+kept them very busy, for the heat dried the milk as soon as it was
+applied. It was very soothing, and I tried to lick her hand. She was
+delighted, and kissed me right between my eyes, saying, "She is a
+grateful creature," while tears of sympathy shone in her eyes.
+
+"This is heaven," I said to myself, "and I am perfectly happy here."
+
+When Bridget brought me some warm milk, I was able to lap it very well.
+
+"What shall you do with her?" asked Bridget.
+
+The sisters looked at each other while Miss Eleanor said: "What will
+Harrie say? We cannot keep another cat with Topsy."
+
+"We may find a good home for her, but it would be better to chloroform
+her than leave her to suffer," said Miss Milly.
+
+The warm kitchen, the soothing cream, and the soft rug made me very
+comfortable, and I slept the rest of the day, trusting myself to these
+dear, kind people.
+
+Miss Eleanor came quite often to see me, bringing me cream and soft bits
+of chicken, though, never having tasted such food before, I did not know
+what it was. I had very little desire for anything but water or milk, as
+the fever made me very thirsty.
+
+Miss Milly came down later in the evening with the elder sister, the
+mistress of the house. Mrs. Rice was a sweet-faced little woman, and
+looked with great kindness on me.
+
+"What shall we do with two cats? Topsy is a houseful. What will you do
+with her, Milly? She is so jealous if you touch another cat."
+
+"I will manage her, for we must keep this poor creature till we find her
+a good home."
+
+"You have a hard task, and when you introduce her to Topsy, 'may I be
+there to see.'" And Mrs. Rice turned away, laughing. "This bids fair to
+be the 'cats' house' that Eleanor used to tell the boys about."
+
+"There is no use waiting," said Miss Milly. "If Topsy should find a cat
+in her basket, war would be declared at once."
+
+This made me tremble a little, and subsequent events proved I had good
+reason for my fears.
+
+Pretty soon we heard Miss Milly coming downstairs and telling my story
+to Topsy in a coaxing voice. She told it in so thrilling a manner that I
+never realized I was such a sufferer before. She came in, holding Topsy
+in her arms very tightly.
+
+The moment Topsy's yellow eyes rested on me she gave a yell, and tried
+to escape, but her mistress held her fast while Miss Eleanor came over
+to me. I cowered down in the basket--not from fear, oh, no! Like the
+war-horse, I "scented the battle," and longed to measure claws with this
+proud creature. But I was wise. I knew I had a character to sustain and
+a home to earn. I kept my temper, closing my eyes as if too weak to open
+them.
+
+"I think I had better take her in my arms, as this is Topsy's basket,
+and you know she never allows any one to touch it." And Miss Eleanor
+took me on a blanket, and held me on her lap.
+
+"You are a naughty cat, and I am ashamed of you," Miss Milly said, as
+she put Topsy down.
+
+She did not care for the reproof, for she glared and scoffed at me. Then
+she went to her basket, snuffing around it, till Bridget came, and
+taking out the rug, said, "Of course I must shake it, or Madam will not
+touch it."
+
+She soon brought it back, and after a time Topsy seated herself bolt
+upright, and looked at me with such contempt, as if to say, "Never dare
+enter this basket again."
+
+I never did, and never wanted to, as they found me a very good place in
+an old clothes-basket, and, to Bridget's delight, gave her a new one
+instead.
+
+Then Miss Milly took me in her arms, in spite of Topsy's yells and
+frantic efforts to get at me, saying, "Now, Topsy, if I ever hear you
+have treated this poor creature badly, I will punish you, and love her
+best."
+
+After this, though Topsy never cared for me, she treated me like a poor
+relation, offering me all the tough pieces of meat and bones; but she
+could never see me near Miss Milly without trouble.
+
+We lived very happily in this nice house for one year. No one had cared
+for me, and I had settled down like one of the family, and soon my place
+was assured, for one day Topsy was missing. Everything was done to find
+her. Rewards were offered, and, for months, Miss Milly never gave her
+up, and it made her so ill that no one ever dared mention Topsy to her.
+I did pity them all, for they loved her dearly, but to Miss Milly it was
+like losing a child. She was always very kind to me, but she never was
+known to pet another cat till you were born. And I do think, Daisy, you
+can win her love, and in a measure console her for Topsy's loss.
+
+It was a great mystery, her disappearance, for they never got one trace
+of her. One thing was very sure; she was stolen, for she never would
+have left of her own accord. Some one suggested that, being a "Salem"
+cat, she had gone home to the "witches," as all black cats are said to
+belong to them.
+
+I missed her, but was very happy to be the only pet in the house. I had
+many kittens, and they were treated kindly, and mercifully disposed of.
+One was always kept till I could wean it, and then a good home was found
+for it. You were promised to a friend, but it was very fortunate for you
+that their delay in sending gave you such a hold upon the affections of
+these nice people that they decided not to give you away.
+
+This pleased the boys, as they did not care to lose their dear little
+playmate. Miss Milly said, "Daisy shall be mine."
+
+Great changes have come to this home. We have moved twice, and the good
+Bridget they could no longer afford to keep. We are now about to move
+again. I know they will provide for me, but I like this nice
+neighborhood, and the musicales on the back shed. The Bohemian blood in
+my veins I cannot ignore.
+
+The trouble I have passed through makes excitement necessary, and I put
+my whole heart into the fierce fights, and enjoy them.
+
+Why not? I know people say, "_Cats!_ awful fighting creatures!" Well,
+but where are the bull-fights, in which man and beast shed each other's
+gore and men and women look on? Dressed in their laces and diamonds,
+they applaud while rivers of blood flow from the poor wounded victim.
+The genteel cock-fights, and hunting down one poor little fox by a pack
+of hounds! If we are cruel, we learn it of human beings.
+
+I do wish I could be satisfied with a quiet life, but it is too late to
+reform, and I shall meet my fate here. I will not go with them. You, my
+dear child, will be the loved one to comfort them. And I charge you to
+profit by your mother's experience, and you will be a fortunate cat.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+This is my mother's story as I heard it from her lips.
+
+Two weeks after this conversation we moved to a small house, with only a
+few rooms. To me the change made no difference. I was happy, petted by
+all. It was no surprise to me that at the last moment my mother was
+missing. But it was a real sorrow to them all. They searched everywhere.
+They sent to all the neighbors, asking them to feed her, and let them
+know if she came back that they could send for her. How I wished I could
+speak, and tell them that one reason why she left them was the fear of
+being a burden to them.
+
+For several weeks they never gave her up, but often went to the old
+place; but no one had seen my mother. At first food had disappeared that
+they had put out for her, but after a time it was not touched, and no
+one ever saw her again.
+
+
+
+
+III
+
+MY HOME
+
+
+Years have passed since my mother left us. Though I never forget her, I
+am very happy with the dear people who were so kind to my poor mother,
+and I try to be a comfort to them.
+
+No reverses of fortune have touched me. Mrs. Rice is very kind to me,
+though she is not so fond of cats as her sisters. The boys are just
+perfect. I love them dearly. Karl, the eldest, is a real tease. He
+pretends to his aunties that he does not care for me, but no one makes
+more of me (on the sly) than Master Karl. Will is such a dear little
+fellow! His love for me made them decide to keep me.
+
+We had one long room, and the seam in the poor old carpet was very
+prominent. On this seam Will and I had our race-ground. He would run
+just on the seam, and at the end of the room would jump very high. I
+would run just behind him, and jump higher. This pleased them all, and
+we got many kisses and treats for our play. Then we would roll over and
+over, my claws and tail flying, and we did enjoy it.
+
+I was usually very obedient, but sometimes I had contrary fits. It was
+the "Bohemian" blood in my veins that my poor mother so often spoke of.
+I cannot get rid of it, and it makes me do something naughty. One cold
+day, just before Christmas, when I was nearly five years old, I ran
+away. The door of the laundry was open, and without a thought I rushed
+out. No one missed me. They supposed I was in the laundry. I mounted to
+my seat on the fence, and just turned around to find a comfortable
+place, when a strong hand seized me from the other side, and I was
+carried swiftly down the alley and taken into a strange house.
+
+I was received with open arms. Not one word of reproof was given the big
+boy who had stolen me, for the wickedness of the act. They asked him,
+"How did you manage?"
+
+"Oh," he said, "I was looking over the fence, to see if the stuck-up
+Rices were there, when I espied my Prince, and grabbed him."
+
+"What shall we do with him?" asked the boy's mother.
+
+"Shut him up till he forgets his old home."
+
+(How little they knew about a cat's nature, when they thought I could
+forget!)
+
+I rushed into a corner, and struck out with open claws at all who
+approached me, growling just as I had heard dogs growl--an
+accomplishment I had just discovered. Delighted with my success, I was
+inclined to make the most of it.
+
+"Well, I must say he has a nice temper." And the bad boy held up his
+hands, where my etchings, though painful to him, were a credit to my
+skill. "King Karl and Prince Will must be covered with scars. Who cares!
+If they won't play with me, I have got their pet cat, and will keep him,
+in spite of his beastly temper."
+
+"No, you won't," I said to myself, "if I can help it."
+
+For three wretched days I was shut up. They treated me with great
+kindness, and tried to pet me, offering me nice food. I was too homesick
+to care for anything, and too wretched to think of eating, only that I
+had sense enough to know I must take enough to give me strength. I could
+not sleep. Visions of my dear home and loved ones kept my eyes wide
+open, and I did make good resolutions never to run away again if I could
+get free.
+
+The big boy went away to spend the holidays, leaving orders with them
+all to keep me, that when he came home he might enjoy the sorrow of the
+Rices.
+
+"They have sent around slips to all the houses and have advertised, but
+they shall never get him," he said, with a horrid laugh.
+
+After he had gone, finding I was no pleasure to them, they decided to
+let me go. They could tell the boy, when he returned, that I ran away.
+They were not people who regarded truth at all.
+
+So one day I found the door open, and without waiting to say good-by, I
+ran home. I had been away three days. It was the day after Christmas,
+and it seemed to me three years since I left my home.
+
+Stacy Knight, a dear little fellow about Will's age, the son of the
+friends in whose house we had rooms, happened to be in the basement, and
+espied me when I jumped on the window. He gave a real Indian yell as I
+rushed into his arms, and we mounted the stairs, two at a time, and
+found ourselves in the midst of the family assembled in the hall,
+wondering at the war-whoop given by Stacy.
+
+My dear mistress sat down on the floor, hugging me in her arms, while
+all of them were ready to take me from her.
+
+"Oh, Daisy," she said, "what a sad Christmas we spent without our pet!
+Where were you?"
+
+I could not speak and tell her what it had been to me, and they never
+knew where I had been. After this I always looked on both sides of the
+fence before I seated myself.
+
+After they had all caressed me and expressed their delight at my return,
+dear Mrs. Knight said:--
+
+"Now that 'The Prodigal Son' has returned, he must have a party."
+
+"Yes," said Karl and Will, "we had no Christmas; let's give Daisy a
+tree."
+
+After Stacy, Karl, and Will had indulged in a war-dance, and each had
+turned me heels over head, they all decided it would be a nice plan. And
+from that time till the New Year's night, when the party was to be
+given, we could think of nothing else.
+
+
+
+
+IV
+
+DAISY'S PARTY
+
+
+Great preparation was made for my party. I was truly a fortunate cat. I
+could not help them work, but rushed to and fro from one to the other,
+knocking down spools of cotton and everything I could get at, jumping up
+in their arms, disarranging their work, and trying in every way to amuse
+myself; but when I was wanted to try on my clothes, I would rush under
+the bed and elude even the longest arm. Then Will would crawl under the
+bed, and, after a good frolic, would land me where I was needed.
+
+Mrs. Rice made a tall black hat with a cockade on it. She had to tie it
+on with strings, for as soon as she put it on I jerked it just as I had
+seen monkeys do.
+
+Miss Eleanor made me a pair of red pants, leaving a good slit for my
+tail, for I was to represent a monkey, and the tail was very important,
+though, as my mistress said, no monkey ever had such a beautiful tail as
+mine.
+
+Miss Milly made me a dress-coat, with white ruffles at the neck and
+wrists, brass buttons, and a white shirt front.
+
+They covered a large pasteboard box with green cloth, for the organ.
+Will and his friend Josie were to be the organ-players.
+
+The long-looked-for day came at last. I had raved up stairs and down, as
+Miss Milly said, "just like a maniac." I superintended all the
+preparations, walked over the tree that they were to decorate in my
+honor, and scratched it well, as they said, sharpening my claws for the
+evening. I was too busy to take a cat-nap or one of my "forty winks."
+
+We had before this eventful day rehearsed our parts, and I had provoked
+them with my stupidity. I did make fun enough with that hat. I hitched
+it on the back of my head, getting out first one ear, then the other;
+for they had tucked my ears in, saying my face looked so innocent
+without them. It was all mischief, for I intended to do my best.
+
+Mrs. Knight threw open her nice rooms, and in the hall room off the back
+parlor the tree was placed.
+
+They were obliged in the afternoon to keep me prisoner upstairs. I was
+disgusted, for I wanted to be in the thick of it all. I could not sleep,
+and I kept pretty near the door, ready to run out if I could get a
+chance.
+
+At seven o'clock they dressed me in all my finery, and before eight all
+our guests had arrived: Madam A., a lovely woman, and one of our best
+friends, with her three noble boys, and a sweet-faced little bit of a
+woman whom every one who knew her called cousin; then Madam M., with her
+daughter and granddaughter,--charming people, and all my dear friends.
+These, with Mr. and Mrs. Knight and their son Stacy, with ourselves,
+made a party of (reckoning myself) seventeen,--quite a roomful.
+
+I thought (and I can assure you a cat's opinion is of some value) that
+the Queen might be proud to see such beautiful, refined, and highly
+educated people at her drawing-room. To be sure, there were no decollete
+toilets, but then it was a proof of the good sense of the people. Of
+course the Queen would not admit cats to her receptions; it would not be
+safe. The bones would be a temptation, and I fear cats would not respect
+even elderly bones, or spare them though decked with diamonds. I am
+happy to say that my party was purely democratic; they were really all
+my equals.
+
+The back parlor door was thrown open, and we were in full view of them
+all. The three boys in ragged clothes, bare legs, old shoes, were as
+hard a looking crew as ever accompanied a hand-organ. Will had the organ
+strapped to his back, and I sat upright on it. I was tied to Will's arm,
+and Josie held another string, for they could not trust me, fearing I
+would run under the sofa, at the expense of my tall hat and my dignity.
+
+We were greeted with a burst of applause. The boys so successfully
+assumed the street gamin air, and looked so thoroughly demoralized, as
+they pulled their forelocks in recognition of the greeting, that no
+wonder they brought down the house, and for a short time obscured my
+august self. Stacy and Will gave a song in nasal style, pretending all
+the while to grind the organ, while I was mounted on Will's shoulder,
+swelling with importance.
+
+Then they began "Yankee Doodle." Josie shook the castanets, Stacy beat
+the drum, Will ground the organ and sang, while they all danced like
+street Arabs.
+
+I was perfectly beside myself. Oh, if I had only been Balaam's ass,
+wouldn't I have made a speech! I ran to and fro on the organ, then
+rolled over and over, my hat on one ear, my coat up my back, around my
+neck, and my tail wagging from the red pants, in fine style.
+
+The boys looked on in wonder, for it is needless to say that this act
+was not on the programme, but an impromptu act of my own--and it was the
+crown of the performance.
+
+There were a few songs after this, but nothing like our "national air."
+We could rest our laurels on that. I was handed around, kissed, and
+admired to my heart's content. My clothes were pronounced perfect; and
+then, when the boys went upstairs to change their clothes, my mistress
+removed my finery, much against my will, and I made it very hard for her
+by sticking my claws into the clothes as she tried to take them off.
+
+Chester and Henry A., with Karl, were the ushers, and they opened the
+door of the hall room, where the tree was displayed in all its beauties.
+Mrs. Rice made a little speech, while Miss Milly held me tight, for,
+regardless of etiquette, I was eager to rush for the tree.
+
+As soon as she released me I made one jump on the table, and discovered
+what my sense of smell had led me to expect,--three little fishes tied
+with a red ribbon. I soon had them off the tree and on the floor, and
+made inroads into them before I could be prevented.
+
+Karl read the labels on the articles, while Chester and Henry
+distributed them, for I was pleased to see that my dear friends had been
+remembered as well as myself.
+
+Miss Milly had a book of "Familiar Quotations." On the fly-leaf was
+written in Madam A.'s lovely handwriting:--
+
+"To my dear mistress, whose motto has always been, 'Love me, love my
+cat.' Mew translated, 'God bless her.'--DAISY.
+
+"Hang sorrow! Care will kill a cat; therefore, let's be merry."
+
+I was very much pleased that the gift, purporting to be given by me, had
+just the nice selections I should have made.
+
+The tree did look lovely. Karl had lighted all the tapers, and it was
+one blaze of light. There were very pretty paper decorations of bright
+paper. Mrs. Rice said, sometimes taste was better than money. We had
+little of that, but we had such warm friends we were very happy.
+
+I had a pack of cards a little over an inch in length. They were a great
+pleasure to us. Will would spread them on the floor, and I would roll
+over, scattering them about. Sometimes he called me a knave, sometimes a
+king or queen, but I did not care, only for a good frolic. I had a box
+of pennies for my meat, a paper of catmint that I enjoyed, and a nice
+kidney done up in pink paper, some white, soft candy I loved, and last
+of all Miss Eleanor and Miss Milly gave me a lovely collar and padlock.
+I was proud as a prince with it on my neck.
+
+There were nice little gifts for all my dear friends; but the best of
+all was, that on them were written nice little texts and--"From Daisy,"
+just as if I had given them myself. It proved that they understood how
+well I loved my dear ones, and how gladly I would have given if I could.
+It was better than all my own gifts, though I enjoyed them very much;
+but this understanding of me, making me one with them, made me feel like
+a cat-angel--and then and there I became a Christian cat.
+
+Then we had ice-cream and cake handed around by the boys. I had some in
+my own little pewter plate. Miss Milly melted it a little, but I had
+very small appetite for it. I was so excited that I could not keep still
+enough to lap ice-cream. I had licked the kidney, tasted the fish,
+chewed a little catmint and was quite hilarious over it, as it always
+went to my head. My tail had more to do with it than was agreeable to
+the company; for I whisked it about, greatly to their disgust: they did
+not like being dusted with catmint. Miss Milly said, "I shall be obliged
+to give you a dose of nux vomica, for I fear you have eaten too much of
+a mixture for even a cat's stomach to digest." I just winked at her,
+finished licking my ice-cream, then I kicked over the plate, making it
+roll under the piano. This provoked a shout of approval from the boys.
+
+Then we had a little music. Chester and Henry A---- played nicely, and
+my one dear girl friend also played, but she preferred playing with me.
+I was very fond of her and always responded to her affection.
+
+Then my nice party broke up. No one of those who were there will ever
+forget it, I know.
+
+Ah me, how long ago it seems! The boys and my one girl friend are twelve
+years older, while I am an old cat. Mamie, my friend, is a graduate of
+the Boston University. She will make her mark some day. The boys are
+Harvard graduates, while our own boys are Brimmer and High School boys.
+
+They can all talk in many languages which I, of course, can understand.
+Some of them will be smart business men. Chester, I think, will fill a
+professor's chair, while the others will represent the law. They will
+all achieve greatness if the love of one cherished cat can make them.
+
+I know there is a warm corner in their hearts for Daisy. And however
+hard the world has used them, they will read my little book and keep
+green in their hearts the memory of one who loved them dearly, when she
+is sleeping peacefully under her namesakes, the daisies.
+
+Perhaps they will tell their children about their cat friend, and read
+to them this little story of one happy cat, who was made a member of the
+family and a friend of all the nice people who visited them. It will
+teach them kindness to their little four-footed playmates, and they will
+realize that warm hearts beat under their little fur coats.
+
+
+
+
+V
+
+REVERSES
+
+
+I pass over several years--very sad ones to us all. The breaking up of
+our home, the death of dear Mrs. Rice, I cannot write of, though Time,
+the true friend of the sorrowful, has laid a healing balm on our hearts.
+Miss Eleanor and Miss Milly were both prostrated by their sorrows, and
+we were obliged to go into the country for a change of air.
+
+How carelessly I looked upon the preparation for our flitting! When I
+mounted the piano, my favorite seat for many years, I little thought it
+was for the last time--that I should never hear my kind friends play on
+that dear old piano again, that I should never again arouse them in the
+morning by walking over the keys when they had left it open at night.
+
+I could not understand their tears, when the furniture and piano were
+carried away, that they were parting forever with things associated with
+their old home and those who had made their happiness, now gone forever.
+Yet when I saw only our trunks, and looked at their sad faces, I did
+wish I could be something better than a cat and be able to help them.
+
+I tried to amuse them, acting over all the little tricks they had taught
+me, and was a very happy creature when Miss Milly smoothed my fur,
+saying, "Oh, Daisy, what should we do without you!" Then I realized I
+was a comfort to them.
+
+They had bought me a large brown straw basket with a cover, and very
+strong handles, and when I walked into it, taking possession, I felt
+like a prince of the blood. I little thought how many miles I should
+travel in that basket! It was open in places to give me air, and I could
+lie down and turn around comfortably in it. When travelling, my mistress
+would keep her finger between the cover and the basket, and with my eyes
+fixed on her face I felt safe. She said she felt under a spell, to watch
+me, and my stony stare reminded her of the Stranger Guest, in the
+"Ancient Mariner."
+
+We remained only one month in our first boarding-place, for it was not
+satisfactory. The cats I could not associate with, for they were rough
+tramps, no one owning them, and they had no care. I was very sorry for
+them, knowing how care and kindness could transform them.
+
+They really hated me, and it made me very unhappy, my chief offence
+being my collar and padlock. They might have overlooked my collar, but
+the padlock was adding insult to injury. Their eyes would grow green
+with envy that one of their race should be above them. They looked upon
+my collar and padlock just as women look at each other's diamonds.
+Animals feel envy the same as human beings; only they can tear and rend
+each other, while their so-called superiors would like to do the same
+were it not for the power of the law.
+
+Cats and dogs fight, and that is the end of it; but with human beings it
+is never forgotten, and makes them bad-tempered and tyrannical.
+
+I was very sorry for these poor cats, though I could not understand such
+mean feelings. I was always pleased when I saw cats or dogs with pretty
+collars on and bows of ribbon. One lovely white cat I knew used to wear
+blue ribbons, and I always told her how nice she looked, till I found
+how vain she was; then I said no more about her good looks, for I do
+hate vain people. I would gladly have given my collar and padlock,
+though I loved it dearly, if it would have helped them.
+
+It is a problem beyond one poor cat's solution to know just how to help
+people to understand our race; but I do hope this little story will help
+a little. The life of one petted cat perhaps may make others as happy as
+I have been.
+
+We changed our rooms quite often on our return to Boston; many of them
+were so cheerless I will not speak of them. Whatever our discomforts
+were, I was always cared for; but I did wish I could provide a palace
+and servants for my dear friends. I remember the stories Miss Eleanor
+used to tell the boys, and I wished I could be Cinderella, with a fairy
+godmother to give me means to help others. I fear I should have killed
+the mice before they were changed into horses. And when the boys would
+say to their aunties, "Why don't you have horses and carriages?" I also
+asked the same question.
+
+I am an old cat now, and I know, and do not ask such questions, for I
+understand the world better, that it is not to those who deserve the
+most that luxuries are given. Why, we will never know.
+
+We lived in one house where we were very uncomfortable. Our room, to be
+sure, always looked bright and nice, but it was because we had such good
+taste in covering up our defects and making poor things look nice.
+
+The lady who owned the house was a philanthropist. It is a long name for
+me to master, but I thought it over in my waking hours, just as my
+mistress pronounced it, and I can think it quite correctly, better than
+I can understand why she was so called. She was utterly neglectful of
+the two gentlewomen in her house, who were far ahead of her in education
+and culture, if not her equals in money.
+
+I pondered the name, and its meaning, more and more. I will not say it
+made me tired, for that is slang; but it did make me sleepy, and I would
+drop into a good cat-nap right in the midst of defining
+"philanthropist."
+
+She had a cat named "Oliver Twist." One must have some companionship of
+his own kind. So Miss Milly said, "Perhaps he will be a playmate for
+Daisy."
+
+"Perhaps," Miss Eleanor said, "he also may be a philanthropist."
+
+We soon found, however, he was nothing of the kind. He proved himself a
+most depraved cat. Under the cloak of virtue he concealed a very coarse
+nature. He never came up to our room without trying to provoke a fight.
+His black, beady eyes and sleek Maltese coat always irritated me. I had
+a cattish desire to fight him and let him know his place. For my
+mistress's sake I tried to subdue this feeling, remembering he was my
+guest, and I must be polite even at the expense of comfort.
+
+It was all thrown away on him; it was "casting pearls before swine."
+When I went out into the yard, as I did every day for an outing, he
+would hunt me about, as if I had no right to be there. Not one scrap of
+food did I ever get down there, though he was always ready to have a
+feast when he came to us.
+
+One day things reached a climax. I had tried to amuse him; he had taken
+my favorite chair, and washed himself all over in it, leaving so many
+hairs on it I thought I should go wild, knowing how Miss Milly would
+have to clean it. I gave him half my milk, and though he stood with one
+leg in the saucer to keep me from eating any, I still kept my temper. I
+would not make a fuss. But when, after finishing my milk and licking his
+chops right in my face, he flew at me and knocked me down, then I threw
+all politeness to the dogs, and unsheathing my claws, I closed with him,
+rolling over and over till he yelled well. Like all bullies, he was a
+coward.
+
+My mistress said, "Daisy, I am ashamed of you." Miss Eleanor took
+"Oliver Twist," and put him out, with scant ceremony, saying, "I wonder
+what Charles Dickens would say to hear a cat like that called 'Oliver
+Twist.'"
+
+"Poor cat! You know he is disciplined by a philanthropist." And Miss
+Milly laughed at the absurd thought.
+
+I laughed also, as I crept into a corner, when I thought how nicely I
+had "Oliver Twisted" him. I slept the sleep of the victorious. I did not
+see very much of him after this, for we went early into the country for
+the summer.
+
+There were very nice people where we boarded. One dear little boy was
+very fond of me. He hugged me so hard I avoided him. My mistress told
+his mother that she did not think children should be allowed cats and
+dogs for playthings. Miss Eleanor talked quite nicely to little Alec,
+and I think when he remembers her stories of children who were good to
+animals, that it will make him careful, for he was a nice little fellow,
+and he may be a good friend to poor ill-treated dogs and cats.
+
+I enjoyed that summer very much. The cats were kind and friendly, and
+the beautiful trees on the grounds gave me a nice chance to run up and
+hide from my mistress. She was anxious about me all the time, fearing to
+lose sight of me. She used to pet all the cats that were good to me, and
+they all said, if they had a friend like her, how good and happy they
+would be. Some of them were very wild and rude, hunted as they had been
+by bad children, and scat from the door when, half starved and cold,
+they had sought shelter and friends. No wonder they were not nice
+company for well-bred cats. I did pity them and never turned away when
+they came near me.
+
+At the end of the grounds was a big bed of catmint. It was like the
+"corner grocery store" for the cats. Crowds of them would assemble there
+to talk over their affairs. And when, excited by the power of the
+catmint, they would get into a row, though there were no pistols or
+murders, such as characterize human fights, there were black eyes,
+scratched faces, and hate and rage in plenty.
+
+I kept out of it all, though I cannot deny that my heart beat faster. I
+had to sheathe my claws till they hurt me; but I thought of my position,
+for a well-brought-up cat can understand the meaning of "noblesse
+oblige." I suppose I felt just as men do (and women too, as to that)
+when they bet on the fighting parties. And I had my favorites as well as
+they, and knew who I hoped would win.
+
+I did love that catmint bed, and never for one moment doubt that in the
+boundless green fields of Paradise we shall have acres of catmint where
+we can roll to our hearts' content. I did try to encourage the poor
+neglected ones with this prospect, but they did not believe me. They
+said I was a "cat fanatic," "a fool," "a revivalist." They said, "If we
+are to be so cared for, then why don't your 'heavenly father' that you
+think so much of do something for us now?" And they all talked at once
+and were so excited, they hissed and yelled so loud, that my nerves were
+all of a quiver; but I stood my ground, though they pressed on me very
+hard, and breathed so much catmint over me I was glad when my mistress,
+hearing the row, came and took me away.
+
+It was many days before I visited that catmint bed again, for it rained
+very hard. Miss Eleanor remarked that Daisy was rather quiet; she feared
+he was sick. I could have told her my heart was sick, trying to solve
+the problem, how I could reform my race, how make people believe them
+the intelligent beings they are.
+
+After this I had to bear jeers and scoffs; but I would not give up my
+principles nor yet my catmint bed. Many were the scratches Miss Eleanor
+got, pulling me out from under the bushes, for the smell magnetized me.
+She always got me by the tail or leg, she cared not which, so that she
+carried me home and saved Miss Milly anxiety.
+
+The people were very nice to me. One quiet young man, an artist, was
+very fond of me, and said I would make a fine subject for a picture. I
+used to flourish my tail and hold my head on one side just like a fool,
+I suppose; but then I know I am a beauty. I hear it every day, and how
+can I help being vain?
+
+Before returning to Boston we paid a short visit to one of our friends.
+She had a delightful home, and the children were very much pleased to
+have me visit them.
+
+As I have quite an adventure to relate, where I did not distinguish
+myself, I will take another chapter, and give it in full, without
+extenuating my faults, leaving them to be judged by my readers.
+
+
+
+
+VI
+
+DAISY'S ADVENTURE
+
+
+The eldest son and daughter were very kind to me, and I thought them
+just lovely. Their mother was an old friend of mine, and always when she
+came to Boston I was delighted to see her. I would jump up in her lap--a
+favor that I did not often grant to any one. Cats can tell who are true
+and who are false. I could have given my mistress points on this
+subject, for she believed in those she loved, and was often deceived.
+
+There was a dog and cat that were great favorites with all the family.
+Spot, the dog, was very plain,--a great lanky creature,--but he had one
+virtue; that was obedience. Tom, the cat, was a hard-looking creature,
+but they all loved him dearly.
+
+Of course both dog and cat hated me. They thought I put on airs, and
+they resented the affection their mistress gave to me. I walked about
+the garden, regardless of their hisses and growls; and they very soon
+got tired of it, when they saw I did not notice them. Mr. George, the
+eldest son, had Spot in complete subjection, and Tom dared not approach
+me when the family were near.
+
+Miss Eleanor and Miss Milly were invited to the seashore. They had
+decided not to accept the invitation, as they could not take me with
+them. Mrs. H. urged their going, saying: "It is just what you both
+need,--change of air. I can take care of Daisy; it will be a pleasure."
+So it was decided.
+
+When they kissed me at parting, and said, "How can we leave you, Daisy?"
+my heart ached so that I was too wretched to live. Had not Mrs. H. held
+me tight, I would have followed the carriage that took them away from
+me. Spot and Tom looked anxiously on. They thought, "Is this upstart to
+be left here to rule over us?"
+
+Mrs. H. said that Spot must be kept at the store, only coming home at
+night. She tried her best to have Tom friendly with me, but a more
+obstinate cat I never met. He would stay in the room with me, and once
+took his dinner out of the same plate after they had kept him hungry a
+long time; but never could they make him friendly with me. I tried to be
+just to him, knowing how hard it was to have a "handsome, fashionable"
+cat, as they called me, come into their home and share their friends.
+
+And then there was that collar and padlock. How much I suffered for that
+little bit of finery! And yet I loved it dearly. I never struck an
+attitude (as my mistress called it) without my padlock was in full
+sight, just under my chin, where I had placed it.
+
+How long that one week was to me, and I am ashamed to say how many
+disgraceful acts I was guilty of. One night the climax was reached, and
+then my character was ruined for that family. I slept in the room with
+Mrs. H.--much to her husband's disgust.
+
+It was a nice lounge I had, with a blanket on it, and any cat might have
+been happy there. Tom was envious of it, for one day he walked in and
+was just about to jump up there for a nap, when I jumped up before him,
+and gave a powerful hiss right in his face. He was all ready to fight
+when his mistress came in and giving him a shake, said, "If I ever hear
+you hiss at Daisy again, I will punish you."
+
+Poor Tom! He knew he was unjustly accused, but what could he do, and I
+did feel mean, but what could I do either? I could not speak. I might
+have hissed; then, she would have known who was the offender. I did not,
+however, but just glared at Tom when she carried him off.
+
+One night I could not sleep. I was homesick. So I just walked over the
+bureau, clinking the glasses and toilet bottles, and then mounted the
+mantle, meandering about sure-footed, though I did kick over a wooden
+ball, for pure mischief. I threw it on the floor, where it crashed down
+loud.
+
+Mrs. H. started up, saying, "That cat is on the mantle; she will break
+the vases and clock."
+
+"Let her break them," Mr. H. replied; "we shall get off cheap if that is
+all the mischief she does." And he went off to sleep again.
+
+When Mrs. H. reached the mantle, no cat was to be found.
+
+"Oh, Daisy," she said, "there you are, so demure, sitting on that chair!
+You are just like your mistress, so cute, no wonder she loves you
+dearly."
+
+After coaxing me to lie down on the lounge, she went to bed, and soon
+fell asleep. I could not sleep, however. I had a restless desire to go
+and find my friends.
+
+The end window was open at the top; it faced on a narrow piazza that
+extended the length of the house. It was gravelled on the top. I was
+very agile, and giving one spring from the top of a chair, I soon
+reached the window, and overlooked the situation. A good jump, and I
+landed on my feet, and walked along, crunching the gravel as I went.
+
+I passed the bath-room window and then approached the window of Mr.
+George's room, which was open wide, but protected by a heavy screen.
+Here I planted my paws and looked in. One wild yell and a succession of
+barks rent the air, and Spot, who had been sleeping at the foot of his
+master's bed, rushed for the window and would soon have dashed through
+the screen and finished me,--for he was a powerful dog,--but his
+master's hand on his collar restrained him, with the other hand he
+reached for his pistol, thinking there were burglars about. His mother's
+voice at the door arrested him, and he opened the door, to meet her
+anxious question, "Is Daisy safe?"
+
+"She is safe enough," he said; "but are we safe with a cat like this one
+in the house?"
+
+"Take Spot into my room," said his mother, "while I get Daisy." In spite
+of her alarm, as she approached the window, she could not help laughing.
+"Oh, you cunning creature!" she said; "just as composed as possible,
+looking from one to the other, as if to say,--'Why, what is all this
+fuss about?'"
+
+Sure enough, I stood with my paws on the window-sill, and did not move
+till she came, and removing the screen took me into the room where all
+the family were assembled, in undress, while Spot's loud barking could
+be heard from the next room. I was taken into the guest chamber, where
+Mrs. H. remained with me; for she said she was convinced no one could
+govern me but my mistress.
+
+Two days more, and I was made happy by the sight of my loved ones. Mrs.
+H. did not tell them for a long time of my naughtiness. They said their
+visit was pleasant, but without me they had decided never to go away
+again. They said their friend had given them an invitation for me when
+they visited her another year. And it was really true. The next year
+they did take me; and as it is all fresh in my memory now, I will jump
+one year and tell you all about it.
+
+I saw the cats they had told me about. One was called "Forepaugh," and
+she did look just like a real circus cat. She had one brown and one blue
+eye. The other cat was called "Spring." I liked them both very much.
+They were not educated cats, but they had good manners, and were very
+kind hearted.
+
+Forepaugh told me sad stories of the cats around. She said very few
+people made them members of the family, as we were. Most of the cats
+were tramps, living in the fields and woods, afraid of every human
+being, having to steal or starve. They were naturally antagonistic to
+cats that had homes. They never had known kindness and could not believe
+in it. She said if ever a missionary was needed, she thought it was
+right here.
+
+She said that just below, near the poorhouse, was a large field called
+"Cat Swamp," because all the cats for miles around congregated here.
+Some "dudes" had altered the name to "Feline Meadow." "Cat Swamp" held
+the fort, however, as the most appropriate name. Here the cats yelled
+and caterwauled and told all their trials and sorrows caused by mankind.
+
+The fights were fearful, and the heaps of fur to be seen around after
+one of these encounters proved in reality that there was nothing ideal
+in the tongues and sounds heard in this region. They said there was no
+help for it; people could not be made to realize that cats had a claim
+on them.
+
+For several nights I had noticed one of the neighbors' cats sitting on
+the fence and listening intently to our conversation. This evening she
+came nearer, and gave a groan, while Forepaugh was speaking to me of the
+neglected cats. At last she said if she might be allowed to express an
+opinion, she had one all ready. We said at once how glad we would be to
+hear her.
+
+"Suppose," she said, "some of your good Boston people, with their little
+tracts on the treatment of dumb animals, come along! What then! We can't
+eat their tracts, or live on them, can we?"
+
+I didn't like to answer this cat, she was so big and aggressive, and
+looked at me with such spite, as if she thought I liked tracts, and the
+people who carry them about, when I do despise them. Finding I did not
+answer, she continued:--
+
+"There it all ends. A lot of women will get together, with a few men
+thrown in, and they will talk and talk, going all around Robin Hood's
+barn, till they lose the thread of their discourse, and we wish some big
+bat would rush out and catch the thread and bring them to the point.
+Then they argue and draw up resolutions, and call upon the brethren to
+agree to them, which the poor men do, because they are afraid of the
+sisters' tongues. Then they are exhausted, and are obliged, 'as weaker
+vessels,' to drink gallons of tea, and the men smoke acres of cigars,
+and it all ends in smoke and tea grounds for us poor cats. The women
+think about each other's clothes, while the men are wondering if the
+women are rich enough to support them, should they propose marriage.
+Naturally cats are forgotten.
+
+"Sometimes they find a home for a good-looking cat, but it is not a
+satisfactory one. Such people are not supposed to know much about people
+with hearts large enough to take interest in cats. They are handed over
+to high-toned servants, to pet and snub in alternation. The poor
+no-tailed horses, made wretched by the abominable check-rein and the
+flies, hate everything that moves, and kick at us. The liveried servants
+smoke in our faces, swear, and spit on us, till we hide ourselves in
+disgust and wonder if animals have dirtier habits than human beings.
+
+"When the family returns to the city the house is closed, and these
+Christian people leave poor Pussy behind to look out for herself. Is it
+any wonder that cats have no faith in any one? That they join the
+midnight revels, and fight, and steal, to keep them alive?"
+
+She was very sarcastic, but Forepaugh said it was all true; that cats
+were cast off just as if they had no right to live; then when they steal
+some bit of food, they are given a bad character and hunted about. They
+are expected to have better morals than human beings.
+
+Forepaugh said that she had a real respect for this cat, that she knew
+all the cats for miles around, and helped them all she could; she said
+that hearing their tales of sorrow had made her cynical.
+
+"I had thought her disagreeable," Forepaugh said, "till one night I saw
+her tugging along the remains of a big fish which a neighbor who had
+been out fishing had given her. I had the curiosity to follow her. She
+had to take a rest frequently, for the fish was heavy. At last, after
+walking a long distance, she dragged it over a stone wall. Soon feeble
+voices greeted her, and two half-starved cats that had been abused by
+bad boys raised themselves up, while their friend tore the fish to
+pieces with her sharp teeth. I got over the wall and helped her. They
+all were shy of me and inclined to sneer because I had a home, but I
+said I did not care; it made me mad, but I put all my madness into
+tearing up the fish, and they satisfied their hunger."
+
+Forepaugh also said that their friend, not satisfied with feeding them,
+began to lick one of the great wounds made by a sharp stone thrown by a
+boy just for fun. Then, as they were thirsty, they dragged themselves
+down to a brook at the end of the field, and after drinking they were
+very comfortable. Then they told their trials, and said, "What can we do
+to make people kind to us?"
+
+Forepaugh said she had heard of a Dr. Angell, who was devoting his life
+to helping dumb animals. They all yelled and scoffed when she said
+"Angell," saying, "Do you believe there is an angel in heaven that would
+look at a cat?"
+
+Forepaugh said (being a Christian cat) she was shocked. She explained to
+them that it was the name, though she said, "I am sure it is
+appropriate, for he has proved himself one by his help to all helpless
+creatures."
+
+"Well," they said, "we wish he could see us and help us. Why can't some
+one speak to him? Perhaps, though, he will think cats beneath his
+notice."
+
+Forepaugh said she had often thought she wished she could see him and
+tell him about their sufferings. She said, "I always respected that cat
+after that night when we walked home by moonlight, after taking care of
+those cats; and when she sat down on a stone, saying, 'I must rest, for
+I feel faint; I have had no food for some hours, for I knew that fish
+would be only enough for them,' I said, 'You shall have some of my
+supper,' and I got her some pieces of meat and gave her all my milk, and
+went to bed happy, though I was rather empty."
+
+After this I did have a real friendship for Forepaugh, and I told her if
+ever I could, I would try to interest this good man in our race. I had
+not then thought I should ever write a book, but now is my chance, and
+somehow I do feel he will help us.
+
+The cynical cat never would make friends with me, but I did admire her,
+and I feel how small my life is compared with hers. Here am I, petted
+and living in plenty, and I can only be grateful and try to be a comfort
+to my dear friend.
+
+Forepaugh told us that at one of the great shore houses they had a cat
+called Prometheus.
+
+"Oh," said our cynic, "how I wish we could get at his liver; we should
+never want for food."
+
+I pondered over that speech, and one day I heard my mistress telling her
+little niece, who was reading mythology, the story of Prometheus, "who
+was bound to a rock, vultures feeding upon his ever growing liver." It
+was very funny for a country bred cat to be versed in mythology. I
+suppose, however, she heard it, as I often do things my mistress and her
+friend talk about, and the liver made her remember it.
+
+I was heartily glad to return to Boston, and I made up my mind I would
+let cats and all the animals I could reach know that they had not met
+the true philanthropists, but the shams that take up every new cause and
+dishonor it. For there are many earnest, true philanthropists who spend
+money and publish nice tracts in behalf of animals, and thus, in a
+measure, the tracts "do feed" animals; for they open the eyes of those
+who perhaps have never thought of the matter earnestly.
+
+I determined, after my visit to Beverly, to write this book to help my
+unfortunate race.
+
+
+
+
+VII
+
+CAT MEMORIES
+
+
+Our new room, a very large alcove, was pleasant and comfortable. The
+people who owned the house were school-teachers, refined, and the
+atmosphere was congenial to us all. I loved to watch my friend's busy
+fingers and follow Miss Milly's pen, as she wrote for hours at her desk.
+I loved to walk over the fresh writing and flirt my tail over the
+ink-bottle. That would make her stop and scold me, then pet me till I
+was willing she should return to her work. The eyes of affection are
+sharp. I saw with pain that they were obliged often to lie down, after a
+long spell of work, but they never complained.
+
+Mrs. Knight came often to see us, but I did not see Stacy for a long
+time. He was busy with his studies at Harvard, but he sent me kind
+messages, and I knew he loved me. Our boys were not with us, and I had
+no young company; but then, I was happy for I could see and hear from
+our young friends frequently.
+
+I always greeted dear Mrs. Knight with delight. She had a camel's hair
+shawl she used to roll me in, when we lived in her house, and I loved to
+claw it and pull the wool out of it. I wondered she did not wear it, but
+then, I suppose, it was old fashioned. She told me that her cat Solomon
+was very fond of it, and she allowed him to sleep on the lounge with
+that shawl under him.
+
+I felt a little jealous of Solomon, but I doubt if they ever love
+another cat as well as they love me. They said Solomon had no
+associates, though they lived on the swell avenue.
+
+The cats belonging there were only tolerated one-half the year. The cats
+that were not boarded out were left to become tramps. Of course these
+cats were very immoral, and they did not think it would improve Solomon
+to be friendly with them. I did smile when Mrs. Knight said, "Daisy is
+such a perfect cat, we hold him up as a model for Solomon."
+
+I wondered how Sol would like that, for he told me he did not like being
+kept in. He guessed he could take care of his morals; the society cats
+could not hurt him.
+
+One day he proved himself not so wise as his name would indicate. He
+fell out of the third story window. When they gathered around him,
+thinking he would have to be chloroformed, he got up, shook himself, and
+lived.
+
+He told me very sad tales of the cats living in that vicinity. "Would
+you not think," he said, "that in these palatial houses there would be
+room for one cat?"
+
+I said I should think they would want two or three. He shook his wise
+head, saying, "Oh, no. If they see a cat that pleases them, some
+superannuated spinster will gush over her, making her a pet for a little
+while. But let poor Pussy fall ill, or get one flea on her, and out she
+goes into outer darkness."
+
+"Oh," I said, "don't speak like that! my two dear friends are 'maiden
+ladies,' and no one can be kinder to animals than they are. The sick and
+unfortunate always appeal to their sympathy, and not in vain. I remember
+Miss Eleanor washing every day a poor neglected black cat whose eye a
+rat had bitten. It was not a pleasant piece of work, I can tell you, and
+she tended that eye so faithfully that it got well. They would go hungry
+to give food to a poor animal that needed it."
+
+"Well, well, it may be so," said Sol, impressed by my indignant protest;
+"but I have heard that old bachelors and old maids are always the
+hardest on animals."
+
+I indignantly denied this. "It is married people who dislike each other
+and cannot get free, who have horrid children--they are the hard ones.
+They do not want the care of their children themselves, and expect
+animals to offer themselves to be tortured by these wretched children.
+And if they defend themselves, refusing to have their eyes poked out
+with sticks, tin pails tied to their tails, and lighted matches held to
+their noses, and bite or scratch, then they are denounced as vile, and
+are given bad characters that will follow them through life."
+
+I had spoken with real feeling, and I could see that Sol believed me.
+
+"You are right, I suppose," he said. "We are both of us fortunate cats;
+'our lives have fallen in pleasant places.'"
+
+Poor Sol! He was so wise he had to quote Scripture, even if he did not
+understand it; and in this he was no worse than human beings. Do half of
+them know the meaning of the passages of Scripture they quote so
+confidently?
+
+"We," he continued in a sentimental tone, "cannot realize how hard it is
+to be outcasts. These closed-up houses and boarded-up doors are gloomy
+enough during the summer months. At dusk the skeleton forms that steal
+out, too feeble to mew, start at every sound, fearing the stones and
+jeers they are sure to meet from the stray ragamuffin children who roam
+about this deserted region. Their hearts are broken,--for cats have
+hearts, and loving ones too,--and it is hard for them to believe that
+those who have sometimes noticed them have left them alone. I do not
+know," he continued, "where we are going, but I do not believe we were
+made in vain, and I think these heartless people will find in the
+hereafter that the animals they have abused will be avenged."
+
+"All I desire," said I, "is to be with my two dear friends." And to this
+Solomon said, "Amen."
+
+I like Sol very much. He is a very well educated cat and looks upon life
+in a serious manner. He has grown quite large and appreciates his good
+home. I think he is a Christian Endeavorer, and will do all he can for
+homeless cats. I remember his wise words; and when dear Mrs. Knight
+brings me some of his catmint, I enjoy it for itself, because I love it,
+and in memory of his friendship. One can remember his friends even if he
+does not meet them often. Perhaps if we were to see each other every
+day, we should disagree.
+
+
+
+
+VIII
+
+AN ACCIDENT
+
+
+We had a very nice home in the country offered us, which we were very
+glad to take advantage of. The people who owned the place, going to the
+seashore, preferred to have their house occupied rather than shut up,
+doing no one any good.
+
+It was very pleasant there, and we had a very delightful time, though
+the accident which nearly cost me my life, and from which I shall never
+recover, happened there.
+
+It was the day before the Fourth of July. Miss Milly had been to Boston
+to the funeral of our beloved Doctor. Miss Eleanor being too unwell to
+go, we kept each other company, and sad enough we were.
+
+When Miss Milly returned, she was thoroughly worn out with grief at the
+loss of her dear friend and Doctor. It was a great loss to me, for I had
+been his special pet. During our dear Mrs. Rice's sickness I watched for
+his daily visit and knew his ring always. He would say: "Well, Daisy,
+how is your health to-day? Put out your tongue." Which, with Miss
+Milly's help, I would do. Then he would take my paw and feel my pulse in
+the most sober manner.
+
+How nice it was! I would not give up this memory for a great deal of
+money. I could tell by his face just how our dear invalid was, and when
+he told them his skill was in vain, and that he could not save her, I
+saw the tears in his eyes as he took me in his arms. He was a perfect
+gentleman, and we all loved him and respected his great knowledge and
+skill.
+
+We were sitting on the piazza talking about him, when I saw something
+move over under the trees. Supposing it might be a squirrel, I went to
+interview him, thinking that if I could kill something I should feel
+better. My mistresses were so preoccupied that when they went in to tea
+they never noticed that I had not followed them.
+
+Finding no squirrel, I sat down under a pine tree, thinking about the
+beautiful flowers and the music Miss Milly had told us about, at the
+church funeral of our friend, and mourning that I should never see our
+dear Doctor again, and wondering what Miss Milly would do without him,
+when a rush, and a bark, and before I could face around a fierce bulldog
+buried his teeth in my shoulder. I fought for my life, though I felt the
+odds were against me. But let him kill me; I would die game. I did claw
+his eyes, blinding him and giving me chance to escape.
+
+I crawled over the grass, then through the fence, into the neighboring
+estate, and hid myself in the bushes and deep grass. Then I lost
+consciousness. At times I realized my pain, and my brain was clear, for
+all my past life passed before me.
+
+How beautiful seemed my dear home and friends, that I should never see
+again! Then the old childish days, when I had frolicked with my poor
+mother, came to me so vividly I could smell the sweet clover where we
+played; and then the dreadful pain and faintness made me realize the end
+was near.
+
+I said, "I shall see our dear Doctor, and he will say, 'Why, Daisy! Have
+you followed me so soon?'" It was all dreamy; another fainting spell had
+come on, and it was nearly morning before I was again conscious. Then I
+thought, "I must try to see my dear mistresses once more, even if to die
+in sight of their windows." I was half crazed when I thought of their
+sorrow.
+
+With the greatest effort I raised myself up, and it was nearly an hour
+before I reached the tree, the scene of yesterday's disaster. Inch by
+inch I crawled along, with all the courage I could command. If cats have
+nine lives, I lost eight of mine on that journey. I could not see; my
+eyes were closed up by cobwebs, from the bushes I had crawled under when
+I hid myself. I felt my way along, and when the tree was reached fell
+down exhausted.
+
+Soon I heard a soft step, and Miss Eleanor gathered me up in her arms,
+trembling with fear that she should hurt me. She cried out with pain
+when she saw my bloody side, with the skin and fur hanging down nearly a
+quarter of a yard. She folded her apron, and held me in that, as I could
+be moved easily in that way; and I never winced, though the least jar
+hurt me, closing my eyes, and feeling I could die in peace. She carried
+me upstairs to Miss Milly's bedside.
+
+Poor Miss Milly! She had not closed her eyes till toward morning, when
+she fell into a doze. She opened her eyes when Miss Eleanor spoke, and
+screamed with pleasure when she caught sight of me. She held out her
+arms; but Miss Eleanor said, "Do not move him." Then, when she opened
+her apron, and Miss Milly saw my torn and bloody side, she cried as if
+her heart would break, saying, "He will die! What shall we do?"
+
+"Dress yourself quickly, and we will see what can be done. One comfort:
+he will be with us, and will have our care, even if we must lose him."
+
+They folded a blanket, laid it on a wide lounge, then covered it with a
+clean sheet folded thick, and laid me on it. Then Miss Milly soaked off
+the cobwebs from my eyes with warm water and a soft cloth, and I could
+just see a little; but it was like a view of heaven to see their dear
+faces once more.
+
+I tried to lap some warm milk, for the fever had made me thirsty. The
+effort was too much, and I fell back, faint and dizzy. When this attack
+passed off, I took a few drops of water from a spoon, and Miss Milly sat
+for an hour patiently, giving me drop by drop, till my parched tongue
+and throat were relieved.
+
+She sponged around the wound, soaking the clotted blood from my fur so
+tenderly that I suffered very little.
+
+My heart was so full of thankfulness that I would not murmur at my
+pains. And I do not think it was such a great virtue, though the
+suffering was fearful, for I think animals bear pain always with more
+fortitude than human beings.
+
+Miss Eleanor went into Boston as soon as possible. Mrs. Knight was very
+much distressed, and at once went with her to see the great doctor for
+animals, Dr. Watts. He said he could not leave his office the Fourth of
+July. He said he thought my shoulder bone was bent, and as I was so old,
+he should advise bathing, without trying to have it operated upon. He
+gave them a liniment, saying he did not think I would ever get over it.
+
+Miss Milly said he evidently thought me an old cat, and that I had
+better die than live and suffer. "He shall not die," she added, "if we
+can save him."
+
+The liniment was just fearful, Miss Milly held my head in her arms,
+covering my eyes and nose; for it was very strong, and drew tears from
+their eyes. Miss Eleanor applied it slowly. I winced and moaned, but
+tried hard to restrain myself, for I knew they were suffering with me.
+And I was anxious to bear it; for somehow I had faith in Dr. Watts, and
+I believed it would help me.
+
+Never had a patient better care. They made me catmint tea, and rubbed it
+on their hands so I could smell of it, and never left me alone. They
+kept the sheet smooth under me, for I could not turn over. It was like
+heaven to me, and after I had slept a little while, I opened my eyes,
+and seeing Miss Milly bending over me, I purred and put out my tongue to
+lick her hand. She kissed me with delight, and both of them caressed me,
+saying, "He will live, and no matter how much trouble he is, we will be
+only too glad to do for him."
+
+It was very true. From that day I got better slowly. I could turn over,
+and the hanging skin and fur fell off; and they kept soft greasy
+handkerchiefs on the wound till it closed over and healed. In two weeks
+the fur began to grow, and soon I had as lovely a coat as before my
+accident.
+
+Just one week did I keep good, because I could not help myself. Then,
+one day, they went down to dinner, leaving me asleep on the lounge.
+
+I said to myself when I awoke, "This has lasted long enough; I will not
+be an invalid longer." I crawled down and surprised them. They gathered
+me up, and carried me back, saying: "You will not get well so soon if
+you behave like this. We will close the door when we leave the room
+after this, for we see that you are not to be trusted."
+
+It did put me back, but my one desire was to get about, and I was soon
+able to. My shoulder was stiff, and it was a good six weeks before I
+could walk about with comfort. I limped a little, but my mistress
+laughed over it, saying it was an aristocratic limp--like some old
+gentleman leaning on his gold-headed cane.
+
+It was due to the love and care of these dear friends that my life was
+saved--another debt added to the long list of favors I received from
+them. I hope my little book will be successful and prove how much I
+loved and appreciated them.
+
+I have never been strong since my accident. There were internal
+injuries, and I often have an inward fever and great pain. I keep it to
+myself when I can, for if they find my breath feverish and my paws hot,
+they are very anxious and dose me with aconite and sometimes oil.
+Aconite I can take, but I do just hate oil. I act like a bad boy when it
+is given to me.
+
+My misfortune had one bright side; it gave us nice neighbors. Very
+congenial ones they were.
+
+When my mistress left me, to go in to tea that afternoon, they thought I
+had followed them, and had not missed me. Two tramp children shouted at
+the window, "Missus, your cat's killed! We seed a dog kill him."
+
+They ran out to question the children, but could get no satisfaction.
+Then they called, "Daisy, Daisy!" all around the house and grounds; for
+they could not believe I was lost. The children must be mistaken.
+
+There were some young people playing tennis on the Anchorage
+grounds,--the Admiral's place opposite,--and they came over when they
+saw Miss Eleanor and Miss Milly, and said they had seen the attack. They
+said the loud barking of a dog and a scream from the girl who was
+wheeling a baby carriage called their attention. They thought Daisy was
+killed; they saw him move, but could not tell in what direction; they
+said they did not believe it could be far off, as he must have received
+his death wound. The dog was a fierce bulldog, and belonged to the girl
+who had screamed. She had wheeled the carriage off quickly and called
+the dog, who was howling and bleeding from the encounter. They said, had
+they only been able to get a pistol, they would have shot the dog at
+once; but no one dare interfere with an enraged bull dog. And they had
+no time, for it all passed so quickly.
+
+They came over and very kindly helped in the search, going down cellar,
+looking in the cold air box, and over the grounds. Where I could have
+taken myself so quickly, they could not understand. After their dinner
+they searched again--without success, however.
+
+The Admiral's charming daughter, with her friend from a neighboring
+place, was very kind, calling the next day, trying to comfort my
+distracted friends.
+
+It was after twelve o'clock before they went into the house; then they
+could not rest, walking out on the piazza, or sitting in the bay-window,
+and starting at every sound or shadow. Miss Milly said if they could
+only give me Christian burial, she could bear it better. It was a night
+never to be forgotten by them, and they loved me more, if possible, for
+what they had suffered when they thought they had lost me.
+
+The young ladies I was soon quite intimate with. They brought ice-cream
+and jelly to me, and beautiful flowers. Of course we understood it was a
+delicate attention offered through me; in fact, it was using me as a
+"cat's paw." We had nice times sitting in the porch or on the piazza.
+They were so bright and chatty, talking about books they had read. I
+could not read books, but I could sit on them and look wise, and I never
+was known to scratch one.
+
+In the next house were two pet cats. One was Maltese, the other black,
+with white breast and paws. They were very large and dignified. There
+was one singular feature about them: both had double thumbs. After I
+became acquainted with them I asked them why they did not join a circus
+or museum. Oh, my! how mad they were, for they were very proud and
+exclusive; and at first were very shy of associating with me till they
+saw what nice company we had. They said they thought we must be poor,
+for we kept no servant.
+
+I told them we were poor, but we did not judge people by their money;
+that I guessed that so far as brains and culture and good breeding were
+concerned, my mistresses could beat the neighborhood, if we did not keep
+help. Then I pushed open the screen door and banged it in their faces. I
+was so very mad I never looked at them for a long time, and kept on the
+piazza at the other side of the house.
+
+I did forgive them, however, but it was after their pride had a fall.
+The family, went away for some weeks, and the house was closed. They
+left the small door in the barn open, and a heap of straw, with a
+blanket over it, for them to sleep on. They engaged the man who cared
+for the places around to provide them with milk and food; and he was
+very faithful to them.
+
+How we did pity them! I held up my head and walked away when I saw them,
+and Miss Eleanor said she did not think I could be so hard-hearted; but
+I could not stand it when I heard a piteous mew and saw a sad face
+looking at me, and I at once threw all resentment to the winds and went
+out with them.
+
+After this they were in our house all the time. As soon as it was light,
+over they would come, and wait till we came down to breakfast. They went
+home reluctantly at night, and Miss Eleanor was so good to them she went
+with them and poked up the straw and shut them in for the night. Miss
+Milly would say to her: "Did you tell them a bear story? And did they
+say their prayers?" Miss Eleanor would laugh, and say: "I did pity the
+poor lonely things; they looked like the babes in the wood when I
+covered the old blanket over them. Only I thought they had a good, nice
+auntie instead of a wicked uncle." For, as you will see, I had been told
+all these stories, or the boys had, and I listened to them.
+
+These cats were very nice to me. They would run up the trees and on top
+of the bay-window to amuse me; for I could not run or climb very well,
+though the next year, when we were out there, I could run with them very
+easily. We had such nice dinners together; for I enjoyed sharing my good
+things with them, and they were very nice about eating. They did not
+snort and growl as some cats do, or pick for the best. My mistress used
+to put down one large platter, and would give each of them the end,
+while I had the middle. Each shared alike.
+
+We had a great deal of company. I enjoyed them all, particularly the
+artists. I had an eye for color, though I could not make a telescope of
+my paw and put it over my eye, exclaiming: "What perspective! What
+color! What technique!" But I could open both eyes and see if the
+pictures were true to nature.
+
+Many offers were made by the artists to paint my picture; but my
+mistress refused them, saying: "Should I lose my Daisy, I could not bear
+to see a picture of her. I should always carry one in my heart, and
+would need no other."
+
+Our pleasant home we left the last of September, just when the autumn
+foliage was in a blaze of color, giving us a delightful picture to
+remember through the winter. We carried home some pine-cones for our
+grate, and bright leaves to put in our vases--a very pleasant reminder
+of our summer home.
+
+We made a pine pillow. I say _we_ because I pulled out the pine as fast
+as they picked it. At last they were obliged to put me in the closet. I
+climbed on the shelf and knocked down boxes till, in self-defence, they
+released me.
+
+But the pine pillow was finished, and I had many good naps on it,
+remembering those with whom I had played under the pines.
+
+
+
+
+IX
+
+CAT TALES
+
+
+I had always felt desirous of hearing the history of Topsy. My mother
+lived one year in the house with her, on good, if not friendly, terms.
+Her disappearance was a subject I pondered over quite often. Naturally,
+having taken her place in Miss Milly's affections, I wondered about her.
+
+One day my curiosity was gratified. A friend, very fond of cats, who had
+known Topsy very well, called. Miss Milly told her this interesting
+story.
+
+Topsy was a Salem cat, and no one could doubt her being a real witch
+cat. She was nervous, always on the jump, and "such a smart temper!"
+Miss Milly said: "I had always been very fond of black cats, but it so
+happened, though we had cats of all colors, we had never a black one,
+till the arrival of Topsy. You know," she laughed, "I have always been
+very proud of calling myself a Salem witch. I have a mole on my left
+shoulder, and now that the black cat had arrived, I felt that I had all
+the requirements needful to make a veritable 'Salem witch.' I believe
+there is some superstition about a black cow, also; but one could not go
+about leading a black cow quite as well as a cat, and I felt satisfied
+that would entitle me to the name."
+
+This is the way Topsy came to my mistress: One summer evening a friend
+drove up to the door with a basket of flowers. Miss Milly was pleased
+with them, but when under the flowers a little fluffy ball revealed
+itself, and when the little ball had brilliant yellow eyes, she was
+delighted. She smoothed its soft fur, saying: "What a lovely kitten! Is
+it for me?"
+
+As she asked the question, the kitten gave one spring and landed on her
+shoulder, where she secured her position by sticking her sharp claws
+into Miss Milly's shoulder. At every attempt to dislodge her, she
+asserted herself with tooth and nail; having undoubtedly a claw hold,
+she would never resign.
+
+This was Topsy's first claim on my mistress, and she made a slave of her
+ever after. All the family were pleased with Topsy. The advent of a
+coal-black cat into a family was looked upon as a very fortunate
+occurrence. Such cats have always been singled out from all others as
+associated with good luck. If one is driven from the house, it is
+thought to bring disaster.
+
+In northern Europe the idea of prosperity is so associated with a black
+cat that the owner of a new house often sends a black cat there, before
+he takes possession, in order to secure good luck. The Egyptians called
+the cat "Pasht" (their name for the moon) because her eyes were bright
+in the dark. Of course I heard this from my mistress, and it is probably
+more interesting to me than to my readers. Miss Milly said Topsy had
+round yellow eyes, big enough to entitle her to the name of "Pasht."
+
+She was so like Mrs. Stowe's Topsy in "Uncle Tom's Cabin" that no other
+name could be so appropriate. If standing on her head and fighting every
+thing that moved, even a leaf, could make her like Topsy, she deserved
+the name. She was full of life and electricity. If any one smoothed her
+fur the wrong way, in the dark, sparks would fly, and a snap like a
+fire-cracker would follow.
+
+We have a picture of her taken with the two boys. Karl has a great
+sleepy creature called Daisy because he was white and black and had
+green eyes. He is, as usual, asleep on the boy's knees. Will holds
+Topsy, and his face wears a distressed expression, for she is tearing
+and clawing him, trying to escape.
+
+Daisy belonged to Miss Eleanor. She brought him home one evening from a
+friend's. She put him in a closet over night, Karl slept in his aunt's
+bed, and just before morning she got Daisy and hid him at the foot of
+the bed.
+
+When Karl awoke he teased for a story. Aunt Nellie bewitched the
+children with her original tales of animals. She began the oft-told
+story of the little pig family, when Karl said,--
+
+"Hark! I hear breathing."
+
+"Nonsense," said Aunt Nellie; "perhaps it is the little pink pig."
+
+Pretty soon, however, the kitten had grown warm and comfortable, and
+ventured on a louder purr than he had given before. Karl started up
+saying:--
+
+"Oh, stop! Aunt Nellie, I do bleevs it is a kitty."
+
+There was no longer chance for concealment, and the kitten was produced,
+to the boy's great delight. When Willie came in from his mother's room
+to ask for his story, the same fun was repeated.
+
+The children were very much pleased with him, and named him Daisy. Their
+aunties remonstrated at one of his sex being called Daisy; but when the
+children asked in an aggrieved manner, "Are there no boy daisies?" as
+they were not able to answer the question in a satisfactory manner, he
+was allowed to bear the name of Daisy. (There is no doubt that since
+then they have decided that boys have as good a right to be called
+Daisies as girls, for my mistress called me Daisy, and I like it.)
+
+Three years after Daisy came to them he disappeared, and they mourned
+long for him, particularly because they thought a neighbor who disliked
+cats had killed him.
+
+Topsy quarrelled with him and drove him about, but Daisy was sweet
+tempered and bore it so quietly that Topsy despised him. She did not
+love any cat unless she could fight with him. Topsy had a great many
+kittens. Like many human mothers, she was not fond of taking care of her
+children. She was very peremptory, cuffing them right and left at the
+least provocation. She was a cat "Mrs. Jellyby," the Borrioboola-gha
+mission being more to her taste than her home. She did not care to
+chaperon sons and daughters into society, and she cast them adrift as
+soon as possible. One kitten was always kept for her, and she never
+seemed to miss the others. When she was ready to wean that one, it was
+provided with a good home, without the least interest on her part. The
+family were very fond of kittens, but dared not get interested in them,
+for they could only keep two at one time.
+
+She had one beautiful little black one, and Miss Eleanor became so fond
+of her that she decided to keep her for her own. She deserves another
+chapter.
+
+
+
+
+X
+
+LITTLE PEARL
+
+
+Little Pearl was coal-black, with one little white star under her chin.
+She was the only one of all Topsy's kittens that was black. Topsy did
+show more affection for her than for any of the others. She had bright
+yellow eyes like her mother's, and her fur was soft and glossy as silk.
+She was very sweet tempered, and never would strike back, as her
+brothers and sisters had done when their mother washed them, cuffing
+them if they dared move.
+
+Miss Eleanor was devoted to little Pearl, but all her care could not
+keep her. She died from some internal disease when she was about four
+months old. She was a perfect skeleton, and her mother nursed her out of
+pity because she could not take much food.
+
+One evening Miss Milly returned home from a visit, and on going to Miss
+Eleanor's room saw something in the middle of the floor covered with an
+apron. Miss Eleanor sat by the window, in great affliction. She lifted
+the apron, and there lay little Pearl, looking just like a lovely piece
+of sculpture.
+
+Miss Eleanor said: "I had her in my lap, when Topsy came in, and as she
+seemed to be amiable, I laid little Pearl by the side of her. Topsy
+began to lick her fur, and then she allowed her to nurse. But it was
+only a feeble effort; her little lips fell away from her mother's
+breast, and with one soft sigh little Pearl's short life ended."
+
+Topsy looked at her for one moment, then, with a piteous mew, she rushed
+out of the room and never returned till Miss Milly found her, and,
+taking her in her arms, comforted her.
+
+They took a strong pasteboard box and laid in some wool and a soft
+handkerchief, and little Pearl looked lovely on the soft white bed. They
+put geraniums and white flowers around her; for she had played often in
+the fragrant beds they plucked them from. Then the box was closed up and
+put in a back room till morning. They made Topsy keep an unwilling vigil
+to keep away rats.
+
+In the morning they engaged three children belonging to a poor family
+living near them to dig a grave. They came armed with shovels and spades
+enough to dig many miles. Miss Milly said she worked harder as overseer
+than she would at digging the grave alone. They were willing to work,
+but ignorant of the way.
+
+It was a very pathetic sight,--a dark cloudy day, the sun obscured, the
+wind rustling through the trees, and even the flowers drooped their
+heads; Miss Eleanor, with the box in her arms, and Miss Milly with the
+improvised grave-diggers standing by the open grave.
+
+Miss Milly held Topsy in her arms; but it was hard work, she made such
+frantic efforts to free herself. At last she did escape, and ran up the
+apple tree, and out on the branch that hung over the open grave. Here
+she looked down on them, while they laid away her dear little kitten.
+
+After the grave-diggers had raked the earth over the spot, and received
+their money and departed, Miss Eleanor and Miss Milly put fresh flowers
+around it and a large pot containing a nice geranium in the middle.
+
+Topsy had come down from her perch and roved about the garden as if
+possessed by an evil spirit. They had gone into the house but a short
+time, when she trampled all the flowers on the grave under her feet and
+knocked over the flower pot. Then she roved back and forth till she
+found a neighbor's cat, with whom she had a feud of long standing, and
+worked off all her sorrow in a free fight, where she proved the victor,
+and at night she returned to the house just as composed as usual. She
+never visited little Pearl's grave to their knowledge again.
+
+The house where the family lived was large and old-fashioned,--one of
+the houses Salem was noted for at that time, long ago given up to the
+march of improvement. It belonged to a wealthy sea-captain in the India
+trade. Since his death it had not been cared for or repaired, and was
+therefore within the means of a small family. The remains of his
+extensive wine cellar consisted of a multitude of empty bottles.
+
+Topsy was very fond of this cellar. They often remarked that she
+probably found kindred spirits of the past, for she always surprised
+them with some practical joke on her return to the upper regions.
+
+One day, just at dusk a crash came that shook the house. The sound came
+from the cellar, and on taking a light there, they found the floor
+covered with bottles. Through some unknown agency, Topsy had moved a
+shelf, and all the bottles had fallen to the floor. There she sat on a
+barrel, looking on. If ever a cat delighted in a sensation, she did.
+
+Quite a young girl lived with them, to help the girl of all work. She
+got the impression that the house was haunted. She said the doors would
+fly open without visible agency, and the bells all over the house would
+ring, and when she answered them, every one would be surprised; they had
+not touched them. They explained to her that the wind moved the
+old-fashioned latches, and the doors, being old, would fly open.
+Possibly rats would move the bell wires and make them ring. It is
+impossible to uproot a belief in the supernatural out of the mind of an
+ignorant child.
+
+She said: "It is that black witch cat Topsy. She is an evil spirit. I
+shut her up at night in the kitchen, Molly says she never let her up;
+but there she is, upstairs, all over the house, during the night."
+
+They could not persuade her to stay, and after she left the mystery was
+solved, as such mysteries almost always can be, in a very common,
+matter-of-fact manner. Miss Eleanor said at the time that she thought
+her room was the way Topsy came, though how, she could not say.
+
+One night, about eleven o'clock, being very wakeful, she heard a slight
+scratching sound at the door. She sat up in bed and watched. She was not
+afraid, for she was sure the mystery was about to be solved. Another
+rattle of the latch, then the door opened wide, swinging back, with some
+long black thing hanging from the latch. It was Topsy. She had jumped up
+and knocked up the latch with her head, holding on the lower part with
+her paws, and in this way had entered the room every night.
+
+Changes came to their home, and the death of their mother made a break
+in the household. They moved to Boston and were perplexed about Topsy.
+What could they do with a cat of her restless nature in a few rooms?
+What could she do without a large house and garden to roam about in,
+and, above all, how could she leave that cellar? The people who took the
+house were very anxious to keep her, and at last it was decided to leave
+her on trial.
+
+Miss Milly said, "After what we have passed through, as we are breaking
+the last tie to home, one parting more we can bear."
+
+After a few weeks Miss Eleanor went down to see about Topsy. She had a
+tale of woe to listen to. They said: "Topsy searched the house after you
+left, and at night she caterwauled in the hall in the most fearful
+manner, and paid not the least attention to us, when we tried to coax
+her. She refused all food, preferring to steal all that she wanted. She
+at last took to the cellar, and would not come up. We put food and drink
+for her every day, and it was gone, so we supposed she took it."
+
+They said the night before she had made such a racket that it seemed as
+if there were a dozen cats with her. They had that day decided to write,
+asking what could be done with her.
+
+When they opened the cellar door, and called her, no answer came; but
+the moment Miss Eleanor went to the door, and said, "Topsy," she flew up
+the stairs like lightning, and into Miss Eleanor's arms, just like a
+child. She held her so tight she could hardly remove her claws from her
+shoulder.
+
+"This decides it. I shall have to take her," Miss Eleanor said; "and
+indeed I could not face Milly without her, now that we know how unhappy
+she has been."
+
+They loaned her a shawl, and in it she wrapped Topsy, who followed every
+movement with her yellow eyes, though she kept as quiet as a lamb. Her
+trust was perfect; she knew she had found her own. She made no trouble
+on the journey by cars to Boston, keeping her eye on Miss Eleanor's face
+out of one corner of the shawl.
+
+They were perfect slaves to her, keeping her in one room. Boarding was
+not very convenient, even with a quiet, well-behaved cat but with her it
+was a dreadful experience. She had come to Boston, a great and gay city,
+and she did mean to see the sights. The very first Sunday she crawled
+out of the window, though it was only open a very little; but she
+squeezed herself out on to the balcony that ran around several of the
+houses in that block, and Miss Milly went all over the street hunting
+for her. Being a stranger, it was very hard. At last Topsy was found on
+the balcony just outside the next house, all in a heap, and for once
+well frightened.
+
+After Mrs. Rice and the boys came from the South, and they had a home,
+she was very happy, and it was then my mother met her, about which event
+I have already written.
+
+I did pity them; at the last, to lose her in such a manner was very
+hard.
+
+Miss Milly was so sad after this that Miss Eleanor said she hoped she
+would never tell Topsy's story again. Miss Milly would say, taking me in
+her arms, "I never felt comforted till I had my Daisy."
+
+This pleased me, and made me very careful to do just as they told me to.
+I was very glad I had heard Topsy's story. My opinion is, that the
+witches wanted her and called her home. Very likely she rides on their
+shoulders when they go through the air on a broomstick.
+
+
+
+
+XI
+
+REMINISCENCES
+
+
+I was suffering much from my shoulder just at this time, but we were
+very quiet, and I enjoyed lying on the lounge or in their laps and
+listening to the stories of the pets they had loved in their childhood.
+Miss Eleanor would read aloud, and indeed (you may laugh if you please)
+I could understand the nice things she selected.
+
+One day she found some of Martin Luther's sayings. He one day remarked
+to his dog, that was growling, "Don't growl, little Hans, for in the
+resurrection thou, too, shalt have a little golden tail."
+
+Miss Milly caught me up, saying, "Thou, too, Daisy, shalt go to heaven,
+and have golden bells on thy collar, for thy tail is more lovely than a
+golden one could be."
+
+"How absurd you are!" said Miss Eleanor.
+
+"Well, I do not think it absurd to believe we shall have our dear pets
+in the hereafter; heaven would not be heaven without them. God has not
+given them to us to love, without making provision for their hereafter.
+We have no little hands and feet waiting for us on the 'golden shore,'
+but little paws of all colors I know will be extended in welcome, and we
+shall be happy with our own again."
+
+This comfortable doctrine suited me and made me very happy. Knowing that
+I could not live many years longer, the thought of an eternal separation
+from my loved ones would have been unbearable.
+
+I did try to be good and be a comfort to them, but often my good
+resolutions were put to a hard test.
+
+My mistress had one young friend who detested cats. She was very
+beautiful, and they loved her very much. She came to see us one day, and
+after greeting them affectionately, she said as her eye fell upon me,
+"Oh! have you got that old Tom cat now?"
+
+How I bristled up! But Miss Milly was equal to her. "Would you like to
+have me speak of one of your children in this manner?" she said.
+
+"I should think not," replied her friend; "but this is only a cat."
+
+"And a cat that we both love as dearly as you love your children."
+
+My rage at being called a "Tom cat" knew no bounds; it seemed to degrade
+me, and I thought to myself, "How can I avenge this insult?"
+
+One can always find a chance to do wrong, and mine came at once. I
+espied her hat, gorgeous with feathers, birds, and wings, and brilliant
+beading. To my great discomfort--for it was very scratchy--I seated
+myself on the crown. I had no compunction when I heard the crunching of
+the beads and feathers, as I bent them under me. They seemed to say,
+"Tom cat,--indeed!"
+
+I sat there till I felt pride had been sufficiently levelled; and as I
+chewed the delicate end of one of the expensive feathers, I felt that I
+might (in vulgar phrase) call myself even with her. Then I went under
+the bed, where I could with safety witness the impending tempest.
+
+I was not disappointed. Words are powerless to express her wrath. Had
+her wishes been consulted, I should never have seen the light of another
+day.
+
+When I saw how my mistress was distressed over my wickedness, my
+conscience did prick a little, though I did not repent. I had been
+called a "Tom cat," and for once I acted like one.
+
+The climax was reached when Miss Eleanor produced a box containing a
+lovely wing and ornaments, and placed them where the broken ones had
+been. She said:--
+
+"I do not approve of such decorations. Were I young, I would never wear
+anything that had been killed to pander to a foolish vanity. These were
+given me to put with some flowers and grasses for exhibition. If you
+will accept them in place of those our naughty pet has destroyed, I
+shall feel we have atoned for his thoughtlessness."
+
+Accept! I guess she did, and in her heart thanked me for giving her such
+a treasure, though she gave me a cross look at parting, which I returned
+in full and longed to give her an etching.
+
+I was disgusted. I had been outwitted, as people often are when they
+seek for revenge. It made me cynical, and I remained under the bed,
+thinking of the wrongs that are beyond redress, going on daily. I said
+to myself:--
+
+"Just see! To gratify personal vanity how many millions of beautiful
+birds are slaughtered! Innocent creatures that God made, just like the
+lovely flowers, to make the world charming! And if a cat or any other
+animal kills a bird or chicken, their legitimate prey, knowing no
+better, they are called horrid creatures and hunted about just as if
+they were murderers."
+
+They did not say anything about my naughty act; but I heard them (after
+they had called me to come out, and I had not answered) say, "Daisy is
+asleep." Then they laughed, while Miss Milly said: "Who could doubt that
+cats can understand, if they had seen Daisy's face when he was called a
+'Tom cat.' I believe he sat on that hat to show his indignation."
+
+All our friends were not of this order. One young artist was very fond
+of me, and we were quite chummy. He was a great big fellow, with a thick
+head of hair, and a mouth like a shoe-brush. I loved to see his teeth
+gleam through when he laughed, for they were perfect and white as snow.
+I did not like to have him rub his face over mine; it was like a
+porcupine, while my fur and whiskers are as soft as silk.
+
+One day he had been fooling with me, and I gave him a good scratch. I
+raked his whiskers well, making his lip bleed. After that he called me
+his bar-ber-ous friend. Perhaps he thought I did not see the pun
+intended, but I did, and the point also.
+
+I was rather sorry, and surprised. Somehow I thought his hair was like
+grass, and I could claw it as I pleased.
+
+He brought me very nice catmint from his country home. Once he brought a
+pasteboard box with "Daisy" printed on the cover. I was very proud of
+that box, and always turned it over with the name on the top. He brought
+us a beautiful pitcher called after the Emperor Hadrian. The style of
+pitcher was taken from those found in his tomb.
+
+You will see I have a taste for history. There is no doubt, had I lived
+at that period, I should have made wonderful excavations. Mummied mice
+or rats would have had no mercy from my claws.
+
+My special interest in this pitcher was the beautiful white daisies it
+was often filled with. The contrast with the blue pitcher was perfect.
+He would bring in a bunch from his country home, and say, "Here, Daisy,
+are your namesakes; they are for you," while I would pretend to smell of
+them, delighted to make them all laugh. I would mount the table, and lie
+down by the side of the pitcher very contented.
+
+My friend went to Virginia to sketch. He wrote word that he had planted
+a large grove of catmint for me, and had called it "Daisy's Plantation."
+Was I not happy and important! As Miss Milly said, I was a real
+landowner.
+
+After his return, he went to Germany to study. In all his letters he
+remembered me. I was just as much interested in his progress as his
+other friends were, and enjoyed the photographs of his pictures he sent
+home.
+
+In my opinion he was a great artist--better than the "old masters" they
+talk so much about. The "young masters" are good enough for me. He
+wanted to paint my picture, but Miss Milly refused, just as she had all
+other offers of this kind.
+
+I did not like it, for I thought my friend would do me justice, and it
+might make his fortune, if exhibited. I used to look in the glass and
+pose, thinking what a lovely picture I would make.
+
+I say it, and I suppose you will say, "What a vain cat!" But how about
+these society women (and men, as to that) who dress in velvets and
+jewels, and exhibit their charms, and so much of them that it makes a
+modest cat blush? What if they don't say, as I do, that they would make
+a lovely picture, do they not act it? You will soon discover, if you
+never knew it before, as you read my history of many cats, that animals
+are often superior to the human race.
+
+My mistresses would often dress me and make me pose to please them, and
+for the life of me I could not see why I should not be painted for the
+benefit of others. They would tie a half-handkerchief on my head, the
+point trimmed with lace just between my ears, the ends tied under my
+chin. They called it a "Marie Stuart point." Whatever that might be, I
+knew not. I afterward learned that she was a queen, and was executed. It
+pleased my cat vanity to represent a queen.
+
+I myself performed all the tricks I could think of. One day, being in a
+large armchair, I just posed, myself. I sat down, hung my two paws over
+the arm of the chair, my head on one side, my "Marie Stuart point" all
+right, the bow tied under my chin, my collar and padlock in sight, and
+then and there I made an impression never to be forgotten by those who
+saw me. As long as memory lasts they will remember me in all my beauty.
+
+My mistress fell on her knees beside me, calling me all the pet names
+she could think of, while Miss Eleanor said, "If ever a cat lived that
+could equal Daisy, that cat I would like to see!"
+
+I remained a long time in the same attitude, proud of my success. When
+Miss Milly brought a little hand-glass for me to see myself, I did not
+wonder they were delighted, and I wished they would let me pose for the
+benefit of poor cats. I knew I could draw a crowd.
+
+I never would pose for those I did not care for. I tore off the
+handkerchief as soon as they put it on, and taking it by the lace edge,
+I shut my teeth on it and dragged it under the bed. After this they only
+asked me to pose for my friends. For them I was very willing to do my
+best. I enjoyed being called a "darling" and a "love" by pretty girls,
+just as any boy would enjoy it.
+
+One friend of my mistress, a charming little woman and a real
+philanthropist, was quite fond of me. She was the mother of my dear girl
+friend, whom I introduced to you at my party. This good little woman was
+a real friend to animals of all kinds, but she particularly loved cats.
+
+She told us one day when she came to see us about the cruel people in
+her neighborhood who went away in summer, leaving their cats to starve.
+She said she had the past summer chloroformed eighteen cats in the last
+stage of starvation and too far gone to save.
+
+She had two lovely cats named Chico and Sancho. They had very beautiful
+clear white fur and blue eyes. They were very bright, learning readily
+many little tricks. They would turn a graceful somersault for their
+food, and behaved at all times with great politeness.
+
+Chico had trouble with his teeth, and Sancho was in great distress about
+it. This sympathy was almost human. When he found he could do no good,
+he retired in deep distress to the corner of the room, where he
+preserved a grave silence. The family dentist soon made matters right by
+extracting the troublesome teeth, making both cats very happy. No doubt
+Chico disliked him just as children dislike those who operate upon them,
+even though the kindness is evident.
+
+Mrs. M. said, when she was telling my mistress about Chico, "Of course
+you will have Daisy's teeth filled with gold when they decay?"
+
+"Certainly," Miss Milly replied; "and I would hold him while it was
+done."
+
+For days after this I had no peace. Visions of doctors with horrid
+instruments were ever before my eyes. I shut my mouth tight when any one
+came in; and at the name of doctor I fled under the bed, where I
+remained with fear and trembling, fearing my teeth were to be operated
+upon. I could not clean and brush my teeth, but I got a bit of grass and
+one of my catmint stalks, and sharpened my teeth on them, keeping them
+as nice as possible, to preserve them.
+
+Last year I lost one tooth. It fell out without any pain, and I did not
+miss it; but Miss Milly did feel so badly about it, and cried when one
+of the family said, "Daisy is quite old; it is the beginning of the
+end."
+
+Miss Eleanor was very indignant, saying, "If it is not 'the beginning,'
+it is the end, of their visits here; we will not entertain such cruel
+people."
+
+They were more careful of me than ever after this. They cut up my food
+very fine, and I was very careful not to gnaw meat off of a bone, for
+fear it would injure my teeth, and bring the "beginning of the end"
+after me. Whatever that might be I did not know; but it was such a scare
+to Miss Milly that I thought it must be some monster that would devour
+me as soon as I lost my teeth.
+
+Our nice friend told us a great many stories about cats she had known
+and loved. Her charming daughter, my girl friend, could make cats
+perform tricks very easily. She seemed to charm them. There were
+photographs of cats taken in every position, and they seemed to do just
+as she wished, for she took the pictures of them herself.
+
+We had very few cats in our neighborhood, and I did long sometimes to
+see one of my own old friends. I went out every day when it was
+pleasant, and sat upon a high fence, where I could look into back
+alleys, where the poor people had one or two miserable rooms, scanty
+furniture, and probably very little food, and I noticed with pleasure
+that in every one of these poor homes a cat could be seen sitting before
+the small fire, an honored member of the family. I wished I could write
+a check for these good-hearted people. It made me laugh; for who would
+honor a cat's check?
+
+If I could talk, I know my dear friends would help them, if I could tell
+how much they need it; but as I cannot, I must content myself with good
+intentions.
+
+
+
+
+XII
+
+CAT TALES
+
+
+There is no doubt that cat lovers will be interested in the true stories
+of cats that our friends related to us from time to time. I have them
+all in my memory. If they can arouse a love of cats in the hearts of my
+readers, this little work of love by one fortunate cat will accomplish
+its purpose.
+
+Our friend told us a very wonderful story of a cat named Alexander.
+There seems to be a fitness in his name; for he was, in my opinion, very
+great. It does look a good deal like a "fish story," though I know it is
+strictly true; for he was a Boston cat, and lived not half a mile from
+our home.
+
+Alexander was a prime favorite with all the family. He was the master's
+special friend and pet, while the mistress had a bird she was very fond
+of and had kept a great many years. Alexander had been taught to respect
+its rights, and ignored it as beneath his notice.
+
+They had bought a beautiful house at the seashore, reached by the boats
+every hour or two from Boston. They closed their city house, and removed
+all the family, including dogs, bird, and last, but not least,
+Alexander, to their summer home quite early in the season. They went
+down by boat, and, as one would suppose, neither dog nor cat could well
+find his way back alone.
+
+Alexander was taken in a large basket; one of the most reliable of the
+maids had charge of him, while the bird was taken by one of the family.
+Alexander had in every way protested against this move. He walked about
+the house, superintending the shutting up of rooms, with grave
+displeasure.
+
+The dogs, bird, and the family soon settled themselves, and the new
+place assumed an air altogether homelike. Alexander was restless and
+morose, and the third day he was missing. They had noticed the stolid
+air of disapproval with which he had gone around, looking with critical
+eye upon the house and its surroundings. He avoided the side of the
+house that faced the water, proving that he did not care for
+sea-bathing, and the air evidently did not agree with him.
+
+They spared neither money nor trouble in searching for him. No clew
+whatever could be found, and they mourned him as dead. They returned
+early in September to their Boston home on account of illness in the
+family.
+
+They had been at home only a few days, and the house had settled into
+that homelike air so pleasant to returned wanderers, when one day, while
+they were at dinner, Alexander walked in. He was the shadow of his
+former self, thin, rough, and gaunt looking, the very fierce expression
+of his eyes making him look like a stranger.
+
+He refused every welcome extended to him, looking at them with disdain.
+He marched to a table, mounted it, gave one spring, and before they
+could realize his purpose he put his sharp claws through the cage door
+and killed the little pet bird.
+
+He looked around upon them all with an expression of satisfaction, as if
+to say: "Now I am satisfied. You have enjoyed the company of your pets;
+you have not been satisfied with going away and leaving us in our good
+home, but you must have another. If the little fools you took with you
+were willing to stay, I was not. You left me to wander, and I have taken
+my revenge."
+
+The mistress was very unhappy at the loss of her pet, and demanded
+Alexander's life in exchange--"a life for a life." Her husband refused.
+He sympathized with her loss, but he stood by Alexander. The master was
+the only one that cat would trust. He avoided all the other members of
+the family, and never recovered his cheerfulness or his good looks. The
+iron had entered into his soul.
+
+Where he spent the summer months remains a mystery. From the change
+wrought in him, it could not have been in very elevating company. But
+the question is, Where did he spend that time, and how did he get back
+to the city? Is it not a convincing fact that cats know more than they
+are supposed to? And if they are such intelligent beings, ought they not
+to be treated with humanity?
+
+It is true they will be hunted and abused by bad children; but properly
+taught, might they not be made nice playmates for children, even taking
+the place of a nurse maid if trained to do so? It does seem right for
+all animals to be studied and their good traits encouraged.
+
+Horses have been, ever since the world was formed, the friend and
+patient slave of man. No animal has suffered more abuse patiently borne
+than the horse. And now that the fools of fashion have presumed to
+improve on their Maker's work, clipping them, cutting their tails, and
+using the abominable check-rein, they are objects of pity to every
+right-minded person.
+
+My mistress had a friend who often called to take her to ride. She had
+been away, for a long time, travelling. On her return she came to see
+us, and asked my mistress to ride with her out into the country. We were
+very much pleased, for they both needed the air; and as she said she
+would take Miss Eleanor the next day (the carriage holding only two),
+there was a pleasant prospect for both of my dear friends, and I was
+delighted, for they had stitched and stitched till I was nearly frantic,
+looking at my sharp but useless claws.
+
+I could only express my satisfaction by walking around her, and rubbing
+my head against her dress. She was quite pleased, saying, "Daisy has
+grown more lovely then ever," and she patted my head with such soft
+dogskin gloves, I did long to chew them.
+
+As Miss Milly prepared for the ride, her friend said: "Just look at my
+new horses. Are they not beauties?"
+
+"These are not your horses!" exclaimed Miss Milly, as she looked from
+the window.
+
+"Certainly they are," her friend replied, "and I knew you would admire
+them."
+
+"I am sorry to disappoint you," Miss Milly said, "but I do not admire,
+though I do pity these poor creatures. Is it possible that you had their
+tails cut in such an absurd manner? And their heads held up so cruelly?"
+
+"Of course I did," replied her friend, while her face grew red with
+anger; "and I mean to have their heads raised an inch every day till
+they get used to it."
+
+Miss Milly untied her bonnet, saying, "Much as I need a ride, I could
+never enjoy it, in sight of such cruel suffering. How could you do it? I
+thought you so kind-hearted, when we were girls together, that I cannot
+believe you have changed so sadly."
+
+"How absurd you are! I think you carry your old-fashioned notions too
+far, and I must say you are very unkind to refuse to ride with me. Every
+one has these things done, why should not I?"
+
+"You need not be cruel because others are; and I thought you had
+independence enough to do as you thought right, regardless of the weak
+and wicked who know not right from wrong. In your position, with wealth
+at your command, you could set an example that others would follow; for
+there are always those who are ready to do just as people in better
+circumstances than themselves are able to do, no matter what foolishness
+it leads to."
+
+"I hope, Eleanor," said their friend as she turned away from Miss Milly,
+"you are not going to refuse to ride with me because my horses are in
+the fashion, we all know Milly is a crank on such subjects."
+
+"And in this case, I fully indorse her," said Miss Eleanor. "It is cruel
+to cripple such noble creatures and make their lives a curse."
+
+"Well," said the other, "I have had a lesson this morning." And tears of
+vexation stood in her eyes.
+
+"My dear Laura," Miss Milly said, "just think that all we have said to
+you has been in kindness, because we believe in your real nature. Let
+your own heart speak for these poor creatures that cannot help
+themselves, so wholly in your power."
+
+"And make myself a laughing-stock! No, thank you! I shall keep my horses
+like other people's. I am very sorry not to take you to ride; it is a
+real disappointment to me."
+
+"It is an equal one to us. We fully appreciate your kindness in offering
+us a luxury beyond our means, here we recognize the Laura of bygone
+years. Come some day with 'Brown Bess,' the nice horse you used to
+drive, and we shall be glad to go with you."
+
+Laura looked very red and confused, and replied, "We did not bring her
+to the city with us."
+
+They learned some time after that the good old horse had been sold for a
+hack. My mistress was very indignant. She said she would have sold her
+own flesh and blood just as soon as a faithful old horse. She said, "If
+money hardens one's heart, as it has our friend's, we are better without
+it."
+
+I mounted a chair and saw the carriage drive off, and I did pity the
+poor horses. The foam fell from their mouths, and they pranced and
+glared about in torture from which there was no escape. I was sorry my
+friends had lost their ride, but I was very glad they acted up to their
+principles.
+
+I looked at the very pretty little woman, sitting so quietly in her
+carriage, and I said to myself, "If those poor tortured creatures should
+run away and injure her for life, could she complain? Do not animals
+have lessons of cruelty taught them every day? What reason have they for
+being better than their owners?"
+
+I was sorry I had allowed her to pat my head. It brought on a fit of
+indigestion, and I left my nice kidney; I could not swallow it.
+
+
+
+
+XIII
+
+MY FIRST THEFT
+
+
+Perhaps a confession of my sin may be a warning to others. I know it
+will be interesting to my friends. It was in the house of the
+"philanthropist" of whom I have written before in my book.
+
+One day when I went down for my outing I saw a door open that I had
+never noticed before. It is a well-known fact that a cat never passes an
+opening without looking in; they never leave a mystery unsolved if they
+can discover it.
+
+The conditions were favorable, no one was about; "Oliver Twist" was out
+of the way; so I just wandered in. It proved to be the store-closet, and
+on a plate unfortunately near me, within my reach, was a piece of steak.
+It was large, but I saw my opportunity. It looked very nice, just like
+the steak our good doctor ordered for Mrs. Rice. She could taste but
+little, while I could devour it all. Thought I, "This will be nice for
+my mistress." So I just jumped up, and after several ineffectual efforts
+got it in my mouth. By holding my head high I could just walk with it,
+for it was long and reached to the floor.
+
+It was some time before I could get started, for I was all of a quiver,
+starting at every sound, and in my hurry, tripping over it, getting so
+mad that I said, "Hiss! hiss!" just where an old boy of the human kind
+would have said something more to the point.
+
+Then came the greatest difficulty,--three flights of stairs to mount. I
+had to rest at every landing, and when at last, breathing hard, but
+proud and happy, I laid my offering at my mistress's feet, instead of
+the delight I anticipated she screamed out, "Oh, Daisy, what have you
+done?" I looked at her, amazed. "You naughty cat! Look Eleanor," she
+said; "see! he has stolen this piece of meat. What shall we do?"
+
+"I am very sorry. Of course we can pay for it," Miss Eleanor said, "but
+then Daisy has lost his character; they will never trust him again. Oh,
+how could you be so naughty, Daisy?"
+
+I began to realize that my little offering had not been the success I
+thought it would be. Why, I could not understand; so I just walked under
+the bed, my place of refuge, and in high dudgeon reflected on my deed of
+darkness, for such it seemed to be. Miss Milly had scolded me, Miss
+Eleanor had reproved me, and I was very much provoked.
+
+Miss Eleanor said: "I will go down and speak about it. If you go, you
+will be so provoked; if they speak one word against Daisy, you will not
+keep your temper."
+
+I waited in fear and trembling, not knowing what would be done. She soon
+returned, saying, "I have paid her for half a pound of steak."
+
+"Half?" said Miss Milly; "why, it could not be over a quarter, and old
+steak at that."
+
+"I know that, but I would have no words with her. I simply told my
+story, expressed my regrets, and asked what I should pay her, and gave
+the money in silence and disgust. She remarked she always thought Daisy
+was a sly one."
+
+This aroused a tempest of wrath. Having to pay twice the amount for a
+piece of stale meat was nothing compared to her calling me sly.
+
+"Come out, Daisy," my mistress said; "I know you are sorry, and did not
+understand how wrong it was to take that steak!"
+
+I did not go out for a long time. My feelings were hurt at the injustice
+I had suffered; and I was very dignified. My mistress took me in her
+arms, saying:--
+
+"My dear kitty, I know you did not mean to do wrong; but to take
+anything belonging to others that is not given to you is stealing, and
+people are punished for it--I do believe," she said to Miss Eleanor,
+"that this dear cat got that steak as much for us as for himself." And
+she gave me a hug.
+
+Then I could no longer control myself. I could not speak, but I got up
+and put both paws around Miss Milly's neck and licked her face. She was
+quite overcome, as she said: "I will never forget that you did this for
+me. But you now know what stealing means, and must never do it again."
+
+And I never did. But oh, how good that steak did taste! I had heard it
+said that "stolen fruit is sweet," and I found it so. I had worked hard
+over it, and I enjoyed it.
+
+I was not very unhappy that my mistress had to pay for it; for I had a
+friend who gave me pennies enough to buy all my extra food, and I said
+to myself, "She can take the money from that." So that afternoon I went
+to the table where my little tin bank was kept, and just pushed it off,
+and out came the pennies.
+
+The noise aroused my mistress. How they did laugh, saying, "Daisy is
+paying for her meat." But they put them all back and kissed me, saying I
+was a very honorable cat. I wished I could speak and ask my mistress if
+that "philanthropist" was a church member. If so, did they allow
+extortion?
+
+I think "Oliver Twist" was a free-thinker, for he seemed to grasp
+everything as his own, recognizing no law; certainly he did not favor
+our church. Perhaps, like the cat that a smart boy tried to sell, she
+represented the belief of the person to whom the boy offered her. When
+this enterprising boy had offered his cat to a member of every other
+denomination, he came to an Episcopalian. He was asked why he called her
+an Episcopalian, when he had just said she was a Baptist. "Oh," he
+answered, "but her eyes are open now."
+
+I think "Oliver Twist" and his mistress were born with their eyes open.
+
+This little item has run in my silly head ever since Miss Eleanor read
+it.
+
+I must tell you before I forget it about the friend with the
+high-stepping horses. It was not quite six months after her visit to us
+that I wrote about that she was taken very ill and sent for my mistress
+to come and see her just before she died. She said to her:--
+
+"Milly, I have never known one moment's peace since you gave me such a
+lesson on my cruelty to my horses. I seemed to realize, after you had
+spoken, just how foolish I had been in following a wicked fashion. My
+husband has promised me that Aunt Mary shall have them, and she is so
+devoted to animals she will never allow any abuse. Though I cannot
+restore their tails, they will be made comfortable. Old Mike, her
+coachman, will make them happy if any one can. I realize all they
+suffered, and think I deserve to lose all I misused so thoughtlessly."
+
+Is not this an illustration of the good one brave word can do? If my
+mistress, fearing to offend her wealthy friend, had not spoken, the poor
+horses would never have been released from their suffering, and the
+conscience of her friend never awakened. If every one who is witness to
+an act of cruelty would remonstrate against it, there would be some
+chance of reform.
+
+Many people say, "It is no business of mine if people ill-treat their
+own animals." But it is the business of every one with Christian
+feelings to speak for the poor dumb animals, for they cannot speak for
+themselves. Children, if taught when young, would never be cruel.
+
+Miss Eleanor saw a little boy carry three little kittens into a lot
+where a house was being built. The boy was sent on this cruel errand by
+his mother. Their cries made Miss Eleanor's heart ache, and she had
+decided to go over for them and see what could be done to keep them,
+when a poor woman came along, who could not turn a deaf ear to their
+piteous cries, but went to them. They were so glad to see her, she said,
+though she was poor, she could not leave them alone. Miss Eleanor gave
+her some money, and the woman said she would find them good homes.
+
+This is only one instance of what is going on day by day. Is there no
+help for it?
+
+
+
+
+XIV
+
+RELIGIOUS ASPIRATIONS
+
+
+One ambition of my life has never been gratified. I have always had a
+desire to attend church. I have never been able to understand why
+restless children, who have no understanding of sermons, who are
+wretched when obliged to keep still, and are only kept quiet by a
+promise of something nice or a threat of punishment, should be taken to
+church and the family cat left at home.
+
+What if we _do_ sleep all through the service--we have a precedent for
+it. How often we hear people say, "Mr. So-and-So might as well have
+remained at home, for he slept all through the sermon," or, "Mrs.
+So-and-So had to pinch herself to keep awake. She dare not sleep,
+fearing to crush her new bonnet."
+
+If we can believe all we hear, ministers all have voices "like old cows"
+or "dying calves." They never speak plain, and deaf people remain at
+home rather than look like fools when they cannot hear one word. Cats
+hear all these speeches, and wonder why they cannot go and judge for
+themselves. I know in our church, with the boy choir singing so lovely,
+one could not sleep.
+
+When I was young I brooded over this question. I did want to be a
+Christian cat, and, like most ignorant people, I thought I could not be
+good unless I went to church. Of course I know better now. I can be just
+as good at home. Like all young things, I wanted to try my wings and see
+a little of the world.
+
+Karl and Will were choir boys, and I was very proud of their voices. I
+did not understand why I could not march in the processional, right
+behind Karl and Will, even if my voice was not trained to sing.
+
+I thought it all over, and out of a multitude of thoughts came forth an
+act. Not one of the "Acts of the Apostles." Had it been, I might have
+been successful.
+
+One Sunday I made up my mind to try my luck. I had a hearty breakfast,
+washed myself all over, and cleaned my nails, for I had heard that
+"cleanliness is next to godliness." I did not mean that in my cat
+vocabulary there should be one such word as "fail."
+
+I hid myself when Karl and Will were ready for church, and after they
+had left the house I crept out after them. I followed them on the
+opposite side of the street, without being discovered, when, just as I
+was feeling sure of the situation, a dog must needs bark and make for
+me.
+
+Karl and Will turned around, and then my church-going was ended. Before
+I could run away Will caught me up in his arms and carried me home.
+
+I was very angry over it, and refused to be comforted. I wished I had
+been a heathen; then they would have taken the trouble to convert me. I
+tried to find a rat to kill, and crept all around the cellar. But no;
+rats must not be killed on Sunday. I was very unhappy. Six days of the
+week I could do very well, but oh my, the _seventh_!
+
+That day was a poser to me. All the family had gone to church. What
+could a poor cat do? I could not sleep, and, to cap the climax, a plate
+of beans and a saucer of milk had been put out for me, in case I wanted
+something before they returned.
+
+Now I love my beans Saturday night and Sunday morning, but to be
+expected to make a dinner of them, in place of the nice little lamb
+kidney that was served up for me every Sunday, was adding insult to
+injury.
+
+I dragged the beans out on the floor and threw over the milk saucer;
+then, as I could do no more mischief, off I went in a huff to look out
+for their return home.
+
+I did feel a little ashamed, for I remembered that Karl could not get a
+kidney. The man at the store told him they were all sold, adding, "If
+that cat of yours will not feed on anything but kidneys, he will die of
+kidney disease." It was not their fault, and I did feel mean.
+
+Every Sunday Karl and Will studied their lesson. They would sit at the
+table with their books, while I had a hassock in front of them, with my
+little Bible open on it. Here I would pose for an hour, with my paws
+folded on the open book, looking from one to the other, for I loved them
+dearly.
+
+This Sunday I would not look at my book. The boys tried to make me, but
+were obliged to give it up. I behaved just like a bad boy, running after
+imaginary balls, jumping over the hassock, sitting on the Bible, till at
+last Will said: "I will call Aunt Milly. We shall never get our lesson
+if she does not take Daisy away."
+
+This did not please me. I just picked up my book, and when my mistress
+came in I was sitting at my hassock, my claws clasped over my Bible
+(though it was upside down), looking as innocent as possible.
+
+All this naughtiness because I wanted to be a choir boy and walk in the
+processional with the rest of the boys. I think it would have been
+better if they had taken me to church.
+
+One thing always gave me great pleasure: I never could tire of cat
+stories. I think it may be a help to the understanding of cat nature if
+I give the most interesting ones for people to read.
+
+With the horrors of vivisection and other cruelties practised upon
+animals, it is time for them to assert themselves. Even a cat's voice
+may be heard. Children can be taught to respect the rights of animals if
+their parents will interest themselves in their dumb servants.
+
+My mistress met two very nice ladies one summer while in the country.
+They were cat-lovers, and gave many nice anecdotes of cats they had
+known. I will tell you one I particularly liked.
+
+A friend of theirs had a great many cats, and as their number increased
+she felt the necessity of giving up some of them. She found homes for
+all but one; and one day, when her friends were visiting her, she asked
+them if they would take the cat and drop her near some nice house, where
+they had no doubt she would soon make a home. It was not a very pleasant
+commission, but they could not very well refuse.
+
+Pussy had evidently heard their conversation, for she tried to hide from
+them. She was very quiet, never responding to their coaxing, covering
+her face with her paws in great sorrow. They drove many miles into the
+country before they could think of parting with her.
+
+At last a large and finely situated farmhouse attracted them by its
+homelike aspect. It was a low, rambling house painted red, and the barns
+and outbuildings were in keeping. Everything looked inviting. The large
+kitchen-garden at the back of the house seemed just the place for cats
+to enjoy. An opening in the trees gave them a glimpse of a small stream
+meandering through the country, reflecting the rustic scene in its clear
+depth.
+
+"Here," they said, "we will leave her. Surely no one in a place like
+this could turn away from a poor cat."
+
+They coaxed her, and in spite of her clinging to them, put her down very
+gently. She stood like one dazed. Then she turned and surveyed the house
+and its surroundings. She looked long at the clear, bright water, as if
+in deep thought. She then looked up at the sky, and after giving them a
+reproachful glance, she walked slowly toward the river. Reaching it, she
+paused one moment, then deliberately walked in. Twice she rose to the
+surface, then the waters closed over her forever.
+
+They could make no effort to save her. Knowing cats' strong dislike of
+water, they had no idea she would go near it. It was, they said, a clear
+case of suicide. Homeless, friendless, and wretched, she preferred
+death, even in the element a cat usually dreads, to seeking a new home.
+
+The people were very unhappy about it. They said they felt like
+murderers, and never had believed before that cats could think and
+suffer. They said that they should ever after do all they could for
+animals, particularly cats, in atonement for their share, though
+unintentional, in the death of poor pussy.
+
+It made me appreciate the care I had had all my life, when I heard such
+sad stories of cats.
+
+Cats are fond of mischief, and I fear I never thought of the sorrow I
+should cause when I saw a good opportunity for fun.
+
+We made a visit one summer in a family where the old grandfather, from
+Vermont, was spending a few weeks. He was an original character, and we
+were entertained by his quaint speeches and his old-fashioned manners.
+He thought Boston was one of the biggest and wickedest places in the
+world. I was the only one he seemed to be at home with, though I never
+could tell why, for I disliked him from the first sight I had of his
+horrid little eyes, with a real wicked expression, and his flesh looked
+just like an over-baked apple.
+
+The wonder of all to me was his head, which was the part I could not
+understand. It was covered by uneven, red-brown hair, with no seam in
+it, and it looked just like a cocoanut.
+
+He ate so loud I thought some one was choking, and when I walked over to
+the side of the table and looked in his face, I found he was eating with
+a big knife so fast it made me wink. This increased my dislike of him,
+and I refused all his overtures to make friends with me.
+
+He said I was "a proud critter." He guessed lots of time was spent on
+keeping my fur so nice. And "as to that trinket on my neck, it was too
+fine for a cat."
+
+One day I solved the mystery of his head-gear. I chanced to peep into
+his room,--as no place was sacred from my investigation,--and I saw
+another old man, his head as bare as the bed-post. When he said "Pussy,
+Pussy," I fled in alarm, but not before I had discovered that it was the
+same old man minus the top of his head. It was a wonder to me, and I
+never rested till I found that head-gear. They called it a wig, but I
+called it a "bird's nest."
+
+Then I made up my mind to investigate it. Soon my opportunity came. All
+the people had gone to ride, and I was making a tour of the house, when
+loud breathing convinced me my old man was at home. Bad cat that I was,
+I just followed the noise, and sure enough, there he lay, flat on his
+back, his mouth wide open, sound asleep.
+
+Of course I climbed up and looked into his open mouth. Another discovery
+I made: he had not one tooth in his head! And the wind and spray that
+covered me, from his open mouth, satisfied me with a brief
+investigation.
+
+On the floor, by his side, lay the bone of contention, the brown wig I
+had speculated on so long. I grabbed it, and carrying it into a corner,
+inspected it thoroughly. Then I clawed it a little, and at last seated
+myself in it. Something about it acted like a narcotic, and in this
+uncomfortable bird's nest I fell asleep.
+
+I dreamed that I was sitting under the piazza, when I heard voices. One
+of them said: "Why should not cat's fur be used for wigs and bangs? Gray
+hair is so fashionable."
+
+"Oh," replied a young voice, "think of Aunt Sally with a maltese
+front-piece, and Grandpa and Uncle Jim with tiger-cat wigs!"
+
+"Well," replied the first speaker, "if it were the fashion, we should
+like it. That great, pampered cat belonging to those two big-feeling old
+maids would make nice wigs, for his fur is as soft as silk."
+
+"Yes, and that long tail of his," said the young girl, "would make a
+beautiful tippet, with a squirrel's head on it."
+
+"But," lowering her voice, "if Brother Rob was here I would get him to
+coax him off, and get his skin. It would make a beautiful rug for my
+room."
+
+Just then a shout awoke me, and the old man on the lounge also. He
+fought wildly for his wig. Dazed by my dream, I sat blinking my
+half-open eyes from one to the other. They were just screaming with
+laughter at the sight I presented, seated in Grandfather's wig.
+
+Miss Milly took me out rather roughly, I thought, and smoothed it as
+well as she could. The old man looked on in surprise, muttering, "I knew
+that durned critter was up to mischief."
+
+After it was combed out and put on right, the old man, conciliated by a
+good dinner that he loved, invited me to a seat on his knee in token of
+his forgiveness. I declined the favor with scorn. Sit on a knee covered
+with corduroy when all my life I had been used to broadcloth? _Never!_
+
+My dream troubled me very much. I am a superstitious cat, and believe in
+warnings. So I kept close to my mistress; for in every one that
+approached I saw an enemy ready to despoil me of my beautiful fur coat.
+Though I am a good judge of human nature, as silent people are apt to
+be, I never had that confidence in people, that makes life so pleasant,
+I had felt before my dream.
+
+When we left for home, Grandfather Tomkins said to Miss Milly: "You had
+better give that great critter to me. He would like my farm to run about
+in, and I have taken a liking to him." Then he added, with a sly wink at
+me, "He can sleep in an old wig I have at home."
+
+I trembled at the thought, and hid in the folds of Miss Milly's dress,
+as she said, "Daisy is just like a child to us; we could never part with
+him."
+
+"Well, well," he said; "I believe the critter knows all we say."
+
+I was glad enough to see the last of that place. I preferred one room
+and no companions but my own friends. These uncongenial people had given
+me a good lesson.
+
+I was more careful about running away, for when one has a fur garment to
+protect, suspecting every one of a desire to make wigs, front-pieces,
+tippets, and fur rugs of it, he has a great care. I only wish I could
+tell my dream to my friends, but it is a great consolation to write it.
+
+
+
+
+XV
+
+CAT ANECDOTES
+
+
+I have never been particularly fond of poetry; it has always, with a few
+exceptions, seemed to me to be "wishy-washy."
+
+One day when it was quite dismal and rainy, Miss Eleanor said, "This
+little poem of Tupper's is a real protest for the future life and
+immortality of animals."
+
+Of course that great big word was a poser, but after a time spent under
+the bed and a great deal of stuttering I mastered it. Then she read
+these lines, and I must quote them because they may influence those who
+never have any mind of their own, and depend on other people's opinions,
+to believe that cats have an after life.
+
+    "Are these then made in vain?
+    Is man alone, of all the marvels of creative love
+    Blest with a scintillation of his essence?
+
+    "To say that God annihilated aught
+    Were to declare that in an unwise hour
+    He planned and made somewhat superfluous."
+
+And then she read the story of the poor wretch whom no one followed to
+the grave but his faithful dog, who walked so mournfully behind the
+hearse.
+
+Yes, I could understand and see it all, and when Miss Milly wiped her
+eyes, and Miss Eleanor's voice grew tremulous, I had to wink and sneeze
+several times to conceal from them how deeply I was touched.
+
+And I know all that I care to about funerals. When I hear the roll of
+carriages, I mount a chair and look out of the window, and feel so sorry
+for them, remembering how I felt when they carried away our dear one,
+and left me alone all day, sitting in her easy-chair. And when I see
+that dreadful vehicle called a hearse, I am thankful that cats do not
+have to ride in them,--above all, the little white hearse. It does look
+just like the circus cars that I have seen pass, and the first time I
+saw it, I looked behind for the elephant, and the other beasts I had
+always seen in their train.
+
+It makes one a convert to cremation. If I had the question to decide, it
+would be cremation for man and beast.
+
+I hope women will excuse me for not mentioning them first. We fall into
+the bad habit of speaking of man only, as if men were the only ones
+worth a thought, but it is a question no one can answer, "Where would be
+the men, were there no women?"
+
+I think the heathen custom of burning wives on the funeral pyres of
+their husbands a good one. It would certainly help dispose of some of
+the "surplus women" men are so exercised about; for if the widows were
+all disposed of, there would be a chance for the single ones. And if
+there were no divorces, no second marriages, then how careful husbands
+and wives would be of each other, if they knew the survivor would have
+to do escort duty on that last, long journey, to the one death had
+marked for its own.
+
+Perhaps all this is too deep for a cat, you think. Well, perhaps it is;
+but then, cats can't help thinking of all the abuse heaped upon them and
+the unjust remarks on their habits and ways of living and having their
+children: and I ask, in the name of slandered cats, why is such judgment
+passed on them? They are not married, so are not unfaithful, and they
+are not divorced. While they live with another husband they have all the
+children that God allows them, and they take care of the little ones
+till they are of an age to look out for themselves.
+
+Now I hope it will be handed down to posterity that one cat who has
+himself lived a blameless life has dared to compare the morality of cats
+with the morality of human beings, who are supposed to be so much more
+intelligent, and are bound by the laws of the land to be honest and
+virtuous.
+
+Please don't say, "This cat knows too much," for I will tell you
+stories, and true ones, too, that will make you believe in the
+intelligence of our race. I feel sure my cat stories will be
+appreciated; for in a large company of strangers, where all are sitting
+around in grim silence, just let some one have the courage to tell a cat
+story, and the ice is broken at once. This "one touch of nature" makes
+them all grin. It is the "open sesame"; like a hydra with never ending
+heads--they spring up. As soon as one is finished, another begins. The
+heads all have tails (or tales) of cats they have known. One is
+surprised at the wonderful revelation of how deep a hold the household
+pet has in the hearts of those who love him.
+
+My mistress had another story from the same lady who told her the last
+one I related. It was called, "A Confiding Cat." In 1877, says a writer
+in "Nature," "I was absent from Madras for two months, and left in my
+quarters three cats, one of which, an English tabby, was a very gentle
+cat, an affectionate creature. During my absence the quarters were
+occupied by two young gentlemen who delighted in teasing and frightening
+the cats. About one week before my return the English cat had kittens,
+which she carefully concealed behind the bookcase in the library. On the
+morning of my return I saw the cat and petted her as usual. Then I left
+the house for about one hour. On returning to dress, I found that the
+kittens were located in the corner of my dressing room, where previous
+broods had been deposited and nursed. On questioning the servant as to
+how they came there, he at once replied, 'Sir, the old cat, taking them
+one by one in her mouth, brought them in here.' In other words, the
+mother had carried them one by one in her mouth from the library to my
+dressing room, where they lay quite exposed."
+
+I do not think I have heard of a more remarkable instance of reasoning
+and affectionate confidence than this in an animal. I need hardly say it
+gave me great pleasure. The train of reasoning seemed to be as follows:
+"Now that my master has returned, there is no risk of the kittens being
+injured by the two young savages in the house. So I will take them out
+for my protector to see and admire, and keep them in the corner where
+all my former children have been nursed in safety."
+
+I think it a lovely story. Some will say, because the cat was an English
+tabby, "So English, you know!"--in a sarcastic manner; but I say as the
+old man did, "Nater is nater." And a true mother cat will fight for her
+own, whatever nation she belongs to. I wish all professional people were
+like this cat's master.
+
+And I do think our colleges would do better to confer the degree of
+"B.A." on cats and dogs than on many of the brainless creatures made in
+the "image of their Maker." There is where the resemblance ceases,
+"image" is the only indication.
+
+If some of the students would expand their hearts by defending poor
+abused animals, it would be much more for the benefit of society and for
+their own development than rowing and kicking as they do. They kick
+enough between the ages of one and ten to last a lifetime. And I would
+like to ask one question more, while I am about it: Is there one man,
+woman, or child who can play ball equal to a cat?
+
+I hope the time will come when doctors will just as soon use the knife
+on their children as they now do on poor animals so completely in their
+power. I believe they will have to suffer for every case of cruelty
+offered up on the altar of that scapegoat called "science." God who made
+the victim will require atonement.
+
+In my humble opinion, if all the stories told of them are true, it would
+be no loss to the world or their friends if science could be benefited
+by the cutting up of a few doctors' and ministers' children. Perhaps by
+exposing their hearts (while they suffer the agony that poor animals do
+while under these operations) they might get at the root of wickedness
+and hardness of heart that seems to be inborn in them; and thus improve
+the morality of the coming generation. It would be no loss to society to
+sacrifice a few of them.
+
+I can tell all the professors, and possessors too, that there is no
+earthly use in using a cat's or dog's heart or liver to decide what
+causes diseases in human beings. They are no more alike than fire and
+water. The hearts of human beings are not enlarged by kindness, and are
+hard from their own wicked natures, while their livers would be well
+enough if they indulged in proper food and drinks.
+
+A cat's heart is tender and kind and gives love for love; and her
+liver--well, that is all right; she probably keeps that in good repair
+by a moderate diet of liver. And if a cat should have disease of the
+kidneys, why, "a hair of the same dog"--you know the old saying--will
+cure it, and a good diet of kidney will counteract the disease.
+
+Of course doctors would scorn such a suggestion from a cat; but it might
+work in the case of their patient as well as in animals--only a doctor
+who dares order the plebeian diet of liver or kidney would never prosper
+unless he gave a foreign name to them or smothered them with a title.
+But just think of it. Do you often hear of the poor laborer with either
+of these diseases? He has liver instead of turkey, and kidney instead of
+chickens, and if he is not killed by some modern improvement, he is
+likely to live forever.
+
+I offer this without the least expectation of a fee. I am no M.D. or
+D.D. I am "a Daisy"; but my eyes are open, and although I have green
+around me I am white. So if any one says in a sarcastic manner, "she's a
+daisy," I shall not be green enough to take it to myself in their sense,
+but just remember that "it takes a rogue to catch a rogue," and feel
+happy in my superiority.
+
+While I am moralizing I might as well give my readers the benefit of it.
+Why are not cats used as barometers? It would certainly save much money,
+and Blue Hill Observatory would be a good outlook for the weather-wise
+cat, and she would make an able assistant without a salary. Just observe
+her movements as the earlier generations did, and there is no doubt the
+weather notes will be correct.
+
+As early as 1643 an old book was published which says of the cat: "She
+useth to wash her face with her feet, which she licketh, and moisteneth
+with her tongue. And it is observed by some, that if she put her feet
+beyond the crown of her head, in this kind of washing, it is a sign of
+rain." If a cat scratches the furniture or frisks around more than
+usual, she is said to be "raising the wind."
+
+Cats are sensitive to air, full of motion and electricity, which seems
+to put them in good spirits; while a warm lifeless atmosphere makes them
+languid.
+
+Sailors are as a class very superstitious in regard to cats. Their
+family, when the father, son, or brother has gone on a voyage, watch the
+family cat to know about the absent one. If a cat sickens or disappears,
+it is looked upon as an indication of the illness or death of the absent
+one. A sailor's family will make a pet and companion of the family cat.
+The cat that chances to go to sea is just worshipped by all on board the
+ship and is the real captain.
+
+There is another little story that comes to my mind just now, as
+illustrating how much a cat notices and remembers. The cat in question
+was called Ole. Why, or wherefore, I cannot say. Perhaps he was a
+Norwegian, from the name, or his ancestors may have been Norwegians. He
+lived in Syracuse, New York, perhaps he was named for that most perfect
+musician and gentleman, Ole Bull, as people have a craze for naming
+their children for celebrated people, and they often name their pets for
+them. There is no doubt that animals do greater credit to their names
+than pampered children.
+
+The cat called Ole was a great favorite in the family where he belonged.
+He had his place at the table and was very fond of his master, following
+his every movement when carving, with great interest. Even though he
+craved what was being carved, he never made a movement to hasten his
+dinner. Subsequent events proved he had not watched in vain.
+
+One day the daughter of the family was attracted to the dining room by
+the loud and peremptory calls of Ole. She opened the door, and there sat
+Ole in his master's place at the head of the table. The large mat for
+the meat platter to rest on he had drawn in front of him, and on it lay
+a large rat.
+
+The satisfaction with which he greeted her was evident, and he purred
+forth his delight at having provided and served up a game dinner. It
+proved that he had thought about the etiquette of the table. Having no
+platter, he had taken the next best thing, the mat, where the platter
+usually rested.
+
+It is needless to say Ole was more petted then ever, though people, when
+told the story, would say, "How wonderful!" but behind their backs would
+say they guessed it was a fish instead of a rat that Ole had caught. But
+I believe in the rat. A cat detects and despises shams.
+
+A friend of my mistress said that in a country house where she was
+visiting they had an open fireplace in one of the rooms, and one of
+those very absurd gas-logs.
+
+The family cat walked in one day, and, going over to the rug, prepared
+to have a delightful snooze. But she no sooner approached the fireplace
+than the idea of the sham fire arrested her. She gave one resentful look
+at her mistress and walked out of the room. She never went into that
+room again, preferring the reality of the kitchen fire to an elegant
+sham. There is very little danger that a cat will ever be deceived after
+she has had the chance to investigate.
+
+If the ravens and birds were half as bright as Pussy, the best gotten-up
+scarecrow in the field would never cause them one moment of disquiet or
+the loss of one good meal. She has such quick ears that even the moving
+of a leaf in the wind or the creak of a window is enough to bring her to
+her feet ready for an encounter.
+
+
+
+
+XVI
+
+CAT PRANKS
+
+
+What pleasant memories I have of my early years! How could I be other
+than a very happy cat, with a home so pleasant, and dear, kind friends?
+With the boys to play with, and everything to interest me, I have
+nothing but loving words to say on my own account, and I feel more
+anxious to try to help the cats who are not appreciated to homes and
+friends like mine.
+
+With all my advantages, I must admit I was at times a great trial to
+those who loved me. If a boy had behaved as I did, it would have been
+called the "old Adam" in him. And with me I suppose it was the cat old
+Adam. I was full of life and fun, and a great hunter of everything that
+moved, from a leaf that rustled in the breeze to our natural enemy, a
+mouse.
+
+I was very smart at the business of hunting, and the rats and mice that
+I destroyed I cannot tell. I wish I had kept an account, but when young
+I did not know the value of a journal and account book. It would be a
+real pleasure to me now, when memory is often treacherous.
+
+I was never allowed to worry or torment them, though I had the desire,
+as every one has, to torment or worry something. Miss Eleanor would put
+her hand around my throat gently, but it would force open my mouth,
+making me drop my victim. Then it was at once killed.
+
+One day I chased one under the bed. I knew it had received its
+death-blow, and I wanted to go in and worry it occasionally. My mistress
+did not know of it; she was not in the room at the time.
+
+It was just about tea time, and I expected a scene when it should crawl
+out, as I feared it would. It was behind a box, and I could not move it
+or get at it with my paws; but I scratched on it with my claws to assure
+it of my presence and make it tremble. In this way I kept it all the
+evening, and I did dread their going to bed. I was so sleepy, it made me
+cross. They went to bed, and I fell asleep with a guilty conscience, for
+I knew it would be a dreadful fright to them if the mouse should appear.
+
+It must have been the middle of the night when a loud scream awoke me,
+and they both rushed out of the bedroom, saying, "It is a mouse! It
+walked over the bed!" Before they lighted the gas I had pounced upon my
+prey and finished it.
+
+Miss Eleanor took a cloth and pulled the mouse out of my mouth and threw
+it out of the window. I was real mad with them both, and got up on the
+table, where I never was allowed to sit, and knocked down a beautiful
+little basket that Miss Milly kept flosses in. The three parts of the
+basket separated, and all the little bags and balls rolled about on the
+floor. I poked them under chairs and in corners, and at last my
+mistresses were obliged to go to bed, leaving me with my playthings. The
+moonlight favored me, and I not only chased the bags and balls, but I
+tried to chase the moonbeams. I caught the playthings, but never the
+moonbeams, and I wondered why.
+
+The next day they talked seriously to me, but I did not care one bit. I
+washed my face all the time they were talking, and ran under the bed
+when they wanted to comb me. I chewed the red bow they had tied on my
+collar till it was black, and it tasted horrid. They did not scold me,
+for they were afraid I had poisoned myself with the red dye.
+
+Miss Eleanor found in her book an antidote, and Miss Milly gave me the
+dose. She had a hard time of it, for I spit out the pellets as fast as
+she gave them to me. That did provoke her, for I knew how to swallow
+them as well as a child would know. She took me, and, opening my mouth,
+she dropped them down my throat and held my mouth till they were down. I
+coughed and fought to get them up, but it was of no use. When Miss Milly
+was determined on a thing it just had to be done.
+
+I lived through that scare, and have chewed ribbons of all colors since
+then without harm except to the ribbon. It was very naughty, I know; but
+if I got mad, I would chew up my ribbon to provoke them.
+
+Another wickedness to record. Like all young cats, I loved to run away.
+This was before I was stolen that Christmas time I have already written
+of. Every day I would go out in the yard and hide, and I now remember
+with great thankfulness how wonderfully I was spared. Poor cats
+disappear, leaving no trace behind, and I am fortunate not to have been
+one of them, and I understand why my mistress was afraid to trust me out
+of her sight. I would hide on the ledge of the fence in the next yard
+and then peep over to hear them call me.
+
+They would scrape two knives together to call me in to dinner, when we
+were visiting or when we had the range of the house. Of course I
+responded promptly to the call, as cats, like children, are always ready
+for a square meal. But of late I had discovered their little game. There
+was no dinner; they scraped knives to get me in. They deceived me at
+first, but not for long.
+
+Now the back of the houses on our street faced the back of the houses on
+the next street, with a long alley between. At the windows of the
+opposite houses there were young men who were interested spectators of
+this little by-play. Very soon they were not content to be only
+lookers-on; they wanted to take part, and soon they appeared with
+knives, and then a fearful scraping was heard, and the cries of "Daisy,
+Daisy" resounded through the alley.
+
+I never turned my head or let them know that I noticed them, for I was
+very much ashamed of the sensation I had caused, and I crawled home,
+crestfallen enough, to meet the reproachful glances of my dear friends.
+They had not dared to appear on the scene. After that I went home
+without being called.
+
+I was more provoked because these were the very young men who had thrown
+bottles, old boots, and bootjacks at the cats that assemble nightly to
+talk over their trials and give an open-air concert occasionally. Were
+these young men asleep as they ought to be, not just returning at
+midnight from some junket, they would be willing to believe in the
+doctrine of "live and let live."
+
+These cats have no homes, no nice beds, and often they have empty
+stomachs; and if they console themselves with a social meeting, and end
+in a musicale, who can blame them? They certainly do not have empty
+bottles to dispose of after their meetings, as these young people do;
+and there is no uncertain _note_ in _their_ voices when they let it
+swell out on the midnight air. If it reaches a high C, it is not a "high
+seas over," as the young men's voices often indicate.
+
+Another proof of the superiority of the animal over the human race. A
+cat may often be sitting on a beer barrel, but there _never_ was a cat
+known to have the contents of one inside.
+
+There are many shams in the world that cats would scorn to practise. Now
+I am, perhaps, about to shock some people by airing my opinion on
+"family worship." I can hear you say, "How irreverent!" Not at all. Just
+please read the many so-called bright speeches of children in the
+newspapers, where they hob-nob with their Maker just as if he were a
+boon companion.
+
+I have heard my mistress quote, "Thou shalt not take the name of the
+Lord thy God in vain." I never have, and it makes me shudder to hear
+children so flippant with the sacred name. And I will never believe that
+cats or dogs could be taught (even if they had the gift of speech) to be
+profane, as the poor parrot is. They have an evil eye, and may not be to
+blame.
+
+One year we boarded in a real country farmhouse,--at least, the master
+was a farmer; but the family were trying to find some more genteel name
+for the business and the place that had so long supported them.
+
+It was a nice, old, rambling house, with quaint little nooks and angles
+where I could hide. The kitchen was very large and low, and the
+outbuildings so ample that I often lost myself.
+
+The hay-loft was very bewildering, and after I had once climbed up I
+felt like the travellers my mistress loved to read of--very proud of my
+exploits.
+
+They had a great yellow cat called Tabby. Now I did hate yellow, and of
+all weak names I think "Tabby" the weakest. But oh my! "What's in a
+name?" Sure enough, she was just the reverse of her name. Although she
+was not "my style," I could not, in that lonesome place, afford to pass
+her over.
+
+After a time she became quite friendly with me, though at first she had
+resented my style, as she called it. She evidently thought I was a cat
+"Astor or Vanderbilt," with my collar and padlock,--that "bete noir" to
+all cats that I met. They confounded it with the ropes of pearls and
+strings of diamonds that society women pawn their souls for; but when I
+explained to her that it was an inexpensive badge, with the name
+engraved on it so that my friends could recover me when I got
+lost,--that it represented their affection instead of their
+dollars,--she, like a sensible cat, realized at once its use, and
+admired it, saying it was very becoming to the aristocratic bend of my
+neck. After this I did think she was a cat with good judgment and
+exquisite taste.
+
+When she saw how delighted I was with her kittens, she allowed me to
+play with them all I cared to. They were all colors, and the loveliest
+little creatures I ever saw--four of them. They looked upon me in the
+light of a bachelor uncle, and were after me all the time. They grudged
+me the night separation, for my mistress would not allow me out of her
+room at night.
+
+I was very clumsy with them at first, as old bachelors naturally are,
+but soon took them in my arms as deftly as their mother did. I was
+delighted to have them run after me and kick and bite me. I felt sad at
+first that I was denied this pleasure, that no little ones of my own
+would ever play about me. But, when Tabby told me her sad tale, I no
+longer regretted I had been spared so much sorrow.
+
+She said when she saw them happy and loving to all around, she trembled,
+for she knew at any moment they might be taken from her. She said she
+had tried to hide her other kittens in every corner she could find, but
+it was of no use; they were all sacrificed.
+
+They were delighted to play with my collar and padlock, and they
+scratched it so badly that my mistress said that if I was going to allow
+myself to be used by the "Scratch Grabble" family as a plate for their
+etchings that I had better go without a collar.
+
+Go without my collar! Perish the thought! I would tie a blade of grass
+around my neck rather than go undecorated. Daisy without a collar! The
+idea!
+
+The family allowed Tabby to go out and in as she pleased. She had plenty
+of food, and was treated kindly for her usefulness, for the rats she had
+killed counted into the hundreds; but petting was beyond their
+comprehension.
+
+The father of the family was a big, jolly old man. His only fault was
+his piety. Now do not misunderstand this remark, for I have been brought
+up to respect true religion, but I do hate bigotry.
+
+The farmer's wife was a large, red-faced woman, and very nervous and
+fussy. Her husband said, "Marier wanted to be a big bug." This gave the
+true key to her aim in life. She wanted to be fashionable.
+
+They had only two children. The elaborate headstones in the neighboring
+cemetery where I had rambled gave the names of several children they had
+buried. And after I had known them a little while I believed, with
+Tabby, that the best part of the family were represented by the
+tomb-stones. They fought with each other continually, and their chief
+fights were during family worship.
+
+The girl, Bessie, was fourteen years old, very fat, big-eyed,
+big-lipped, with tousled head; always in one's way, and disagreeable in
+the extreme.
+
+The boy of twelve, red-headed, freckled, and full of mischief, was much
+better than his sister. Bob, as he was called, had one marked
+individuality--that was his appetite. I never saw that boy without his
+mouth full, and his pockets were a storehouse to draw from.
+
+Their table manners were dreadful. As there were only two other boarders
+besides ourselves, the family were all at the table, and we had a chance
+to see them in all their glory. The food was of the best and well
+cooked; but oh, the way it was eaten!
+
+The breakfasts were enough to make any cat sick; for when the last
+mouthful was swallowed, a greasy, ragged Bible was produced. As my
+friends said, though they did not approve of the manner in which it was
+conducted, they did not think it right to turn away from family prayer,
+and of course I remained with them and rather enjoyed it.
+
+The daughter was made, by the payment of a weekly sum, to read the
+Bible. She gabbled off a chapter taken from any part of the book she
+chanced to open to first.
+
+Bob was making faces and kicking her all the time under the table. Once
+in a while his father would take him by the ear, but not often. A loud
+yell of "Lemme alone!" was not a pleasant accompaniment to a Bible
+reading.
+
+Then the father made a prayer. It certainly was only for his own
+benefit, for no one could distinguish one word he said. Then the
+children, after a long wrangle, engaged in a boxing match, the father
+and mother taking no notice of them unless called upon by one or the
+other to decide their dispute. It was very embarrassing to all but those
+concerned, and the boarders very gladly returned to their rooms.
+
+Just as it was getting furious and exciting, my mistress took me away.
+She said she did not care to have me demoralized; but I was provoked,
+for I wanted to know who was the victor.
+
+They were very much disgusted with the whole performance. Miss Eleanor
+said, "Why cannot people read one nice selection for the day, and a
+short prayer that will comprise all that one need ask for, instead of
+making such wretched exhibitions as we have just witnessed?" And we all
+agreed with her.
+
+It seems an insult to one's Maker to gabble over prayers, with one's
+mouth full of food. It seems much more appropriate to ask a blessing
+before one sits down to the table than after.
+
+It seemed to me real fun, a family circus; but then, I respected my
+friends' opinions, and knew that their view of the situation was right.
+I told Tabby what I thought of it, and she said, "It is a long time
+since I have attended their family prayers, and I will never listen to
+them again."
+
+One morning she said: "Bessie and Bob had a fierce battle at prayer
+time, interrupting their father several times. When he had finished, he
+cuffed them both, and it ended in a real row. Then the mistress, who
+never could be just to any one, provoked with her husband for punishing
+the children, and angry with them herself, turned her wrath on me.
+
+"'It is time Tabby's kittens were disposed of,' she said.
+
+"'Yes,' the children yelled; 'lemme, lemme do it!'
+
+"But the father interposed, saying, 'No cruelty shall be practised in
+my house.'
+
+"Oh, how frantically I tried to claw open the door and get at my
+kittens! Not that I could save them, but perhaps they would kill me with
+them.
+
+"The master took me and shut me into the closet, where I fell down
+broken-hearted. I mewed and mewed, for I knew I should never see my dear
+ones again. I could not sleep, my breasts ached from the milk that
+belonged to the poor little victims, and I spent the most wretched day
+of my life.
+
+"Early in the afternoon Biddy, the servant, released me. She looked very
+sorrowful at me, and tried to make me eat some dinner, giving me a nice
+plateful. I could not swallow, and went out to the barn, though I well
+knew I should not find my children.
+
+"A feeble mew greeted me, and I found, in place of my five beautiful
+kittens, only one. They said the prettiest, but they were all lovely to
+me.
+
+"She was a light gray and bright as a button. She was so glad to see me,
+but looked surprised, as if she thought I would bring her brothers and
+sisters with me.
+
+"I lay down exhausted, while she nursed, and I could feel the four
+little lips (that were now cold and stiff) on my breasts, and I felt too
+wretched to live.
+
+"I was in a real fever for several days, but she nursed me all she
+could, and I got better. She was soon bright and happy, frisking about,
+and grew large and very handsome. I did not take any comfort in her, for
+I knew she would soon be taken from me, and a hard life begin for her.
+
+"Can you wonder that after that morning's experience I never wanted to
+hear of family worship? If it does not teach them humanity, what is it
+good for? And if, as they read, God is so mindful of the sparrows, why
+don't he remember poor cats? Tell me that, will you?"
+
+I did not answer her, my heart was so sad, and I wished I could speak
+and ask my mistress that same question. I comforted poor Tabby all I
+could. I said perhaps God lets these people do these things for an
+example to others. She scoffed at the idea as she asked, "Why did he
+make us?" As I could not tell, I answered meekly, "I do not know."
+
+I expected every day these innocent creatures would go. Oh, how I did
+feel! Rash thoughts of taking them and hiding them in Miss Milly's
+trunk, filled my mind. I wanted to save them.
+
+"There is no use," Tabby said, "we cannot fight against the mighty. All
+that I can do is to make all the noise I can in the world. I join all
+the cats around and speak in all the meetings. 'Anarchists' probably
+they would call us, but we do not care. We caterwaul and scratch and
+steal, just as human beings in our situation would take to drink. And I
+would ask, who is to blame? We did not learn this of animals. We learned
+it of Bessie and Bob and the good, pious people where we live."
+
+I found I could do no good. Tabby was an eloquent speaker when the
+wrongs of her race inspired her tongue; and my heart beat, and my claws
+went out and in as I longed to fight for our down-trodden race. The
+whole barn would have been a battle-field strewn with the bodies of
+rats, could I just at this moment have encountered them.
+
+When we left this place, my mistress said: "We will never go to a good
+quiet place again. We will take our chances with the multitude." I fully
+indorsed this resolution. This experience had made me a more thoughtful
+and a sadder cat, for the sorrows of animals preyed upon me. Had not the
+thought of writing this book entered into my mind, thereby opening the
+eyes of the thoughtless, and helping expose the wrongs of our race, I
+could not have existed.
+
+How I hated to leave the dear little kittens, they were so fond of me,
+and ran after me when my mistress took me in her arms to carry me away.
+The woman told them that they were all promised to friends. They would
+have good homes; that was why she had kept them so long.
+
+Miss Eleanor talked to her beautifully about their duties to dumb
+animals, but I knew it would do her no good.
+
+After we were in the carriage, Miss Milly said she felt very sad to
+leave such dear little playful creatures, particularly as I had taken
+such a liking to them. She said she could not bear to think that they
+would go into new homes and be tormented by bad children.
+
+Miss Eleanor said she had often seen children squeeze kittens, their
+soft little bones almost crushed, in their strong hands; and if they
+dare scratch or bite in self-defence, they were called bad-tempered and
+abused.
+
+"There is nothing we can do to help them," they said, "but speak for
+them when we can, and always save them from cruel hands when we can do
+so. It is the duty of every man, woman, and child to speak for the dumb
+animals who cannot defend themselves."
+
+I did not wonder Tabby was hopeless when Miss Milly said she saw no
+chance for cats or dogs either. If people who profess to love them are
+afraid to speak up for them, what is to be done?
+
+Dogs and cats are not always enemies. They can be taught each other's
+rights, if their owners will take a little trouble. I will give you an
+illustration in favor of this theory.
+
+A friend of ours owned a little dog named Friskey, and a cat she called
+Flossy, because she had soft fur, like silk.
+
+They were very fond of each other. Flossy would lie down with her head
+on Friskey, making a pillow of him.
+
+Their mistress taught him to beg for food; and after watching him
+awhile, Flossy took her place by his side, assumed just the same
+position, and begged.
+
+They were very good to each other about sharing their food, furnishing
+an example children would do well to imitate.
+
+They were both of them fond of candy, and one day their stock had melted
+away, and only one little sugar ball was left. It was very hard. They
+had each tried to break it, but finding that impossible, they took turns
+in sucking it. Friskey would wait patiently till Flossy had sucked it
+till she was tired, then he would take his turn, while she would rest
+and watch him with a happy expression on her face, saying plainly, "Is
+it not nice?" They licked and licked, but it did not seem to grow
+"beautifully less," and lasted them nearly one week.
+
+They used it as a ball, and would run after it and then refresh
+themselves with a lick or two and then start again. Their owner said it
+was the most ludicrous sight she ever witnessed, they were so happy with
+their ball.
+
+The mistress said one morning Friskey was in great tribulation, hunting
+for their ball of candy. Flossy hung around her, mewing till she got out
+her work-basket. Then Flossy made one dive and clawed out from the midst
+of cottons and silks the beloved ball. Friskey barked and wagged his
+tail, while Flossy licked it, and then gave it to him. She said the
+inside of her basket was rather sticky, and she told Flossy she must
+find some other hiding-place.
+
+At last, that ball was reduced to such a sharp skeleton of its former
+self that fearing they would choke over it, she took it away and gave
+them some fresh candy. But she said: "One day, they had a gumdrop, and
+Friskey could not get it off his teeth, they were buried so deep in it;
+but Flossy licked and clawed till she got it off. That beat all the
+other pranks."
+
+Now, how long would two children have kept that ball of candy? I would
+like to ask. If their teeth had not demolished it the first hour, the
+family hatchet would have been used, and a free fight have followed,
+over the fragments.
+
+Friskey would lie down, and his master would put Flossy in his arms just
+like a child. They were very devoted to each other, though Friskey did
+not like other cats, and was very jealous of Flossy. He seemed to wish
+her to have no friend but himself. As she was a social little creature,
+and a "cat flirt," he had many heart-burnings.
+
+Friskey came to a sad end. He was run over by a fast team and had to be
+chloroformed. Flossy was very unhappy about him. They said she acted
+just like a widow, and, probably, like most widows, got another admirer
+in his place. He was buried down in the garden quite a little distance
+from the house, and Flossy was often seen sitting on his grave.
+
+The family thought it very pathetic, but there were others, people who
+like to destroy our best illusions (whom no one likes or cares for their
+opinions), who suggested an explanation of the interesting fact, by
+saying that a catmint bed was on each side of Friskey's grave, and
+Flossy went there for the catmint.
+
+I do, for my part, hate to be disenchanted when I have indulged in a
+little bit of sentiment. I do not believe any one ever thanks the person
+who turns the poetry of life into prose.
+
+My solution of the story is, that Flossy had often played with Friskey
+in that very catmint bed, and she went there to recall pleasant
+memories. I have a right to my own opinion, and I know I am very
+strange; but then, it would be a very stupid world if there were no
+variety.
+
+I had a singular thought the other day, and it will do no harm to tell
+it, though I do not care one pin whether others agree with me or not. I
+think my mistress is original, and I know I am like her. My idea is
+this: I have heard the stories of Adam and Eve and Noah's Ark--indeed, I
+was brought up on Bible stories.
+
+Now my thought is this: When Adam and Eve left the garden of Eden, there
+were two of their dumb companions whose hearts were sad for their master
+and mistress. They said, "We will not let them go alone." And when Adam
+and Eve left the garden, a dog walked by his master's side, and a cat by
+the side of the mistress--faithful in their misfortune.
+
+
+
+
+XVII
+
+THE STORY OF FREIDA
+
+
+My mistress was not silly about me. She would say: "I am perfectly
+satisfied with Daisy, just as God made him. I do not presume to improve
+what he has made perfect. I do all I can to bring out his good points,
+and leave the rest to nature."
+
+Then she told me the story of "Adonis." His mistress had his ears
+pierced and gold earrings put in them. He wore them at home only.
+
+That cat did suffer for his mistress's vanity, and I could not help
+wishing she had been the victim; for one day a lady called, bringing
+with her a pet dog. She said, "My dog has a lovely disposition, and will
+not touch your cat."
+
+She had not calculated on Adonis having a temper, and the consequences
+were disastrous. Ever since his ears were pierced, Adonis had been
+fretful and snappish. His beautiful earrings were no pleasure to him,
+for he could not give them a pull without making his ears sore.
+
+When he saw this pampered dog in his very home, he arose in his anger,
+and flew at the little pet in great wrath. Of course the dog retaliated,
+though frightened almost out of his skin. The result was, he tore out
+one of Adonis's earrings, making a long slit in his ear, and got repaid
+by having his own eyes almost scratched out.
+
+His mistress was well paid for her cruelty in decorating her cat in this
+foolish manner. From a loving, happy cat he was transformed into a
+cross, quarrelsome creature that no one could love.
+
+Then she cast him off and got a new plaything, this time a dog, all
+covered with bells and ribbons, that she could take around with her.
+
+Poor Adonis was suffered in the house, but left to the servants, and his
+nice quarters given to the dog, while he was left in the kitchen, where
+his high temper made him disliked, and his torn and swollen ears made
+him an object of derision.
+
+My mistress would say: "Never, Daisy, shall you be made miserable by
+such foolishness. People who treat animals in this way are not their
+real friends; they use them selfishly as a decoration for themselves
+when they might make them intelligent companions and sincere friends."
+
+That there are many good people who appreciate animals, the stories that
+I have given you will prove. The story of Freida is an instance, and I
+can vouch for its truth.
+
+Freida was a nice cat, aristocratic and refined in her ideas. She
+inherited her name from a Danish relative of her master, and brought the
+old home days back to memory.
+
+She had a very beautiful home not many miles from Boston. It was a large
+house, and was called "The Mansion." It had a cupola where Freida could
+go up and overlook the high hills and see the gilded dome of the State
+House quite plainly.
+
+Then there was the stable, and a beautiful flowerbed in front of the
+house.
+
+It was rightly called "The Mansion," for it stood alone, surrounded by
+beautiful trees, and looked down with dignity on the smaller houses
+around it.
+
+Freida was a very happy and fortunate cat. She had a kind master, and
+her mistress was very lovely and good. She was a very dear friend of
+Miss Milly, and was born in good old Salem, and, like all the people in
+that bewitching place, she thought a home was not perfect without the
+family cat.
+
+All this would have been very delightful, had not a great change taken
+place in this charming home. But then, there would have been no story;
+for Freida's life would have been just like that of other cats, pleasant
+but uneventful.
+
+The good mistress fell ill and was ordered a change of air, and a voyage
+to Europe.
+
+I know how I felt, for I wanted my mistress to go abroad; and when her
+friend sent her a card decorated with wild flowers and edelweiss from
+Chamonix, I was just crazy to see this beautiful place that she wrote
+about so charmingly.
+
+I was very wicked, I fear, for I got the card off of the table and sat
+upon it. I said to myself, "It is just as nice to sit upon the picture
+flowers as it would be to have the real ones." I thought how nice it
+would be to go with my mistress, for I was sure she would take me with
+her, and then I could run up and down the mountains just as I pleased.
+
+When she took me on her lap, showing me the card, and told me how many
+miles of ocean separated her from her friend, it made me shiver at the
+thought of crossing it. But then, in her arms I would not be afraid to
+go to Jericho. I do hate water; there is too much used on me when I am
+washed, and I wish I could be washed with land instead.
+
+All this is not telling about Freida, whose story I started to tell you.
+
+The beautiful house was closed, and Freida was taken to the home of her
+mistress's brother near Boston. Two of her sisters, who were very fond
+of Freida, were there, making it homelike for her. But for all their
+petting she was homesick. They were obliged to keep her very close, for
+fear she would run away.
+
+She was a great care to them, and one day they missed her, and on going
+to the furnace they saw a strange sight. A fluffy ball was turning over
+and over in the ashes, and on drawing it out they found it was Freida.
+She was almost suffocated, but the master, a charming man, just like his
+sister in kindness of heart, went at once for a doctor. He said they
+must take her where the air could blow over her, and also give her
+brandy.
+
+Her tongue was hanging out of her mouth, and she was a wretched
+creature. They worked over her for hours, and then the sisters brushed
+off the ashes and tended her as kindly as they would a baby. Soon she
+looked as nice as ever, and that cat never tried cremation again.
+
+It proves how good and kind people can be to their dumb friends.
+
+Poor Freida! she was destined to die in a violent manner. She returned
+to her beautiful home only to meet her fate.
+
+The man who carried groceries to the house had a very gentle and kind
+horse. Strange to say, a friendship sprang up between Freida and this
+nice horse. She was always on hand to greet him every day, rubbing
+against his legs and showing her fondness for him in many ways, while he
+would put down his head for her to caress. It was a very funny sight.
+
+One day when the man came out he turned the wagon quickly, and it
+crushed over poor Freida, breaking her back and killing her instantly.
+The man was very much troubled about it, and he said, after that, the
+horse would try not to go up the hill.
+
+She was buried near the place where she was killed, and they all mourned
+for her, and still remember her with affection.
+
+They have a cat now called Frity, a dignified creature, but no cat will
+ever take Freida's place.
+
+My mistress said that when she was visiting there she felt as if
+Freida's spirit was around, and at night she could hear her voice
+mingling with the voices of the pines.
+
+How much sorrow we could save our friends if we could speak! People
+think cats cannot understand and read character, but they can; and they
+know the true from the false very quickly.
+
+We had rooms, at one time, where everything was satisfactory, and the
+landlady said she was very fond of cats; for my mistress would tell the
+people of whom she engaged rooms about me.
+
+This woman was very nice to me before my mistress, but I could not like
+her at all. And my instinct was right, for when I went through her
+kitchen, to go out for my daily airing, she looked "daggers" at me, and
+said, "Scat!"
+
+I was so provoked I walked just as slow as I could and held up my head;
+but she came at me with her dishcloth, and as I did not care to be hit
+by that dirty thing, smelling of fish, I swallowed my pride and ran
+away. She slammed the back door after me, and called me a "pampered
+brute."
+
+I dared not show my head again for a long time. I was cold and hungry,
+but I had faith. I knew I should be looked for; and, sure enough, both
+of them came to hunt for me, the woman of the house with them, all
+smiles. She said: "Poor Pussy! Did it want to come in?"
+
+I just glared at her. I wanted to say, "_It_ did not want you to let
+_it_ in." I thought the treatment bad enough; but to be called _it_
+broke the back of my belief in her.
+
+I kept out of her way; but one morning she saw me coming in from the
+kitchen, and drove me upstairs with her duster. My mistress saw her, and
+was very indignant, though she did not say anything, but she never let
+me go down alone after that.
+
+This woman had a little step-son. She kept him in from play with his
+friends on Saturday afternoons, to get his Sunday-school lessons, and he
+just hated her and the lessons, as a matter of course.
+
+I used to play and chase my tail as if I did not know what it was, to
+divert his attention, for I did pity him. He was pleased, but it made
+him forget the long, tiresome answers. So I gave up trying to amuse him,
+for I did not want him to be punished. And when, after all my sympathy,
+he pulled and pinched my tail, I said, "He is a chip from the old
+block," and left him to his deceitful step-mother.
+
+I felt very glad that, with all their sorrows and wrongs, cats never
+have step-fathers or mothers. It is better never to have known your own
+father than to have one who is always bringing you a new mother. And I
+guess, after all, there is just as much morality among cats as there is
+among human beings.
+
+Sometimes there were days when I could not contain myself. I wanted to
+run and fight, and send forth my voice just as other cats were allowed
+to. The Bohemian blood my poor mother suffered from was answerable for
+this state of feeling.
+
+At this time we lived in a flat on the fifth story of a very high
+building. It was a very small place, but we were passing through sad
+reverses just then, though I could not understand, else I would never
+have added to their trials.
+
+Miss Milly would go away every day, and when she returned at night,
+looked so white and tired, it made me very anxious. Though she petted
+me, and called me her greatest comfort, she did not play with me, and
+her brightness was gone.
+
+After she had gone in the morning, Miss Eleanor and I would go about and
+attend to our little work, and then, when she would sit down to mend the
+boys' clothes, she would take me in her lap and talk to me about their
+troubles.
+
+The boys had both found places, and were working very hard and away all
+day.
+
+We were lonesome. The kitchen had a large window, and outside there was
+a long wooden box made on it, and here the janitor brought fresh earth
+every few days, for it was my garden park and hunting ground. It was my
+only outing, for I never went down over the stairs. When I went out
+there, I was so near the sky that the earth seemed very far away. I did
+long for a run over the green grass.
+
+Miss Eleanor, when it was pleasant, would take me up through a boxed-up
+stairway to the top of the house, where I could run a long time. It was
+very large, for the building covered a great space, and was gravelled
+over like the street. A very high wall surrounded it, so there was no
+chance to run away.
+
+One night I could not sleep. I was possessed to go out. The window of
+our bedroom was open, and I got out into the gutter and walked along. It
+ran around the building and was very narrow, and I half drew back. Then
+I said, "Courage!" and went on till I reached the corner where the
+pointed tower cut me off. Then I realized my situation. I could not turn
+around in this narrow space, and I closed my eyes in horror. I dared not
+look below, the distance was so great. Above, the beautiful stars seemed
+to look down on me and my wickedness.
+
+How sorry I was! No one could see me, a little gray speck, way up so
+high. I remained there till the morning light gave me a little courage.
+I tried to think of good things, and I remembered about the little
+sparrows that God cared for, and I trusted he would not let me "fall to
+the ground" for my dear mistress's sake.
+
+She had suffered so much I did not want her to have the pain of losing
+me. So I just shut my eyes and turned very slowly and painfully, with
+many slips and strains; but my face at last was turned homeward. Then I
+cowered down with real vertigo. I could not take one step; but soon I
+braced up and crawled along till I reached the bedroom window, where I
+was safe.
+
+The delight of my friends may be imagined. They had hunted everywhere
+for me, and Miss Milly had had almost a nervous fit, for she said: "He
+has fallen down and has been dashed to pieces by this time." They did
+not go to bed, and were waiting for the morning light to search the
+building.
+
+Of course I was very much ashamed, though it proved how much they loved
+me. I promised myself I would never try them again; and I was frightened
+when I realized what a narrow escape I had had.
+
+Then I enjoyed my good breakfast, washed myself thoroughly, and getting
+into my nice basket, slept all day.
+
+But there are moments now when the horror of my situation overpowers me,
+and I always hear with pity about the men who mount the high buildings
+and church steeples. And I never, though I am a patriotic cat, desire to
+go to the top of Bunker Hill Monument. The picture of it satisfies me.
+It makes my head spin, and I have vertigo of the mind; just to think of
+it makes me lose my head. For a cat to lose his head is a serious
+matter. We might spare a piece of tail, but we need every bit of the
+head.
+
+That reminds me of a cat of Miss Eleanor that really lost half of its
+tail. Her name was "Persimmon."
+
+The family all laughed at Miss Eleanor for her romantic idea, and very
+soon the name degenerated into "Sim"--a much more appropriate one for
+the wild and homely creature who answered to it. She was one of Miss
+Eleanor's many pensioners. Somehow the mean-looking and abused always
+were those she selected for pets.
+
+After they had in vain tried to find a home for Sim, she at last settled
+down as one of the family, to the disgust of their old and well-bred
+cat.
+
+Sim had no manners, and was not in the least degree sensitive. She was a
+dirty white, with pale greenish eyes; and a dark shadow under them gave
+her a weird aspect. Miss Milly said the dark shadow was "ashes," but
+Miss Eleanor said it was the "shadow of deep thought." More people,
+however, believed in the ashes than in the thought.
+
+She would crowd herself in where there was no room for her; and after
+the loss of her tail, she was more determined to assert her position
+than before.
+
+It happened in this wise: Sim had a very high temper, and in a quarrel
+with a bigger cat than herself she was vanquished. In trying to run away
+she climbed the fence. The cat following could only reach her tail. It
+was a long one, and she struck her claws into it with such force that
+she nearly tore it off. Sim went about, for a few days, a sorry object,
+till it fell off. The remains of it only measured about two inches.
+
+She exhibited herself on the front doorstep whenever any one called, in
+an unblushing manner. A friend of my mistresses, a professor of music,
+asked what kind of animal she was, saying he had never met just her
+like.
+
+At last she made herself so disagreeable that the mother said they must
+dispose of her. They felt badly, but their mother's decision they never
+questioned.
+
+Sim was put into a bag and given to two boys of kind and reliable
+natures, who promised to care for her very kindly. She was taken to the
+Juniper, and drowned. The boys said they would take a boat out into deep
+water and drop her in. The society with the long name had not then been
+organized, and dear good Dr. Angell had not entered upon his life-long
+work of protecting animals, so this method of getting rid of them was
+thought the most humane.
+
+The children had been sent to Beverly, to their elder sister's, to spend
+the day, and their mother hoped by her cheerfulness to make them forget
+the cat.
+
+About five o'clock they returned home, and on going into the sitting
+room who should they see but Sim, or Bobtail, as she was called, sitting
+by the fire, washing her face.
+
+Their mother laughed at their surprise. She said the cat was taken away
+at ten o'clock, and at four she saw a shadow on the window and heard a
+loud mew, and on her opening the door, Sim walked in. She fed her, and
+since then she had spent the time washing herself--a thing she never was
+willing to do.
+
+It was too late, however, for her to reform. The mother had decided on
+her fate, and she was doomed.
+
+"I shall see the next time that it is a sure thing," their mother said;
+"as to her return, we must investigate that matter."
+
+Later on, the boys came in. They were not told of Sim's return. They
+were not exactly untruthful about it, but evaded the true story. They
+said, when asked how far out they had taken her, that they could not get
+a boat, and had got rid of her on the rocks.
+
+"Are you sure she is dead?" asked the girls.
+
+"Dead? I guess so! Dead enough!" they both answered.
+
+"Then here is an instance of one returned from the dead," said Miss
+Eleanor, bringing in Sim, who yelled and scratched as soon as she saw
+her would-be executioners.
+
+Their faces were a study. "Is it Sim?" they asked in such real
+astonishment that no one could doubt them.
+
+"Now, boys," the mother said, "you have deceived us; but we will listen
+to your story if you will tell the truth."
+
+With shamefacedness they said they did not mean to be deceitful; they
+really believed she was dead. They took her down to Juniper, and while
+they were trying to find a boat she had burst open the bag and run off
+over the rocks. They followed her, and she disappeared under a rock into
+the water. They heard a splash, and waited some time to make sure that
+she was gone. It must have been a stone that fell in, while Sim escaped.
+They were very honest in telling their story, and they were forgiven and
+received their money, though the mother decided to attend to the
+business in her own way.
+
+When, some days after, Sim was missing, no one asked any questions,
+believing that everything had been done for the best.
+
+But how that cat found her way home is a question no one could ever
+answer. The boys carried her down in a wagon. The Juniper (now called
+the "Willows"--a famous Salem resort) was about a mile from the home she
+was taken from. It is a rather crooked road for one to remember. She
+probably hid herself and followed the boys at a distance. My opinion is
+that Sim just used her wits, and thought it out as we all do, and
+followed the trail of the wagon.
+
+It is really a cat tail we are all sure of.
+
+The family said that they never could go down to that pleasant resort,
+in after years, without thinking that Sim was hovering around in spirit.
+Had she been black, a witch cat, they would have felt sure of it.
+
+
+
+
+XVIII
+
+THANKSGIVING
+
+
+I suppose I am growing old and forgetful, for memory brings things to me
+upside down, as I have heard old people say. All I can do about it is to
+tell the little incidents relating to the past as they come back to me.
+
+For the last few days Thanksgiving has been in my mind more or less all
+the time, and I think you will be interested if I tell you about one
+that I enjoyed very much.
+
+My mistress took me in her arms one day, saying, "Daisy, you are going
+to have a real Thanksgiving."
+
+I opened my eyes wide (I know that I have very handsome eyes, and love
+to show them off, just as boys and girls do); for I did not know what a
+thanksgiving meant.
+
+"Yes," she said, "I have just received a note from our friend, Miss W.
+You know her." (I winked in answer, for I did admire her.) "Every year
+she sends us a turkey, with a basket of goodies all cooked, ready to
+eat. This note tells me that she will send the basket Thursday morning.
+Now you do not understand what 'Thanksgiving' means, and I will explain
+it to you."
+
+I settled myself comfortably on her lap; she always put on a clean white
+apron to keep the hairs from my coat off of her dress. I resented this,
+for I could not see, for the life of me, why cats' hair was not quite as
+good as camels' hair that her dress was made of. And I just crawled
+under her apron one day when she was reading, and I liked the feeling of
+the soft wool better than I did the cambric apron, it was so woolly and
+warm.
+
+I had just snoozed off, dreaming that I was asleep between the camel's
+humps she had told me of, when all at once she dropped her book, saying,
+"Oh, Daisy, just look at my dress!" And sure enough, it was covered all
+over with gray hair, for I was shedding my fur fast.
+
+I was really ashamed of myself, and said: "I am just like Dr. Jekyl and
+Mr. Hyde. So I will just go under the bed, the best place for a 'Hyde,'
+and repent of my wickedness. I do not know why I do these things, but my
+mistress loves me all the same."
+
+So this afternoon I sat on her nice apron, listening to her story of
+Thanksgiving like a well-behaved cat.
+
+This is what she told me: That on the last Thursday of November it
+usually occurred. The Governor of the State made a proclamation, which
+was read in all the churches and published in the papers. The day was
+set apart for giving thanks for all the blessings God had bestowed on us
+during the year.
+
+Of course I had to listen to all this, but I was awful anxious for her
+to get to that basket. But for once she was very tiresome, and now I am
+glad she was, for I have an idea of Thanksgiving I shall never forget.
+
+Once, she said, people invited all their family, no matter how many or
+how poor they were, to dine. They always attended church, and then
+returned to a bountiful dinner of turkey, chickens, plum puddings of
+mammoth size, and pies of every variety. All the poor of the family
+would eat all they could for the present, and then fill in for the
+future.
+
+The children, who never get too much, had nuts and candy in plenty, and
+the day was altogether lovely to them all, more particularly to those
+who gave than to those who received.
+
+Now, she said, things were changed. No one invited or thought of the
+poor of the family, and no one went to church but the poor relations who
+had nowhere else to go.
+
+Perhaps the minister preached from the text, "In my Father's house are
+many mansions;" that is, if he had an idea of the fitness of
+things,--that it would give the poor homeless ones a sure hope of the
+future, where perhaps those who have such nice homes here would not be
+as well off as the poor would be; and this Christian thought would help
+them bear their slights with patience.
+
+Meanwhile the rich do not go to church. They give dinner parties to
+those who have money and a higher rank in society; and if one thought is
+given to their own flesh and blood who are poor, they wish that all the
+old grandfathers and grandmothers, uncles and aunts and cousins were old
+turkeys and chickens; then their necks would be wrung, and they would be
+rid of them forever, and would never be called upon to remember kindness
+rendered to them in the past by these same old relatives.
+
+The sons of the family celebrate the day by a grand carousal, which
+leaves its mark on them for many days.
+
+"But," she said, "we have no such days to remember, we are very quiet
+and sad, but very thankful for all our blessings; and you are one of the
+greatest. I have told you all this because I know you understand it, and
+I love to talk to you." (Oh my! how my heart did swell with pride when
+she said that.) "I want you to have a lovely time this year--a real
+Thanksgiving."
+
+Of course I was all ready for it. I did not sleep much that night, and
+was early at the window to see the arrival of that basket. Long before
+it arrived I had thought long and seriously of all my mistress had told
+me.
+
+I was perfectly wild when that basket came and they unfolded the turkey.
+I could have hugged him at once, he did smell so good, but I never moved
+from the hassock where my mistress placed me.
+
+I never saw such a lot of nice dishes and beautiful things on them. Even
+the dessert had not been forgotten. There was such a big bunch of
+celery. I thought it was a tree, and that I could run up in it.
+
+At last, after the inward cravings after that fowl had torn me almost to
+pieces, and my desire to be polite and good had been almost upset by the
+inclination to rush in and devour right and left, they carved up the
+turkey, and I had so many tidbits I did not know which to eat first, the
+head or the tail, for I had both of them.
+
+I did do justice to that dinner, and, like a child, as I did not know
+when to leave off, they had to take it from me. I then laid down and
+slept so sound that I had the nightmare. I thought I was beset by poor
+relations: that an aunt was sitting on my head, an uncle on my tail, and
+cousins on my stomach, and they pressed me so hard that I yelled out
+loudly.
+
+Miss Eleanor came to me, saying, "What is the matter?" Of course I could
+not tell her, but I did not want to have such visitors again. I would
+rather give them my dinner.
+
+We had a very light supper, and my mistress promised me the sequel to my
+Thanksgiving the next day. Indeed, the sequel beat the beginning, and I
+thought how nice it would be always to live on sequels.
+
+They took a big platter, and stood it on a newspaper on the floor. In it
+was the carcass of the turkey and all the giblets. Miss Milly said I
+should, for once, have a real low-minded junket.
+
+And I did. It was like a bone-yard, with the remains all around me. I
+felt so generous that I would willingly have said "come" to all the poor
+relations in the world. They would be welcome to all the bones I had
+picked and all of the quack. It was lovely, but I was greased from head
+to foot. When tired, I seated myself on the bones, in the midst of the
+carcass, and my fur was glued together in places.
+
+The work of cleaning me was something fearful. I was as patient as I
+could be, though I could not help jerking away a few times. Miss Milly
+said, "You do not look like my lovely Daisy," and it was many days
+before I looked like myself again.
+
+That evening my mistress let me look at the photograph of our nice young
+friend. I thought it lovely and a very good likeness. I gave a little
+purr at it, but I suppose a gobble or a crow would have been more
+appropriate.
+
+She is a very dear friend to my mistress, and I am very fond of her.
+When she comes in, I always keep awake to hear her talk. She is very
+fascinating. I do not think she cares very much for cats. I suppose it
+is because she does not know much about them. One thing I do know: she
+would be kind to them, for when I am left alone with her, she smiles at
+me and says, "Daisy, you are a nice cat," just the same as if my
+mistress were here.
+
+Some people make so much of me before my mistress, but behind her back
+say, "Scat, you old cat!" There is no need for them to speak. I know
+them, and would not go near them on any account. Then I do wish I could
+speak and warn my mistress of their falseness.
+
+One of these people called one day and brought her great boy with her.
+He could hardly keep his hands off of me. When my mistress took his
+mother into the next room, to show her some work, he lingered behind,
+thinking, "Now is my opportunity."
+
+He pulled my ear and yelled "Sassage meat" in it. Whatever he meant by
+his "sassage meat" I did not know, but I saw my opportunity and gave him
+a good dig with my claws and made his cheek bleed. He bellowed well,
+like a real calf, and his mother looked daggers at me, for I boldly
+stood my ground. I would not go to my retreat under the bed, for I was
+not to blame.
+
+Miss Milly was very sorry, and helped his mother wash his cheek and got
+court-plaster for her. After he had been coaxed and comforted, he poured
+forth his wrongs, saying that he was sitting quietly, when I rushed upon
+him and without the least provocation clawed his face.
+
+Miss Eleanor came forward then, saying, "You are mistaken. I was in the
+alcove, and saw you pull Daisy's ear and yell 'sassage meat' in it, and
+he scratched you in self-defence." The mother was very indignant. She
+said, "I have always told Harold never to touch such spiteful creatures
+as cats." No one answered her, and she soon left with her pretty boy,
+and she never came again.
+
+Miss Eleanor said she thought, as Harold was to be a lawyer,--so his
+mother had told her,--he would never let truth stand in his way in
+gaining a case.
+
+My ear did burn from the sharp nails he had pinched it with, and I was
+not sorry that I defended myself, and I made up my mind that when
+children came to the house, particularly if they were with their
+parents, I would keep out of their way.
+
+Miss Milly came to the same conclusion. She said: "Daisy shall not be
+subjected to a trial of this kind again; it spoils his temper and makes
+him rude, and then he is unhappy about it."
+
+And I was. I had reason to remember it, for my ear was swollen, and they
+were obliged to put salve on it to make it heal.
+
+Some time after this we went into the country for a short time. While
+there I made the acquaintance of a very intelligent cat. His name was
+Pedro. He was very hard to get acquainted with at first, and I was just
+wild to know him, for he was very handsome and dignified.
+
+I thought of every reason why he was so cool to me. At last I said to
+myself: "It is my collar and padlock. He thinks I am proud." So I worked
+and worked till I got the padlock up on my back, and then I licked down
+my fur to cover my collar. Then I walked out, and after a few turns in
+the garden I saw Pedro on the grounds. He belonged to a very wealthy
+man, and the house and grounds were quite lovely.
+
+I walked to meet him very humbly. When I said, "Good morning, Pedro," he
+looked me all over, and instead of answering me, he said with a scoff,
+"Oh, you are in disgrace, are you?"
+
+"No indeed," I answered; "what makes you think so?"
+
+"Because you are not in full dress, and I miss that trinket you are so
+proud of."
+
+This did provoke me, and I said, "The 'trinket,' as you call my nice
+padlock, is on my back. I supposed it was that that made you so against
+me. All the cats are envious and jealous of that."
+
+"Envious! jealous!" he hissed. "I guess I am not a mean fellow enough to
+be jealous of a trumpery bit of finery on a stuck-up cat."
+
+I had to swallow to keep down my temper. As I did want his friendship, I
+passed over his insolence in silence.
+
+As I turned to go home I said: "I cannot understand why you dislike me;
+I have been anxious to be friends with you, and have wondered if my
+collar and padlock had made you think I put on airs. I tried to hide
+this gift of my dear mistress, though it seemed treachery to her,
+thinking perhaps you would then be pleased with me. Now, of course, I
+shall never try for your friendship again."
+
+He had been silent, but he moved about uneasily. Then he winked very
+fast, and at last said: "Is that really so? Did you want to be friends
+with me? Why, I thought of all the blue-bloodedest, old-familiest,
+aristocratical creeters, you were the biggest. I thought you were a cat
+duke or a count, and them's the creeters I despise, for I am a real
+democrat."
+
+"So am I," I joyfully said, too much delighted to notice Pedro's bad
+grammar. "There is my paw on it, and I do hope we shall be good friends.
+We ought to be _fast_ friends. As for the dukes and counts, I spell them
+without capitals. That is how I value them. The only likeness they have
+to us is that we have whiskers, with this difference: the barber makes
+theirs, while God made ours."
+
+We laughed and had a jolly time over the dukes and the counts; the rest
+of the rabble we did not give even a small-lettered title to.
+
+After this we met every day, and our friendship increased till Pedro
+confided his history to me. If ever a cat had cause to mistrust the
+whole world, he had, and my heart ached with pity.
+
+It was one very pleasant morning when we had met and walked down and
+seated ourselves on a nice grassy mound at the end of the garden, that
+Pedro said, "If you would like to hear my story, I will tell it to you
+this morning."
+
+Of course I expressed my pleasure, and, making myself comfortable, I
+prepared to give my best interest to the story.
+
+"My mother was born in New York. While quite a small kitten she was
+given a nice home with people who believe that no home is complete
+without the family cat. She was a very large cat, striped like a tiger,
+with a beautiful long tail. She was amiable and affectionate.
+
+"The people were very kind to her, and she was quite happy. They were
+not very wealthy, but they had great expectations. An old uncle, a very
+Croesus, owned the estate they lived on, and a magnificent one
+adjoining, where he lived with a widowed sister. He was a childless
+widower, and made no secret of his intentions in regard to them.
+
+"Of course they were not sure of his millions. He had given them a life
+interest, but should the children offend him, he would wash his hands of
+them at once. He was a rough, irascible, outspoken old man, despising
+shams, and a falsehood he would never forgive. He was a tender-hearted
+friend to animals, but his special favorites were cats.
+
+"He was very fond of my mother, and she returned his affection. Tige, as
+she was called from her beautiful stripes, would run to meet him when he
+came to the house, walking very proudly by his side. He always noticed
+her kittens, always taking one for his own, while he would see that the
+rest were disposed of in a humane manner.
+
+"When I was born, he made me his favorite. There were three besides
+myself, and we were called a very handsome family. My little brothers
+and sister were to be kept. Some friends of the family, who were cat
+lovers, were to have them, while I was to be the pet of my mother's old
+friend.
+
+"My mother enjoyed us, for she was allowed to nurse us all till we were
+old enough to be weaned. Three of them were striped like my mother. I
+alone was Maltese. Probably I favored my father; never having seen him,
+I cannot tell.
+
+"It was the first of July, and two of the boys belonging to the house
+were at home on a vacation. They were not bad boys, but were full of
+life. Boys will be boys, you know. They had been kind to my mother,
+though rather rough, and she kept her kittens out of their reach.
+
+"We all found them changed for the worse, and I was sorry they had a
+long vacation. They were never still. They drove the pony in a reckless
+manner, and gave the poor dogs no rest.
+
+"Tige, my mother, had always been a favorite; now, though they seemed
+fond of her, they were teaching her tricks all the time, making her jump
+over strings and hoops when she was sleepy and did not want to be
+troubled. And then they would take up the kittens by the tails, to hear
+them squeal, saying, when their mother remonstrated, that it did not
+hurt them.
+
+"But I can tell you it _did_ hurt. Imagine being taken up by the feet,
+the blood rushing to the head, and then put down with a jerk, while
+everything would look dark around, as the blood, in flowing back, seemed
+to settle around the eyes. It was fearful suffering, and we did squeal
+well. They were never caught by the uncle in such pranks, you may be
+sure; they were too sly.
+
+"My mother dreaded them and would hide us the best she could under her
+fur. She had no peace, for her anxiety made her afraid to leave us alone
+long enough to get her dinner. I know it all now, but then we were so
+young we did not care for anything except to cuddle up together and see
+which one could get the most milk out of our mother.
+
+"The boys were to have two cousins to spend the Fourth of July with
+them. We could hear, from our nice basket home, all about the great
+preparations the boys were making to celebrate the day. All the young
+people living in the homes near were invited, and the uncle had spent no
+end of money in fireworks and Chinese lanterns and all the things boys
+love.
+
+"He said, 'This is the one day of the year when children should be made
+happy, and they will be more likely to remember its meaning.'
+
+"The two cousins who came were disagreeable-looking boys. All the
+animals on the place, from the horses and dogs down to my mother,
+instinctively distrusted them, for animals find out their enemies very
+quickly. They soon found they would have no peace while these boys were
+here, for the visitors were not afraid of the uncle.
+
+"I cannot tell you the horror of the night before the Fourth of July.
+The boys were out till very late, and by five o'clock were again on
+their feet. The yelling, blowing of horns, and firing of crackers made
+us almost crazy. My mother would jump at every fresh noise, for, like
+all cats, she was of a very nervous temperament. I now believe she had a
+presentiment of coming events.
+
+"We could not get one square meal. Just as we would get our lips on her
+breast, ready for a good mouthful, she would jump and jerk away from us;
+and as we had no teeth, we could not hold on; besides, the worry and
+fright prevented the milk from coming. My poor mother, how she suffered
+that night!"
+
+Pedro paused, overcome by his feelings, while I ventured a word of
+sympathy.
+
+"We had been removed from the house into one of the outbuildings, quite
+a good distance from where the fireworks were to be, close to the
+stable; and we enjoyed seeing the horses and pony come out to the great
+trough to drink. It was exactly opposite where we were, and was very
+cool, the drop by drop sounding very soothing, though we did not exactly
+like the water. Our removal had been the work of our kind friend, the
+uncle. He knew, however delightful the noise was to young America, that
+we did not enjoy it at all.
+
+"All day they were around the grounds with their crackers and pistols,
+and the din and smell of powder made all the animals in the stable
+wretched; but my poor mother suffered more than all the others, with
+four refractory kittens to care for.
+
+"The family had a great supper, and then, about eight o'clock, the
+fireworks began. They were a great success, and when nothing was left
+but crackers, the elder people went into the house, where the windows
+opening on the veranda gave them a fine view of the grounds.
+
+"The old uncle had entered with boyish delight into all the fun, and was
+supposed by the boys to be in the house resting. There was a ripple of
+excitement as some of the boys left the fireworks to the younger ones,
+and stole away, as they thought, unnoticed.
+
+"One of the cousins, a great big fellow of sixteen or seventeen, came,
+and taking the basket containing my mother and her four little kittens,
+carried it out of the shed, and put it on a rock by the side of the
+pump. Next, he took some straw and stuffed it in all around the sides of
+the basket. From behind a hedge one of the boys got a can and handed it
+to him, and from it he poured kerosene over the straw and all over the
+sides of the basket.
+
+"I saw all this with wonder. When he took up the basket, I was hanging
+over the side, and fell out just before he put it down. He had not
+missed me, and my mother was probably so frightened and choked by the
+smell of the kerosene that she could not think. I was quite pleased with
+my liberty, though I did not know how much it would influence my fate.
+
+"Before my mother could start up and try to remove her kittens a tramp
+of feet made her aware that her tormentors were approaching. She could
+have jumped and saved herself, but, like a true mother, she cowered down
+over her kittens.
+
+"The boys were all in high glee, while the big fellow yelled out, 'Here
+we are, and we will show you a piece not on the bill.'
+
+"Quick as thought he applied a match to the basket in front, while
+another great fellow held a burning paper to the straw at the back of
+the basket, and all fell back as a loud report was heard, and a volume
+of flames sprang up around the basket."
+
+Poor Pedro paused, overcome for a moment, while I almost gasped for
+breath, soon he continued in a trembling voice:--
+
+"One shrill scream from my mother, and the last sight I had of her was
+in the midst of the flames, her fur all ablaze, her eyes starting from
+her head, and magnified to three times her size, while three little
+flames around her repeated the dreadful picture in her three kittens.
+
+"A fearful oath rent the air, and powerful hands cleared a passage and
+seized the basket and plunged it into the trough that chanced to be
+filled to the brim with water, and held it there till the flames died
+out, and the last sobbing breath was still forever.
+
+"The flames had enveloped his arms, his sleeves were burned to flinders,
+and his hands were a fearful sight. But to me his face looked like the
+face of an angel, and I crawled up on his boot, with one little mew. He
+heard it, and in spite of his maimed hands took me up and dropped me
+into the pocket of his loose coat, where I knew nothing more, for my
+little brain was dazed at the fearful sight I had been witness to.
+
+"He was a profane man, and they said the air was blue with the language
+he used. Doctor L., his great friend and physician, chanced to be near.
+He said, 'My dear friend, you must not get so excited; you will have
+apoplexy. You will never be able to use your hands again if they are not
+attended to at once.'
+
+"In his anxiety to end my mother's sufferings, he had held the basket
+down with both hands, never thinking of his burned hands or the pain.
+
+"'No matter,' he answered, as he glared around on all the people
+assembled; 'I do not need to write, to demolish all your hopes.' And he
+looked at the boys with hatred. 'I have but to serve a few papers as you
+have these poor creatures, and the money you have looked upon as your
+own goes to charity.--'Not one cent,' he said, while the veins in his
+forehead swelled up like cords, with the anguish he was suffering,
+'shall ever go to one of you, for you were all in the secret, though all
+may not yet have reached the fearful state of cruelty of your
+ringleader. Call John,' he said, and when his faithful servant came, he
+gave him his orders, then said, 'Now, Doctor, get your things ready; you
+can torture me as soon as John returns.'
+
+"An easy-chair, table, and the lotions and bandages ordered by Doctor L.
+were brought out, as the patient refused to move from the spot till his
+work was completed.
+
+"Soon John appeared with a small iron box in his arms, taken from the
+safe. His master's eyes brightened when he saw him, for he was suffering
+great pain.
+
+"'Now, John, take my keys from my pocket and open that box. Jane,' he
+said, addressing his sister, who stood by his side, anxiety for him
+expressed in her face, 'take from that box the package marked "My last
+will and testament." Now, John, clear a space, then burn every inch of
+that paper in the presence of these murderers and their abettors; for it
+is a cruel murder, and Tige shall be avenged.'
+
+"It was done, and no one dared interfere, though some of them knew they
+were seeing the hopes of years fade away and perish in that heap of
+ashes.
+
+"'Now,' he said to the doctor, 'dress my burns. I am satisfied.' Just
+then I mewed, and he exclaimed, 'Poor little orphan! Take him out of my
+pocket, Jane; he shall have such tender care that this dreadful scene
+may be forgotten.'
+
+"The sister took me out of his pocket very tenderly, and I clung to her,
+while she stood by her brother and tried to help him bear the suffering
+caused by the dressing of his wounds. The pain was fearful, but he said
+it was a pleasure to bear it, knowing that he had spared poor Tige and
+her kittens by ending their suffering at once.
+
+"When the basket was taken out, my poor mother was found, her fur singed
+off, while one side of her was completely roasted. My little brothers
+and sister were just singed, for their mother had tried to cover them
+with her body. The water had ended their lives at once. I did not see
+them, but I heard the people describe the horrible sight.
+
+"By his master's orders John carried them home and buried them, after
+putting them in a nice box on the grounds. I will show you their grave
+some day before you leave.
+
+"The uncle never forgave them. He allowed his nephew and his wife the
+use of the house and an annuity for life; but not one cent of his money
+could be used for the children.
+
+"Their own means being small, they were obliged to give up the thought
+of a profession for their sons and put them into business. The uncle
+said very justly that no one ought to be a doctor who had no love in his
+heart for the dumb creatures so dependent on him for their welfare.
+
+"He lived but two years after this, and he made me his special care.
+Nothing was too good for me, and I loved him with all my heart, and I
+know I was a great comfort to him. When I would lick the scars on his
+hands, I have seen the tears in his eyes, and he would smooth my fur,
+and say, 'Poor Tige! poor Tige!'
+
+"He never quite recovered the use of his left hand, but he never
+complained; and when I was big enough I would walk out with him every
+day, for I distrusted every one, and made very few friends. He named me
+Pedro for a friend of his, a Spanish gentleman from whom he inherited
+some of his wealth.
+
+"At his death he gave me to his sister, and left a large sum to be used
+for my benefit. He had given her a fine property and the estate where we
+now live. After her death it is to be used for charity and a home for
+animals.
+
+"She has been very kind to me. The friends whom she has taken to live
+here and keep the home for her are very nice, and they understand just
+how I am situated. They are fond of animals, and make a great deal of
+me; but I can never care for people again. My mistress is not very
+strong, probably will not live much longer, and I hope when she dies I
+shall soon follow her. The horrible scene of my mother's death has taken
+all the pleasure of life from me. Do you wonder I do not make new
+friends or trust people?"
+
+I assured him of my sympathy, saying that I hoped there were no such
+wicked people about now.
+
+"Don't think that," he said; "there are hundreds of just such wicked,
+cruel acts committed all the time. Something should be done to stop the
+work now, and save the children from being murderers and criminals."
+
+I was very unhappy over Pedro's story. I did wish my mistress could hear
+this sad tale, for I know that she would try to help the poor abused
+creatures.
+
+I had quite an ill turn from worry of mind over this sad story, and from
+the internal injury that I received from the encounter with that
+bulldog.
+
+My mistress was quite anxious about me. She gave me catmint tea and made
+me a lovely little blanket, and this with a thick shawl folded under it
+was placed on the lounge for my bed. I was very comfortable, and I hope
+a grateful cat, when I contrasted my lot with others. I did not feel
+(even to the dog that attacked me) any bitterness, for had he been
+taught better by his master, he would not have treated me like an enemy.
+
+How can we expect a life-long prejudice, such as dogs and cats have for
+each other, to be uprooted, unless they are taught better by their
+owners and by the good examples that ought to be set before them? How
+can human beings boast of being better than animals?
+
+Think of the heathen cannibals, eating human flesh. To them the fat
+little baby is just like a chicken. Then the Indians--did a cat ever
+worry a rat worse than they tortured the white men? When you think of
+this, can you conscientiously say we are worse, or even as bad as human
+beings?
+
+There is money, and eloquence, and sympathy for the heathen; but the
+poor animals are left to learn without teachers what ought to be taught
+them, to make them the faithful servants and intelligent companions of
+man.
+
+I trust the day will come when these humble friends will be as much
+thought of in the family as the children; there is no doubt they will
+fully repay all kindness done them.
+
+
+
+
+XIX
+
+MEWS AND PURRS
+
+
+In my humble opinion no one ever told stories to equal those of my
+friends. Miss Eleanor could tell the cutest little fox and pig stories,
+while Miss Milly excelled on cat stories.
+
+During my sickness they entertained me finely. Miss Eleanor used to tell
+a story of the "Pig Family," and the boys were wild over it. No matter
+how many new ones were told, they never were satisfied to go to sleep
+without hearing the well-worn pig story.
+
+One night when Miss Eleanor was away, Miss Milly put the children to
+bed, and of course told them stories. They were not satisfied without
+the pig story. She was in a hurry, and preferred to tell stories out of
+her own head, saying she did not know the Pig Family; that was Aunt
+Eleanor's story.
+
+At last, as they would not go to sleep without it, she told it to them
+as she remembered it. When it was finished, she looked at Willie, and
+saw that his lip was quivering and his eyes were full of tears.
+
+"What is the matter?" she said.
+
+"You haven't told about the little blue pig," he sobbed.
+
+"Oh, nonsense!" she said; "he is dead probably."
+
+This finished him. He cried as if his heart would break. She said she
+never killed a pig before, and had such a hard time bringing that blue
+one to life, she never would kill another.
+
+Now I am just like the children. I love to hear the same stories over
+and over, and feel really acquainted with the little creatures that they
+tell about. And I take after my mistress. I build "castles in the air,"
+though I have heard her say she always got an axe ready to demolish
+them, for she knew they would have to go. I wish I did know what an axe
+is. I would have one too.
+
+One day there was a real big snowstorm. I looked out of the window, and
+when I saw the big white snowflakes coming down, I did wonder about
+them. Miss Eleanor read one day of a little girl who, on seeing the
+snowflakes, asked her mother if the angels were shaking their feather
+beds.
+
+What a little silly she was, for I know better than that. I do not
+believe even an angel would throw away feathers. They are so nice, I do
+love to sleep on them. But then cats know more; only they keep it to
+themselves.
+
+We had a good fire in the grate, and it crackled and spluttered, and
+looked, as Miss Eleanor said, very homelike. Just then a young lady
+called at the door to return a book my mistress had loaned her. They
+asked her to come in and have tea with them.
+
+She had a room in the upper story, and they had frequently invited her
+in to warm her, for she had no fire, and they feared she was not very
+well off, and they tried to befriend her without hurting her pride.
+
+She was very pretty and well educated, and I liked her very much. She
+petted me and told me stories of cats she had known in her home before
+her father and mother had died, for she was an orphan.
+
+She was very sad, and Miss Milly took out all her pictures and treasures
+to amuse her. At last she said: "I will tell you about the first cat I
+ever remember. He belonged to my father, and his name was Tom."
+
+I pricked up my ears, for I was wild to hear the story of Tom. All the
+little anecdotes I had heard of him pleased me very much.
+
+I think my mistress's father and mother were lovely people, and when any
+one comes in and speaks of having known them, I listen with all my
+heart. And now I was to hear all about Tom. So I got up on Miss Milly's
+lap, ready to devour every word.
+
+My mistress said she did not know where Tom was born. He first made his
+debut in one of the good old-fashioned houses now standing in Salem, of
+witchcraft fame. She said:--
+
+"My father petted him with his children, and he was the ruling spirit of
+the house. Though not a handsome cat, he could be very fascinating. He
+was so coy of his marks of favor that one valued them more for their
+rarity. That he had blue blood in his veins no one could doubt, from the
+supreme contempt he evinced toward poor alley cats. He always perched
+himself on the highest place on the fence and looked down upon them.
+They looked up to him in the most abject manner, for they knew he was
+generous and had the right to give the contents of the swill house to
+them, if he pleased."
+
+He was very fond of Miss Milly, and as she was the youngest, and not
+very strong, he made it his special duty to amuse her.
+
+After having stolen a squab that had been cooked for her, and persuaded
+her to pretend she had eaten it, he ever after was a devoted friend to
+her. When they had company, Tom was a study. He inspected them with a
+critical eye. If satisfied, he allowed himself to be petted by them.
+Often, however, he would reject the offered attention, with a hiss of
+scorn, and make himself scarce while they remained. Their father said
+Tom was a good judge of character, for he turned a "cold shoulder" where
+he himself would have been pleased to do the same.
+
+They had an old bachelor cousin, and their mother was his favorite aunt.
+The son of her eldest brother, naturally he was a welcome guest with all
+the family. Having no brothers of their own, they were inclined to
+receive Cousin Robert's oddities with favor. He would come in of an
+evening, and if not noticed by them would remove his wraps and soon make
+himself at home.
+
+One evening, to his sorrow, Cousin Robert made them a visit. After a
+short conversation with his aunt, he drew near the table where his
+cousins were playing games. One or two smothered sounds proved his
+enjoyment.
+
+Cousin Robert was rather fond of cats, but his advances to acquaintance
+with Tom had met with poor success. His gentle "Pussy, Pussy" and
+extended hand had been met with disdain. Their father said he thought
+that Tom resented the "Pussy" as too weak a name for his majesty.
+
+He never approached his would-be friend and cousin or accepted his flag
+of truce. Their father, later on, did remember that Tom had cast
+unfriendly glances at Cousin Robert from his corner where he could
+overlook all their movements. Subsequent events explained their meaning
+in a manner most unfavorable to their object.
+
+This evening the children were full of fun. The game was very
+attractive, and Cousin Robert never thought of Tom.
+
+Suddenly their mother exclaimed, "What a strong smell of medicine!" Then
+remembering that Cousin Robert had rheumatism, and very likely it was
+liniment he had used, she tried to pass it over. Too late, however, for
+they were all sensible of a very strong medicinal smell by this time.
+
+A low laugh from their father, who was seated in his armchair by the
+fire, called our attention to Tom. He was in his usual corner, engaged
+in a furious battle with some dark object. Just as they asked, "Is it a
+mouse," one fierce tug dislodged the cork from a bottle from which he
+had just torn the paper, and they all cried out "Valerian!"
+
+Tom bounded out of his corner, crushing in his grasp the dark object he
+had battled with, and drunk with the valerian, he turned over and over
+in perfect abandonment.
+
+Cousin Robert gazed with dazed eyes upon the scene; then he rushed
+forward, saying, "Good Godfrey! it's my--my hat!"
+
+The shouts of laughter and the fiendish leer of Tom's eye, as he gazed
+upon him, rendered their poor cousin speechless, after having aired his
+only approach to profanity.
+
+After a time he made grab after grab at his poor old hat. In vain,
+however; for Tom turned over and over, crushing it out of shape,
+flourishing such formidable claws every time he tried to rescue it,
+serving friend and foe alike, when the children tried to help their
+cousin, that they were obliged to give up the attempt.
+
+Tom held the fort, and knew how to keep it; and the children were too
+well aware of Tom's power as an illustrator to desire to represent
+etchings, even by their "own artist, taken on the spot."
+
+When at last the bottle was taken from him, only one-half of the
+valerian was left.
+
+As soon as their father could command his voice, he said, "I will make
+good the loss of the hat, and keep Tom on short rations to pay for it."
+
+The children were bursting with suppressed laughter at the sight of
+Cousin Robert, in one of their father's old hats. When they said good
+night to him, Tom got up, and, walking around him, cocked up his eye as
+if to say, "How funny you do look!"
+
+Tom went in for his full share of the fun, when they all drew near the
+fire, laughing over the funny features of the scene. If his tongue was
+silent, his eyes were eloquent with a language they all understood.
+
+After a time he went to his corner and returned with the poor old hat,
+which he laid with great dignity at his master's feet. "That settles the
+question," he seemed to say.
+
+It did settle it with Cousin Robert. Though he got a new hat, it was
+months before he visited them again, and then Tom was put out of the
+room--an indignity he resented by stealing a neighbor's chicken.
+
+It was pure wickedness, for he did not care for it himself, but gave it
+to the poor alley cats to devour; for he patronized them and had many
+disreputable pensioners. All his master said, when told of Tom's
+wickedness, was, "Pay for it." And to Tom he would say, "If you go on
+this way, you bad boy, we shall end our days in the poorhouse."
+
+Tom looked as if he did not care where we ended our days, if we took him
+with us. And he was very sure his master would never go without him.
+
+Tom carried the old felt hat up into his den in the attic, and when any
+unusual noise was heard, his master would say, "Tom is rehearsing his
+play of 'Valerian, or The Old Felt Hat.'"
+
+I thought the story of Cousin Robert very nice, and when I lie on the
+lounge, looking in the fire, I can see all these scenes, and I do enjoy
+it. Miss Eleanor says she thinks I have a great deal of imagination. I
+suppose it is something nice, so I guess I have. I don't feel a bit
+jealous, for Miss Milly was a child then, and Tom was not her special
+pet, as I am; for I know that I am the "very apple of her eye," as I
+have heard people say, and it sounds big because I don't know what it
+means.
+
+Miss Milly said she would tell more about Tom some day, for the young
+lady was very much pleased with his story. She looked warm and happy,
+and drank lots of tea, and ate crackers and had a good time generally.
+
+Some time after, a friend called who had known them from childhood and
+knew Tom. Such nice reminiscences I never heard before. When she noticed
+me, she began talking about cats, and I thought she would never stop.
+
+They invited her to take tea, though they laughingly said, "We have no
+two dishes alike, and very humble fare."
+
+She enjoyed it, however, though she had a lovely home, servants and
+carriages at her command. This little bit of Bohemianism, as they called
+it, was a delight to her. She made them promise to spend the day with
+her, saying, "You can bring Daisy, for I will send a carriage for you,
+and my Priggy will be delighted with him."
+
+I was pleased with the invitation, but took a dislike to Priggy at once.
+Such a name! Just think of it! To be called Priggy, when there are
+beautiful flowers and places that cats can be named for. To call a poor
+creature Priggy was weakness personified. I was disgusted, and refused
+to believe in Priggy.
+
+As we never went to see him, my mistress not being well enough to visit,
+I never had the chance to express my indignation to him. Perhaps it is
+just as well. Poor little fool! He may think Priggy is a lovely name.
+
+Some time after, when it stormed very hard, and the young lady upstairs
+was cold and low-spirited, my mistress invited her down and entertained
+us with more of Tom's history.
+
+She said Tom was very fastidious in regard to dress. He despised
+anything ragged, and a dirty swill man (waste merchants they are called
+now) aroused his deepest anger. Beggars of all ages and sex he ignored.
+The children's dresses he looked over with a critical eye, and if he
+detected a rag, he would make mending impossible.
+
+What he would have done in these days of sewing machines cannot be
+imagined, for he was frantic over a thread of cotton or silk, and only a
+knot kept the whole work from being torn to pieces by his sharp teeth.
+
+They had one of the best-natured Pats to do their outdoor work that
+could be found. Pat Ryan was a faithful soul. His one great fault was
+his love of the bottle.
+
+He very soon gave up the attempt of making friends with Tom, for he
+answered all his advances with hisses and growls, loud and deep. His
+tail would swell up, and he would bristle all over when Pat tried to pet
+him; just as human beings do when they are presumed upon by those they
+think beneath them in the social scale.
+
+Pat had truly to earn his living by "the sweat of his brow." No modern
+helps for him. His whole stock in trade consisted of two large firkins
+on a rough wheel-barrow, to transport the waste that he went from house
+to house collecting.
+
+He would have thought the millennium had come could he have looked
+forward to the progress of to-day,--the strong blue carts, with their
+well-fed high-steppers, and the Patricks of the period, seated with
+pipes in their mouths, and leather lap-robes, in imitation of their
+employers, going their rounds, pounding back gates, and bullying the
+servants if they were not prompt to greet them.
+
+This improvement in the swill business might have made Pat give up his
+bottle and take to the nearly as demoralizing vice of smoking all the
+time. But his heavy wheel-barrow had no horse but himself, and the
+overflowing firkins were a load for him, particularly when, as was often
+the case, he was as full as his firkins.
+
+It was then that Tom saw his opportunity. When Pat's gait was unsteady,
+his vision oblique, when he magnified his load by double firkins, double
+barrow, double people, and double street, Tom would swoop down upon him,
+and by some dexterous movement, known only to himself, cross Pat's path
+and overthrow his load. Then, reaching the highest place on the fence,
+he would look down, as if to say: "Well, you have come to grief. How did
+you do it?"
+
+Pat was not deceived. Drunk or sober, he recognized his enemy, and gave
+him the full measure of his wrath. "Ye limb of Satan," he would say,
+"ye'll get it yet!" Such promises were never realized. Old Cloven-foot
+only could compete with this clever cat.
+
+One unlucky day Pat came earlier than usual, and finding the gate
+closed, had to reach his arm over to unfasten it. It was quite a stretch
+over the top of the fence, and Pat's head did not come even with the
+top, so that he could not look over.
+
+Tom, who was looking on, at once took in the situation. He crawled on
+his belly on the ledge of the fence just below the top, and every time
+Pat would reach over his hand, Tom would grab it with his open paws, his
+claws as sharp as needles.
+
+Yelling with rage and pain, realizing that it was his enemy, Tom, poor
+Pat, unwilling to give up, tried and tried again, only to be served in
+the same manner.
+
+At last he mounted on the barrow, bringing his head on a level with the
+fence. Before he could gain advantage from this move Tom had grabbed
+with both paws Pat's old straw hat, rushing like mad up to the house.
+
+Pat had by this time forced an entrance, and ran after him, in pursuit
+of his old hat, calling on all the saints to demolish Tom. Bareheaded,
+with torn and bleeding hands, witnesses of his wrongs, Pat poured forth
+his tale of woe to his friends in the kitchen, where he found sympathy,
+for Tom was feared by all the servants. Of course the culprit was
+nowhere to be seen.
+
+Their mistress soon healed the breach, if not the wound, by giving Pat
+an old hat. To be sure, it was rather too respectable looking for his
+calling, but then, he was satisfied even if it did not accord with the
+rest of his outfit. No salve for his wound would have equalled that hat.
+
+Miss Milly said as she watched him from her window, walking off with his
+new hat on, Tom crawled out from under the sofa, and, mounting the arm
+of her chair, said in cat language, "Don't he look just like Cousin
+Robert?"
+
+Miss Milly said that when her father came home, Tom ran to meet him;
+then he took his master's slippers, and carried them to his chair.
+
+"What means this unusual demonstration?" asked his master. Tom hung his
+head and walked under the chair. Then, when his master was seated, he
+crawled out, and, mounting to the arm of his chair, rubbed against his
+shoulder. Secure of his position, he looked around on them, as if to
+say, "Now tell all you know." With his large eyes fixed on their faces,
+he enjoyed over again his adventures, wagging his tail in recognition of
+the telling points in the story they related to their father.
+
+His master said: "Tom's ancestors must have been in the hat trade, he is
+so fond of hats. We shall have to establish a branch of the business,
+and make Tom the head. If he goes on in this way, we cannot find hats
+enough to pay his debts."
+
+Tom enjoyed it, looking at Miss Milly as if to say, "Don't I do it to
+keep up her spirits?"
+
+He did not come in contact with Pat for some time, for Pat prudently
+kept out of his way. His cunning only slumbered, however. They called it
+turning over a new leaf; but one day he came out with a new joke on Pat.
+
+"Looking from my window," Miss Milly said, "one morning, I saw quite an
+army of cats assembled around the plank walk leading to the swill house.
+Tom, seated on the highest post in the yard, surveyed them with great
+satisfaction, which was shown by the proud elevation of his head.
+
+"His most gracious manner was explained when Pat, coming in, dispersed
+them, and a long array of bones was exposed to view--the remains of the
+feast Tom had invited them to partake of.
+
+"Pat could not do justice to the subject. Shaking his fist at Tom, who
+never winked, but gazed with solemn eyes at him, he said: 'Ye mane
+crathur, ye are a human for spite, picking out the best for the old
+alley cats ye hates. I will get a dog.' Tom only yawned, and said as
+plain as cat could say, 'How tiresome!' After he had watched poor Pat
+picking up the leavings, muttering all the time hatred of his enemy, he
+came to me for approval. My mother being in the room, she put him in the
+attic, telling him he ought to be punished by solitary confinement.
+
+"He soon procured his release by making such a racket over my head,
+running about, upsetting marbles, then chasing them about, that I was
+very glad to open the door and say, 'You bad cat, come down.' He came
+when he got ready, very slowly, and was quite cool to me, though I told
+him he had made my head ache with his racket.
+
+"He was not a neighborly cat, never visiting, as cats often do, the
+neighbors' houses, and he treated their cats with the greatest disdain.
+He often fed them. I have seen him pick open the waste-house door, claw
+out a lot of bread and bones for the benefit of the hungry crowd. Then
+he would mount the fence and look on. 'With them, but not of them,' was
+his motto.
+
+"Though he did not visit around, he knew everything going on in the
+street. He overlooked the butcher, baker, and grocer, and knew every
+grain of provision carried into the houses, even going so far as
+smelling of the meat; but when offered anything, he refused with such
+contempt that one and all came to look upon him as a very aristocratic
+cat.
+
+"Every carriage that came to the street was received by him. He always
+waited till the trunks were carried in, the driver paid, and then he
+would come home satisfied.
+
+"A friend of ours, who boarded in the next house, had just returned from
+her country home. Tom, being a favorite of hers, received her, and
+superintended the removal of her trunks with great interest. He followed
+her into the house and remained some time. When my mother called him
+home, he came very unwillingly.
+
+"The next morning after breakfast he disappeared. This was nothing
+unusual, as my father said, 'Probably Tom had some business needing his
+attention daily.'
+
+"In the afternoon, when my mother called on our friend, she found Tom
+had dined there.
+
+"After a time, this lady, remembering that she had brought me a book
+from her home, proposed going up to her trunk for it. Shortly after, she
+called my mother, who, with the lady of the house, went up to the attic
+where the trunks were kept. There they found Tom with two of the house
+cats seated on a huge trunk that had not been opened. The trunk bore
+marks of their claws, as scratches long and deep had torn and disfigured
+the leather.
+
+"The scene was most laughable. Tom looked wise (nothing could embarrass
+him), while the others looked sheepish. They could not be induced to
+leave their perch, and at last light dawned on the situation, when the
+friend said, 'Do you think Tom remembers that I promised him some fresh
+catmint from the country?' 'Undoubtedly,' said my mother; 'he not only
+remembers, but he smells it.'
+
+"The catmint was soon produced, and they all had a feast. Tom wanted to
+stay and have a free fight after he had eaten his fill; but my mother
+let him see the large bag she carried home, and he followed her
+unwillingly. He knew where it was kept, and would go and mew before the
+closet door till he got his catmint. After it was gone, on seeing the
+empty bag, he went over to our friend's, and up to the trunk. Nothing
+would satisfy him but looking in and seeing it was empty.
+
+"For some time he was cool to our friend, but after a few days,
+remembering perhaps that she might go home and get him more, he accepted
+her marks of affection with quiet dignity.
+
+"Tom was very thoughtful. When told not to do certain things, he was
+very ready to obey. His master would say, 'Tom, did I not tell you never
+to get into my chair unless there is a covering on it?' and Tom would
+look as ashamed while the hairs were brushed off, and would avoid the
+chair for a long time, and once he was seen to pull the tidy down from
+the back, and sit on it. As it was lace, and he tore a hole in it, his
+thoughtfulness was appreciated only by his master.
+
+"Tom was not a cat for every one to love. He had very little reverence
+in his composition. My father and mother," Miss Milly continued, "were
+very hospitable, and always at the church gatherings entertained all
+they could accommodate. Unlike the children of to-day, we were kept in
+the background.
+
+"One of our guests was an old travelling preacher--'colporteur,' as he
+was called, since he carried about religious books for sale. There is no
+doubt he sold many, for buying a book was a more simple thing than
+arguing with him, his tongue being one of the most aggressive.
+
+"Every morning the family were early called to prayers, kneeling down
+before chairs in the long room, having to remain in that position while
+this old man prayed for every one around, calling them by name. All
+fared alike. Though I do not believe he remembered our faces, he never
+forgot our names. My name, unfortunately, was taken from Shakespeare,
+and not from some heroine of religious fiction; and I suffered more when
+mine was called than my sister did, nearly all of the family having good
+Bible names that he enjoyed repeating. It is not necessary to say how
+long he lingered over it to impress its worldliness on his listeners. It
+was to me like opening a wound every morning.
+
+"Tom, however, paid him for it. Perhaps he did not like his own name
+being left out. An additional cause for revenge, no doubt, was that when
+once he passed the reverend gentleman, the humane Christian put out his
+foot, giving Tom a slight kick, and said, 'What a great beast!' This was
+enough to arouse Tom's ire, even if not mentioning him with the family
+had not been enough. So one morning Tom attended family prayers.
+
+"Now this old man wore shoes tied with good strong strings, with little
+tags on the ends. Tom looked at them and saw his opportunity. Just in
+the middle of the prayer he pounced upon one of the long strings, giving
+a pull with his sharp, strong teeth that made the words in the mouth of
+his victim come out with a jerk.
+
+"Of course Tom fled at the sound, and after a time the prayer continued.
+Finally, just as we were hoping for the last clause, it came in the
+shape of Tom, who rushed out from under the sofa, and with one wrench
+untied the other shoe, while the amen came out with a bound. Then we had
+to listen to a long harangue on the sin of keeping animal pets where we
+could feed poor children.
+
+"My father and mother listened respectfully, but made no promise of
+turning God's dumb creatures out to starve. My elder sister quoted to
+us:--
+
+    "'He prayeth best who loveth best
+    All things, both great and small;
+    For the dear God that loveth us,
+    He made and loveth all.'
+
+But then, the 'Ancient Mariner' himself could not have convinced this
+ancient bigot.
+
+"Tom kept out of the way for some time, but we did not trust him. After
+untying his enemy's shoes, we were afraid he would attack his brown wig.
+My mother every morning made sure he was out of the way before we went
+to prayers.
+
+"How it happened, we never knew, but Tom outwitted her, and one morning,
+the last of the visitor's stay at our house, Tom made his mark, gaining
+a place in our memory never to be filled by any other cat.
+
+"Just at the close of a long prayer Tom crept along stealthily toward
+the chair of his enemy. No one was in a position to see him; but when he
+crawled by the lounge where I was lying, I felt his presence, and my
+heart seemed to stand still, for I knew he was bent on mischief. I dared
+not move, and had to watch him with bated breath as he gained on his
+unconscious prey. Now his noble enemy never bowed his head in prayer,
+but, kneeling before a chair, his hands spread out, his eyes closed, his
+body swaying to and fro, presented a very undignified appearance.
+
+"No doubt Tom thought so, for he walked around and faced him, looking in
+his face through the opening in the back of the chair for a long time.
+Suddenly he made a grab (I think he intended to catch the fluttering end
+of the necktie), but just then the preacher lowered his head, and Tom's
+claws came down full on the bridge of his nose with such force that the
+words of the prayer were shouted in a manner suggesting profanity.
+
+"All was confusion, as the enraged old man started to his feet, prayer
+and religion alike forgotten in his desire for revenge. Too late,
+however; for Tom rushed from the room, his tail up in the air, like a
+flag of victory. He did not appear again until all trace of our visitor
+was removed.
+
+"Poor old man! He did look abject, with the blood dripping over the end
+of his nose, and tears of rage and pain in his eyes. Never did piety
+disappear so quickly as it did from this good old man, in view of his
+wrongs. One would have thought Tom possessed of human intelligence to
+hear him denounced. My sister said she believed he was sorry that Tom
+had no soul to be lost, thus to appease his wrath.
+
+"My mother produced salve and some court-plaster and made him as
+comfortable as possible, but without receiving any thanks. He left us,
+very indignant that my father would not promise to have Tom killed. He
+refused to remain to breakfast, saying he would not take another meal in
+the house with that 'ungodly cat.'
+
+"As my father paid all his expenses, and my mother gave him new and warm
+clothing, he had no reason to be offended. My sister said he was a 'wolf
+in sheep's clothing,' and Tom knew it, and had been trying to protect us
+against him.
+
+"Tom spent the night at a neighbor's, coming home the next day in a most
+amiable frame of mind and a very (for him) humble air. Instead of
+running to meet my father as usual, he kept in his corner, pretending to
+be asleep. No one spoke to him, and he bore it as long as he could; then
+he walked over to my father, and, putting a paw on each knee, looked up
+in his face with a piteous mew.
+
+"Poor father could not bear that. His tender heart was touched, and he
+put his hand on Tom's head, saying, 'Oh, Tom, I am so sorry you are such
+a wicked boy!' but the tone assured Tom, who at once jumped up on my
+father's shoulder and kissed his face with delight.
+
+"All through the long sermon preached to him of his sins he sat very
+quiet, and never once winked, but kept his wide-open, wise eyes on his
+master; at last he yawned two or three times, and then washed his face.
+But peace was established.
+
+"'What a character that man will give you, Tom, wherever he goes,' said
+my mother.
+
+"Tom shook his head as if to say: 'Such is fame. I always wanted to be
+famous. Then, I love to etch, particularly on noses, and that was a good
+big one. I enjoyed it.'
+
+"Poor Tom! I can hardly tell of his death even now, after so many years,
+without the swelling in my throat, to keep back the tears caused by deep
+sorrow for my pet.
+
+"One night he went out and did not return till morning. The door of one
+of the outbuildings was left open for him to go in if he pleased, but he
+never came home till morning; then, as we learned from the servants, he
+went up to his den in the attic. At noon time he did not come down, and
+my sister went in search of him and found him dead.
+
+"He was not in his nice little basket bed, of which he was very proud;
+but lay on some old relics, among the most noticeable of which was the
+old hat of Cousin Robert.
+
+"He had been poisoned. His bright face was all green, and his brilliant
+eyes were glassy. We could not even rub and kiss his dear old nose as he
+liked us to, for drops had run down from his mouth and stained the
+beautiful fur coat we loved so well, and my mother said we must not
+touch him.
+
+"Under the pile of things where he lay was an open map of the United
+States; he had trampled it down some time before. We often said he
+studied it when alone. Tom was closed up in this map, with a large rug
+outside, and buried in the river.
+
+"How we mourned for him and how changed was that lovely river view to
+me! I could never have been consoled, had not a dear old lady said to
+me,--
+
+"'Why do you mourn so for your precious pet?'
+
+"'Ah,' I said, 'I shall never, never see him again.'
+
+"'Why not?' she asked.
+
+"'Because cats have no souls, no after life.'
+
+"'My child,' she answered, 'God never gave us these dear, affectionate
+creatures to care for and then part with forever. You will have your
+dear Tom again where perfect happiness is secured by just such
+meetings.'
+
+"I think she was right; and as good Dr. Watts so beautifully describes
+in that well-known Baptist hymn, 'Sweet Fields beyond the Swelling
+Flood,' there is no doubt there we shall find our faithful dumb friends.
+
+"My father never recovered from Tom's loss. He would not take his
+accustomed place by the fire where Tom had been his companion for so
+many years, and he never made a pet of any of the many cats we had,
+though they were very bright ones.
+
+"My dear good father! I have very little recollection of him, as he died
+while I was quite young. But I never remember him without Tom seated in
+all his glory by his side."
+
+When Miss Milly had finished her story we were all subdued by the death
+of Tom; but then he had a happy life, so I just winked off my tears and
+hoped I should know him in heaven.
+
+
+
+
+XX
+
+HEADS AND TALES
+
+
+I did not recover my cheerfulness after hearing the story of Tom, and
+Miss Eleanor said she hoped Miss Milly would never repeat it again.
+
+The young lady friend had wiped her eyes often, and I was very glad when
+they made her some hot ginger tea and packed her off to her room. They
+said she had a cold in her head, but I know better. It was Tom and his
+death that had gone to her head and made her eyes water. It was what
+made me cough and sneeze and wink, to keep from the womanish weakness of
+tears.
+
+Good gracious! I shall have hysterics next, if I have got to hear such
+doleful things. I am ashamed of myself. I thought I had more dignity.
+Pshaw! I was not crying. It is that horrid musk that I smell; it always
+makes my eyes water. I am glad my mistress never uses it, and I do wish,
+if people come here to be warmed and comforted and entertained, they
+would not wear perfume. I do despise it. I shall have to chew a lot of
+catmint and roll in it before I feel like myself again.
+
+I know that when I went to Beverly I rode over that very river where Tom
+was buried. I am very glad I did not know it then, and I am very glad
+that some day I shall see all these dear people. Of course I know just
+how indignant some will be to read this. I think it very strange that
+there are so many who do not want any one to go to heaven but those they
+approve. They scorn the idea that God should save the creatures he has
+made, because they call them a lower order of beings.
+
+I have said more than I ought to on this subject, for my mistress always
+says when any one begins upon it, "We will not discuss it, if you
+please, for we shall not agree." And I always like to please her and do
+as she says; and then, I do lose my temper and have such bad feelings
+that I fear I shall be counted with the bad ones, whom Dante says are
+shadows in the other world. And of all things I think a shadow is a
+"little too thin." I am glad my mistress cannot hear this, for she hates
+slang.
+
+Some days ago a lady was here, and she started that endless subject of
+"servants." My mistress tried to turn the conversation, but it was of no
+use. The servant question, when one gets on it, is like a brook; it goes
+on forever. To be sure, I did hear a young man once say something that
+would stop it, and my mistress hushed him up at once; but not before I
+had heard it, and it sounded so forcible that I went under the bed and
+said it, and wondered if it would stop the women from talking about
+their servants. They did not say it often, as my mistress did not know I
+had heard it.
+
+Always after the people who discussed their servants had gone, Miss
+Eleanor would say, "Now I will read something to take away the
+disagreeable impression."
+
+It was usually Dickens, for he seems to have got at the very heart of
+things, and his poor are shown up with hearts, while the higher classes
+are heartless oftentimes.
+
+Of course this is only given you second-hand, but I comprehend it, else
+I should not repeat it.
+
+I do dote on Dickens, and I think "David Copperfield" is my special
+favorite. Aunt Betsey Trotwood seems like a real aunt to me. Dear little
+Dora! I was very wretched when she died, and I loved Jip. I know he
+would have played with me very nicely.
+
+When Miss Eleanor read about his death, there was a lump in her throat,
+and Miss Milly's eyes were full of tears, and I thought it was time for
+me to go under the bed, not for any particular reason, only there are
+times when one likes to be alone.
+
+While I am writing I would like, if possible, to correct any bad
+impression regarding cats and their habits. It has been said that cats
+will draw the breath of an infant and sometimes of older people while
+sleeping. I deny this, and will tell you a story which illustrates the
+superstition, and was told by one of our friends.
+
+This lady visited us one day, and while talking about me and cats in
+general, she said she had always thought cats were not to be trusted,
+and never allowed her children to play with one, for the very foolish
+beliefs of which I have spoken. "But," she said, "I have changed my
+opinion, and now think a cat properly trained is a noble creature." Then
+she told us this story:--
+
+"You remember my cousin, of course, for I know you probably have visited
+at my uncle's. They were very fond of cats, always keeping two or three.
+When my cousin was married, she took with her one of her old cat's
+kittens. She was quite well grown, and was called Dido. She was a great
+pet with my cousin's husband, and as it was his first experience of
+cats, he was delighted with her playfulness.
+
+"They were fortunate in having servants who were kind to cats. Just
+after the first child was born one of the husband's relatives died,
+leaving him a large old country place--a farmhouse with a great many
+acres of land. He was very much pleased, for he said the country air
+would be good for baby and its mother, for she was very delicate since
+the birth of her beautiful boy.
+
+"The house had not been occupied for some time, and was one of those
+old, rambling, picturesque places, a delight to lovers of the olden
+times. The furniture was substantial, but very severe in style.
+
+"'You need not take the boy's bassinet,' said the father, laughing; 'for
+there was a cradle that looked as if it had come from Noah's Ark, and
+Shem, Ham, and Japhet, not to speak of all the two-by-twos, had been
+rocked in it.'
+
+"'Oh,' said his wife, 'how lovely that will be! we can fill it with
+pillows, and baby will be delighted with it.'
+
+"'Nonsense,' said her husband; 'don't go and build "castles in the air"
+out of that old cradle. It will do for Dido to sleep in; but on the
+whole, you had better take the bassinet and all the other folderols for
+Baby, else you will be homesick.'
+
+"She decided, however, that she would take nothing with her, but enjoy
+all the old-fashioned surroundings.
+
+"The place proved very satisfactory, and she found a nice large room
+leading out of hers for the baby's nursery.
+
+"The large pointed-top mahogany cradle was duly polished and installed
+in the room, making a royal bed for his highness the baby. With its
+wealth of pillows and lace coverings it looked quite regal.
+
+"The nurse girl was very devoted to Baby, always watching him while he
+slept. Dido had appropriated the baby ever since his birth, and would
+allow his little soft hand to take liberties with her, pulling her tail,
+when she would resent it in others. She spent much of her time in the
+house, watching the baby.
+
+"About a week after they had settled comfortably at home they were
+called up from the piazza by the screams of the husband's sister, who
+was visiting them. All she could say was, 'That cat--that cat--has
+killed the baby!'
+
+"They rushed into the room, and a strange sight met their eyes. Standing
+in the cradle, with a paw each side of the baby, was Dido.
+
+"The poor mother rushed to the cradle, crying, 'Oh, my baby, my baby!'
+
+"Her husband drew her back, saying, 'Look there.' At the side of the
+cradle were two great rats that Dido had killed just as they were about
+to attack the baby.
+
+"Dido was bleeding from a wound in the neck, where they had bitten her,
+but she kept her watch over the baby till her friends arrived. She mewed
+out her thanks when they petted her and praised her. The baby had slept
+through it all.
+
+"The aunt said she was just coming out of her room when she heard Dido
+give a shrill cat call, and she went in, but seeing her over the baby,
+supposed she had drawn its breath and killed it.
+
+"They were so grateful to Dido that they would not rest till the doctor
+had been sent for to dress her wounds. They soon healed, and after this
+Dido seemed to have the care of the baby on her mind; and the cradle
+being long, a rug was put in at the foot, and after the matting was put
+over the top Dido would lie on it to keep it down. That she slept with
+one eye open, they were sure; for if the baby opened his eyes, Dido
+would either mew or go for them.
+
+"They found the large closet in the room full of rat holes, and as the
+room had been unused for so long, they infested it.
+
+"They removed to a smaller room, and as they took precautions, were soon
+free from rats. Probably the latter knew they had a powerful enemy in
+Dido, and left.
+
+"There were three cats belonging to the house that had left when it was
+closed; but on finding it inhabited again, they had returned, as cats
+love to keep to one home. They were well treated, and repaid the
+kindness by clearing the house of rats.
+
+"As the family left the man and his wife who had worked for them in the
+house during the winter, they never had trouble with rats again.
+
+"They had a picture of Dido taken with the baby, and all their friends
+made a great fuss over her."
+
+I did wish I could see this picture; for Miss Milly always shows me
+pictures, and I enjoy them very much. Why, I could take the photograph
+cases and tell you every one, if I could speak.
+
+Sometimes we have real fun over the old-fashioned ones. My mistress
+laughs with us, and says, "This is the family 'Rogues' Gallery,' they do
+look so funny." And they never show them to strangers, for they say we
+love them too well to let any one else laugh at their old-fashioned
+looks.
+
+I do love pictures, but I have been taken to places where they had
+horrid crayons on the walls, and the eyes stared at me so I did want to
+scratch them out. I hate a chromo, but a nice, peaceful landscape makes
+me happy; and I often see one where I would like to lie down and dream,
+for a cat can have real artistic taste.
+
+I don't think I care much for babies. I suppose it is because I have
+never been around them; and when I have been, the mothers have never
+allowed me to get acquainted with them.
+
+I was very cross one day when a friend of my mistress brought her baby
+to see us. It was all dressed in white, with a white astrachan hood with
+goats' hair fringe, and it looked just like a little poodle. I wanted to
+lick it all over when Miss Milly said, "Here, Daisy; come and see this
+dear baby." But its mother cried out, "Oh, don't let that horrid cat
+touch my baby!" just as if I was a bear or a tiger.
+
+I was so insulted I just walked into a corner. But the baby had seen me,
+and held out its little hand and crowed. I looked away, but my mistress
+said, "Daisy will not hurt your baby," and she took me in her arms and
+let the baby put his soft little hand on my ear. It laughed and crowed,
+while I licked its hand. The mother looked as if she thought I would
+devour it.
+
+When Miss Milly put me down, seeing the mother's uneasiness, the way
+that innocent little creature yelled, kicked, and beat his mother was
+dreadful. I fled under the bed, saying to myself, "How glad I am that we
+are unmarried people, with no children to raise a tempest for nothing."
+
+The mother excused him by saying, "He was excited seeing that great
+cat." I thought, "And the great cat was excited seeing and hearing the
+Old Adam in that child."
+
+I know my mistress was glad to get rid of them, and Miss Eleanor, who is
+very fond of children, said, "How beautiful that child would have been
+had it not been for its mother's foolishness."
+
+Before I get too stupid or too old, I must tell you a delightful story
+of one of the witch cats of old Salem and her little mistress, sweet
+Hope Farley, a little lame girl my mistress knew and loved.
+
+After I have had my "forty winks" and my nerves forget that baby, I
+shall remember it all.
+
+
+
+
+XXI
+
+JETT
+
+
+The story I am about to tell you has for its chief interest a little
+lame girl, very sweet and lovely, who died in old Salem many years ago.
+I think good children are almost as nice as good little kittens.
+
+As Jett belonged to this little girl, I must tell you about her, that
+you may know how devotedly a cat can return affection and kindness. This
+is the moral of my story, and I tell it to you in the beginning, though
+I know morals usually come on the end. And then people have got all the
+interest of the story and they skip the moral. It is better that it
+should leaven the whole story.
+
+Everything about Salem has a fascination for me, and I often think how
+nice it would be to fly through the air and take a peep at the people
+beneath me; but then, this pleasure is given only to black cats, and
+there is no use for any other colored cat to wish for it.
+
+Little Hope Farley lived in a big, old-fashioned house, with a lovely
+garden around it. All the rooms were long and wide, with deep window
+seats, cushioned, and very comfortable--a nice place for a cat to sleep
+and enjoy herself.
+
+In one of these nice roomy window seats little Hope would lie, with Jett
+curled up by her side. But I must not anticipate; I will tell the story
+just as I heard it from Miss Milly.
+
+Hope was motherless; her father's sister had made up to her as well as
+any one ever can the loss of her mother. Aunt Martha was a charming
+woman of about forty-five, and she took little Hope into her heart at
+once.
+
+(Dear me! How I wish cats had aunts! I do think they are just the nicest
+people to care for the unfortunate that can be found.)
+
+Hope's father was a literary man, buried in his studies and books. When
+a man is that way inclined, he might, for all the good he is to his
+family, be buried in earnest. Then they would have his memory, and one
+could read on his tombstone how great a man he was, and the papers could
+praise him and speak of virtues that nothing but his death would ever
+have brought to light.
+
+Aunt Martha was abroad when his wife died, and Hope, who was but three
+years old, was left to the care of a nurse.
+
+Some carelessness caused her to fall, and a curvature of the spine and
+lameness for life were the consequence.
+
+Dear me! These "curvatures" and such big words will kill me; but I must
+tell this story just as my mistress told it to me, for if ever she reads
+this little book, I want her to know how well I remember all she said.
+
+After Hope met with the accident that crippled her for life, her father
+wrote to his sister to return and care for his unfortunate child and his
+helpless self.
+
+She willingly accepted the charge, and soon found she had a "white
+elephant" on her hands. Her brother buried himself in his books, and to
+her care was left not only his child, but the whole household. He did
+pay the bills, but it was because he had the money; else he would have
+left even that to her, for she had a good fortune of her own.
+
+Hope repaid her for her care by loving her with all her heart, and they
+were very happy together.
+
+The beautiful garden was a great source of pleasure to them all. Even
+the father would walk up and down with his hands behind him; and
+although he did not seem to notice anything, the air, the fragrance of
+the flowers, and the peace of the scene probably gave him strength.
+
+Around the sides of the garden, by the high fence, were currant bushes
+thick and plenty. The fruit was large, red, and tempting, and the
+flowers of every kind growing in their native beauty made the spot an
+earthly paradise. There were tall hollyhocks, double leafed, red and
+white, bachelors'-buttons, beds of pinks, and roses of every variety,
+lilies of the valley, modest but bound to be noticed for their rare
+fragrance, and beds of pansies that would have made the fortune of the
+florist. But here no thought of money crept in to mar the beauty of
+God's free gift, the beautiful flowers.
+
+The garden sloped down, joining the land belonging to the next house,
+that faced on the side street. The low fence was broken, and just where
+the gate had hung, a hedge fence supplied its place, as the gate had
+fallen to pieces. The rank weeds and flowers grew in tangles; Nature
+seemed to have fought with Art, and to have gained the victory.
+
+The estate had been unoccupied for years, the owner having just died far
+away from home, where he had been for years in pursuit of health. His
+heir, a distant cousin, was expected to make his home here; as his
+business was in Boston, it would be very convenient.
+
+Great curiosity was expressed regarding the newcomers, particularly as
+there was a mystery regarding the neglect of the place for so many
+years; and a mystery in old Salem always wore a bewitching air.
+
+About ten days after their arrival my story commences.
+
+It was way down near the broken gate, under the sheltering boughs of an
+old apple tree, that a most luxurious seat had been contrived. Like a
+couch, it was protected at the back by cushions like the seat.
+
+It was high noon of a sultry day in June, yet the thick leaves of the
+old apple tree formed a perfect shade for the dear little child reposing
+in this lovely retreat. The little silent figure and the crutches,
+leaning against the seat, told the whole melancholy tale: little Hope
+Farley was a cripple.
+
+The soft hum of bees and insects filled the air, and the scent of
+flowers perfumed all around, and the bright blue sky above, lending its
+soft light, made her seem a part and portion of this charming picture of
+nature. Her doll, her dearest companion, was by her side. She had given
+her the quaint old-fashioned name of Joanna, and never suffered it to be
+abbreviated.
+
+She held conversations with her, and confided all her little troubles to
+her wooden ear. (It would be well if wooden ears and cats' ears were the
+only ones to hear secrets, would it not? I must put in my cat's oar once
+in a while, for, you see, this story is a big one for a cat to
+remember.)
+
+This day Joanna was particularly unsatisfactory, and Hope, getting tired
+of her airs, said:--
+
+"Joanna, why are you so silent? Don't you hear the bees, and can't you
+see that great speckled toad under the currant bushes, hopping about?
+Oh, no, you don't like such things. You prefer flowers. Well," after a
+pause, "so do I. And I do love you, you dear, dear dolly." And she
+hugged her in her arms.
+
+A slight crackling of the bushes and a scornful laugh caused Hope to
+start and look up, just as a lad of about twelve years of age presented
+himself on the other side of the hedge. He was a big, fair-haired boy,
+handsome, but rough looking, and rude as a young bear.
+
+"What do you do that for, you little silly? That old doll don't know
+anything! Come, and let's play something."
+
+Hope looked at him with wide-open eyes.
+
+"Sulky little monkey!" he indignantly exclaimed, "why don't you speak?
+Say," after a pause, while he regarded her with surprise, "why don't you
+want to play?"
+
+She looked at him in pathetic silence, then her eyes glanced at her
+crutches.
+
+As he followed her glance, surprise, sorrow, and pity transformed his
+face. After a time he said in a subdued voice:--
+
+"I am sorry I was so rude. I did not know. May I come over there?"
+
+Hope saw how sincere he was, and in her quaint way welcomed him. He soon
+cleared the barrier, and seated on the stump of a tree they were very
+soon acquainted.
+
+Every day after that they met, and soon became fast friends, exchanging
+childish confidences and mutually petting Joanna, for Jack was loyal to
+all of Hope's belongings.
+
+(Now I must draw a breath, and put in my cat's oar. I have made you
+acquainted with Jett's two stanch friends, and you will better
+understand the story. I do pity Hope, for my shoulder troubles me very
+much, and I have to wait before I jump as I used to, and I know that she
+suffered, and I am very glad she had a cat to comfort her. I think
+sometimes if I could see these beautiful places and run around among the
+flowers, how happy I should be; but that is one of my air castles. But
+in the hereafter I know it will all be mine, and the gardens and fields
+of Paradise compensate for those we have not here. Now I will return to
+my story.)
+
+One day, after Jack had been a long time silent, he suddenly said, "Have
+you got a step-mother?"
+
+"A step-mother? What is that? My mother is an angel. She died when I was
+two years old."
+
+"Well," he said, "you will have one, never fear; your father will get
+one. My mother died when I was five years old, and now--a year ago--my
+father went and got one. So will yours."
+
+"You bad boy! He won't. My Aunt Martha won't let him. You are a dreadful
+boy to talk so!"
+
+"Don't be down on a fellow so. Much you know about men. Your father's no
+better than mine. He'll get a wife yet, see if he don't; and you will
+hate her just as I do my step-mother.
+
+"My father loved me till this woman came. He used to take me everywhere
+with him, and he cried when I begged for my mother after she died; he
+hugged me and called me his poor little chap. And _now_ it is all over.
+I have never called her mother, and I never will. She killed Pipkin, my
+mother's cat, just as soon as she came. She made the servant drown her,
+because she was treacherous and broke a saucer, and she was afraid of
+her.
+
+"She is a beast. Dear old Pipkin is better off away from her; but I do
+miss her and will never forgive that woman. My mother would kiss me, and
+then Pipkin and the kitty would lie beside me for company; and after my
+mother died that cat was all the comfort I had. The servants loved her.
+Not one of them would have killed her, but this woman has servants who
+will do her dirty work.
+
+"She has red cheeks and a white skin, and a big mouthful of teeth that
+she is showing all the time, just like old Towzer, the bulldog."
+
+"Why does she hate you?" Hope asked. "Can't you make her like you?"
+
+"What a little goose you are! Like me? Not she. She wants me to die, to
+get my money that my mother left me. She told my father he ought to take
+board for me, for I had more money than they had. 'What,' he said, 'take
+board for my own son?' This did touch poor dad; but she soft-sawdered
+him. And then I wanted to run away, and I will some day, and join Uncle
+Jack, for whom I am named. He is in India. He loved my mother, his
+sister, and he would care for me. But you see I do love dad; and now I
+could not leave you."
+
+Hope smiled such a sweet look upon him, saying, "You are a dear good
+boy, and my Aunt Martha will be a mother to you just as she has been to
+me."
+
+And in truth this childish friendship had worked wonders in Hope. She
+was able to walk about the garden with her crutches and his help, for he
+was very careful of her, and proud to be of use in amusing her. Aunt
+Martha took the bright, honest boy into her heart, and he loved her
+dearly.
+
+One day when Jack came over the hedge he found Hope in great excitement.
+Her apron covered some mystery that was very soon revealed--a coal-black
+cat, perfect in every way, a real witch cat, with not one mark about her
+from the tip of her ear to the end of her tail. Yellow eyes of the most
+unfathomable depth and a spasmodic wag of the tail proved her temper to
+be of the peppery kind.
+
+"Where did you get her?" asked Jack.
+
+"She came to us. When Aunt Martha opened the door this morning to take
+in the paper, she walked in. She came into the dining room, and when I
+called her, she jumped up in my lap and drank milk from a saucer. She
+bites and claws the rest if they touch her, but licks my hands and purrs
+when I talk to her. Where she came from I do not know, but I love her
+already almost" (with a remorseful look at Joanna) "as well as I do my
+dear dolly."
+
+"I should think so," replied Jack. "I can't see how you can care so much
+for that old doll."
+
+"Oh, don't, Jack! She is a dear, lovely, good old girlie" (with a hug
+and a kiss on Joanna's old battered face).
+
+This Jett resented. Flying at Joanna, she stuck her sharp claws in her
+blond hair, dragging out a big tuft of it.
+
+Jack shouted, "Go it! go ahead! tear her old wig off!"
+
+Hope relieved and comforted her dear dolly, pushing the black termagant
+from her lap, and saying to Jack: "You are a cruel boy. I will have
+nothing to do with you."
+
+This Jack could not bear, for he was a tender-hearted little fellow.
+
+"Oh, come now," he said, "don't be so hard on a fellow. I never knew
+anything about dolls. I daresay Joanna is very nice. See here, perhaps I
+can mend her head." And he did very skilfully, and thus restored peace.
+
+Then came the question of naming the cat.
+
+"How would Nig do?" said Hope.
+
+"Oh, don't! _She_ had a dog called Nig, and it died. I was glad of it."
+
+"Oh, no; if _she_ had anything named Nig I will not have Kitty called
+so." Hope was firm in her belief in Jack's wrongs, and disliked his
+step-mother with all her heart. "We must call her something of that
+kind, for she is jet-black."
+
+"Well," said Jack, "you have just said it. Why not call her Jett?"
+
+So Jett she was named, to their great satisfaction.
+
+"She must be half mine, and I will bring her all the scraps I can, for
+cats want no end of meat. That is," he said, "if I can get anything.
+_She_ would like to starve me. She says I have such a rude appetite that
+it makes her sick."
+
+"What a horrid woman! I don't believe your appetite is big; and if ever
+you are hungry, just let me know, and my Aunt Martha will give you all
+you can eat, for she loves to see me relish anything." And it was quite
+noticeable how often little nice things were brought out for Jack, quite
+accidentally, to save his pride.
+
+"Oh, never mind," he said; "only it's a bothering shame father is so
+generous he never can see what is going on. We never had such meanness
+and scrimping before. There was always enough and to spare. Now there is
+not enough to feed a cat on. And a dog she will not let me have. She
+says that they are gluttons."
+
+But I must curtail my story; it is getting too long.
+
+Jack had a parrot called Bimbo. As it was a gift from his rich uncle, he
+was allowed to keep it.
+
+With Joanna, Jett, and Bimbo the children were very happy. Bimbo was
+very happy on the bough of the old apple tree. He was deeply interested
+in Hope, and eyed her in a most sympathizing manner.
+
+The first time he saw her use her crutches he gave vent to a succession
+of groans, and moved first one foot and then the other as if in pain,
+and after that he would move to a branch over her couch, and look down
+upon her in the most affectionate manner. Often he would astonish them
+by some remark drawn from the storehouse of memory.
+
+No wonder Jett was jealous of him. When she first heard him speak, she
+opened wide her eyes, and stared at him in astonishment. The children
+shouted with laughter, and Bimbo kept up a silly cackle, encouraged by
+their approval. This was very provoking to Jett, as cats do not like to
+be laughed at, and she resented it in Bimbo.
+
+After she had given him a scratch that he remembered he looked at her
+with fear and trembling. He soon learned to say "Jett." Though he said
+it in a soft, hesitating manner, she was deeply offended. She would give
+him a look that would keep him silent for hours.
+
+She never could understand why such an uncouth-looking bird should have
+the power of speech given to him, while a handsome, intelligent cat
+could not speak at all; and the mystery of it made her very savage to
+poor Bimbo.
+
+Of course the children shared their confidences with their pets, and if
+Mrs. Thornton had fallen into the clutches of Bimbo or Jett, she would
+probably have borne marks of the encounter. Joanna's wrath was
+suppressed; sometimes, however, silent wrath is the deepest.
+
+One day they were in earnest conversation, Jack relating his wrongs;
+while Bimbo, seated on his bough, listened in silence. Suddenly, to
+their surprise, he said in a subdued voice: "She's an old devil! so she
+is! how droll! Ha! ha! ha!" ending with, "Well, I never!"
+
+The children were convulsed with laughter. Even Aunt Martha could not
+resist the ludicrous situation. Bimbo, in great delight, gave a
+succession of "ha-ha's," ending with "Oh, she's a devil!" Aunt Martha
+covered him with her apron, and silence at once ensued; for he knew that
+was a mark of disgrace.
+
+"Oh, Aunt Martha," said Jack, in a whisper, "don't you think it strange
+that Bimbo knows all about her?"
+
+"Nonsense!" she replied. "Did you ever hear Bimbo swear before?"
+
+"Never. He used, when I first had him, to say a few bad words, but
+covering him up made him know he must not repeat them; but to-day he has
+applied them where they are true. Whenever she is around, he swears all
+the time, and I keep him out of her way, for he knows her. She says I
+taught him. It is false. Uncle Jack bought him of some sailors. They
+gave him a good character, and Uncle Jack said if he ever used bad
+words, it would teach me a lesson never to say anything I did not want
+him to repeat."
+
+"Very wise of your uncle. You must do as he has advised, and you will
+soon teach him better."
+
+Just here, Jett, who had been a silent witness of the scene, could bear
+it no longer. She flew up the tree and out on the bough where Bimbo sat
+in disgrace, and drawing off the apron with sheathed claws, she boxed
+him right and left.
+
+Poor Bimbo retreated to the very edge of the bough, screaming "Jett,
+Jett! oh, oh, Jett!" This offended her so much that Jack had to pull her
+down by her tail, to save Bimbo's life.
+
+She was of course very much disgusted at such unusual treatment, and
+went off in the sulks. After a time peace was restored, and Bimbo was
+happy, for they were all very kind and sympathizing, and Hope smoothed
+his feathers where Jett had attacked him, and Jack told him he was
+forgiven provided he never swore again.
+
+Aunt Martha told the children a nice, interesting story, while Jack held
+Bimbo on his arm, and Hope cuddled Joanna in her lap.
+
+This home picture was interrupted by Bridget, the cook. She came, full
+of wrath, to enter her complaint of Jett, who followed in the distance
+as bold as a lion. Bridget said she put some squash pies she had made to
+cool for dinner, and she found Jett sitting in the middle of one while
+she was eating from the other, her paws and tail going as fast as her
+tongue.
+
+Jack shrieked with laughter when he saw her glossy black fur covered
+with squash. Her nose and whiskers were dotted with it, and even her
+ears had little yellow decorations.
+
+As soon as Aunt Martha could command her voice, she consoled Bridget by
+telling her she would make a dessert in place of the pies. Then she told
+Jett she had better go and get into the waste barrel. And a sight she
+was--a picture in yellow and black.
+
+She went away, ashamed,--not, however, without casting a look of fury at
+Bimbo, who was whispering with a smothered chuckle, "Oh, she's a dear!
+she's a dear! Oh, oh, Jett! I shall die!"
+
+Jett preferred a crooked path. Stealing was her delight, for boldly, in
+the face of all, she would bring home a chicken she had stolen. No one
+molested her, for Aunt Martha paid for the chicken, and as Hope said,
+perhaps Jett thought it was like having a bill at a store. She had a
+running account at the neighbor's hen-coops, knowing the bill would be
+paid.
+
+The children called her a "grave robber." For once one of the neighbors
+lost a little bird. Their little boy was very fond of it, and was
+allowed to bury it in the garden. He folded it up in his little
+pocket-handkerchief, and put it into the hole he had dug, and covered
+the earth over it. He put up a little wooden paper-knife over the grave,
+making a nice tombstone, and the design was very appropriate. The top of
+the knife was carved with a bush, and a bird was sitting on the
+branches. The point of the knife was down deep in the earth, and he
+thought everything secure.
+
+Now Jett knew everything going on in the neighborhood. The bird's empty
+cage had been cleaned, and was standing on a bench outside the kitchen
+door. Jett had interviewed the cage and tried to get in, but finding the
+door too small, she had seated herself to think it out, wondering in her
+mind where the bird had gone. When she heard footsteps, she mounted to
+her post of observation on the fence; and when she saw the boy bring out
+the bird and bury it, she was perplexed.
+
+A cat never allows a mystery to go unsolved. After it was all over she
+waited a suitable time, and then she made an investigation. She walked
+around the monument, she smelt of it, and she clawed it a little. By the
+time she had satisfied her curiosity it looked like the Leaning Tower of
+Pisa. That it moved was probably a suggestion to her, for she began
+scratching the earth; and it soon fell over, leaving a bit of the grave
+clothing of the poor little bird exposed. This at once was proof
+positive, and after scratching away the earth she found the mystery.
+
+Jerking up the handkerchief, she soon landed the little corpse, and then
+she examined it with a critical eye. No coroner inquiring into the cause
+of a sudden death could have been more careful. After she had inspected
+it thoroughly she took one claw in her mouth and started for the house,
+and never rested till she had with great difficulty deposited that bird
+in its cage and pushed to the door. Then she went home, satisfied that
+she had done an act of justice and humanity.
+
+It is needless to say how surprised the family were to find the dead
+returned to them, and they suspected a mischievous boy who lived near;
+but when Jett dug up that bird for the second time, there were
+witnesses, and the deed was brought home to her.
+
+The last burial took place while Jett was shut up. They dared not put up
+the monument, for they knew she would discover the grave by that. She
+hunted for a week, but she never found that bird again.
+
+All the neighbors looked upon her as a mysterious element that had come
+into their midst. They believed in the witches having unlimited power
+over black cats, and never dared interfere with her; indeed, her good
+will they were very glad to gain.
+
+Jett was devoted to Hope. She never killed a rat without bringing it
+with a purr of satisfaction, and was not satisfied till her little
+mistress had noticed her, and said, "What a good kitty to catch the
+naughty rats."
+
+There was one place the children called the "cats' paradise." It was
+down in the corner of Jack's garden. Here catmint grew in rank
+profusion. The place was neglected, but nature had rioted there, and it
+was all abloom with wild flowers and weeds.
+
+Here Jett held her afternoon teas and musicales, and she would frolic
+with her friends in the sweet-smelling grass. Her high soprano would
+mingle with the contralto and other nondescript parts till they produced
+a "passion music" so terrible in its results that it required all Jack's
+strength to separate them.
+
+Why these musicales always ended in a free fight, Hope wondered. Jack
+suggested that the catmint intoxicated them, for they were usually
+captured with their mouths and paws full of it, and as much on their fur
+coats as they could hold. But this state of happiness was not quite as
+satisfactory to others as it was to the cats and the children.
+
+Jack announced one day that _she_ had been disturbed by the musicales,
+and the catmint period was drawing to an end. Jack said:--
+
+"She won't outwit me. Aunt Martha will let me plant some over behind
+your large barn, in that field, and we will dry all we can. Jett shall
+have her winter supply, and I will treat every cat in the neighborhood."
+
+Jack worked with a will, and before the man Mrs. Thornton had hired to
+remove and destroy the catmint bed had arrived, it was nearly all
+transplanted or cut off to dry. They did enjoy that work.
+
+Hope was seated in a wheel chair her father had bought for her, and Jack
+delighted in wheeling. She superintended all the work.
+
+Aunt Martha allowed the man of all work to plant all that Jack brought
+him, though she did not think it best for him to take the catmint from
+Jack's garden.
+
+Jett and Bimbo were very much interested. Bimbo eyed them in solemn
+silence for a while, then he yelled, "Go ahead! Hurry up! hurry up!
+She'll get you!" till it did seem as if that clever bird knew
+everything.
+
+Jett's help was rather doubtful, though her interest was not. She
+followed Jack back and forth, and at every fresh root he would take up
+she would turn a somersault in the hole, scratching the earth with all
+her might; then she would rush back--a picture of yellow earth, black
+fur, and catmint.
+
+These were happy days, too soon followed by sorrowful ones. As summer
+waned, and autumn advanced, the first frost cast a blight on the little
+life so fondly cared for by her friends.
+
+Jack's sorrow, when he was made to realize her danger, was pathetic. He
+was now constantly with his little playfellow when she was able to see
+him. It was a picture to see her propped up in bed, Jack sitting by the
+side, in a little rocker, Joanna in her arms, or if too feeble to hold
+her, lying by her side, while Jett was curled up at her feet.
+
+Poor, sorrowful Aunt Martha hovered around her darling, ready to attend
+to her slightest wish. Jett was devoted to her. In this case can be seen
+what devoted creatures cats and dogs can be if they are made friends of.
+They seem to realize the approach of that dread messenger, and to be
+"faithful unto death."
+
+Jett only left the sick child long enough to take a constitutional and
+her meals. Then she would go back and mew piteously, if the door was
+closed, to get in to her little mistress. If Hope was asleep, she would
+jump up on the bed, stand and look at her a little while, perhaps lick
+her hands, and then lie down where she could watch every movement. If
+Joanna had fallen on the floor, she would pick her up with her teeth,
+give her a real shake, as if to say, "What did you fall down for?" and
+then, jumping up on the bed, deposit her in Hope's arms or by her side.
+
+Never was there a case of greater devotion. She was always pleased to
+see Jack. She would lick his face and sit in his arms, but on the least
+movement of her little mistress back she would go and watch her with the
+deepest affection.
+
+The end came very suddenly. Just at the close of a lovely October day
+sweet little Hope Farley fell asleep. She had seemed to know that the
+end was near. She had spoken of her death to her Aunt Martha, saying, "I
+am so tired, but I do not want to leave you and my dear ones."
+
+She had made her auntie promise that Joanna should be dressed just as
+they dressed her, and be buried in her arms, saying, "I shall not be so
+lonesome with my dear dolly, and I know Jack and Jett will come and see
+me often."
+
+So Joanna had a white cambric embroidered dress just like her little
+mistress's, that Aunt Martha made (with tears falling on her work), and
+she was laid in her little mistress's arms. Aunt Martha covered her with
+flowers, and sheltered her under the sleeve of her little mistress's
+dress as well as she could, knowing how much would be said about her
+indulging such a queer fancy of the dear child. As Jack said to her, "I
+do feel glad Joanna is with her. It seems so hard to put her away
+alone;" and Aunt Martha agreed with him.
+
+They had the greatest trouble with Jett, to keep her out of the room.
+Every time the door was open she would hide under the bed. She had taken
+Joanna twice out to the seat in the garden, where she had so often seen
+her in Hope's arms, and Aunt Martha had to shut her out doors while she
+dressed Joanna.
+
+Hope looked lovely, with beautiful flowers around her, and leaves from
+the plants she had loved. Her father was dazed at her loss, but Aunt
+Martha and Jack were the real mourners.
+
+How it happened they never knew. They had kept track of Jett all they
+could, and Jack had petted her, and tried to comfort her, but all to no
+purpose. She was like a wild cat, crouching down in corners and watching
+them all. The last night before the funeral Hope was placed in the
+casket, and it was closed. Jett must have crawled into a corner under
+the sofa when the door was open, for she was found in the morning,
+sitting on the head of the casket, as solemn as if she knew she had been
+watching her dear little mistress.
+
+She was not willing to go to any one, and disappeared till just as the
+funeral left the house, when she was seen on the opposite side of the
+street. When they reached the old cemetery, she was noticed behind some
+shrubs.
+
+Jack got out of the carriage to see if it was Jett, and take her home,
+but could not find her. They thought it could not be she; but when days
+passed away and she did not return, they were sure it was Jett who had
+followed to her little mistress's grave. They sought her everywhere,
+leaving the outbuildings open, so in case she returned she could get in;
+but they never found any trace of her again.
+
+There were stories, that they did not give credence to, of a cat's being
+seen hovering around the grave; but many people did believe that it was
+Jett guarding the grave of her dear one.
+
+Superstitious people said that she was a ministering spirit sent to
+guard and comfort the life of that dear little child. That her mission
+being fulfilled, she went back to those who sent her, perhaps to be
+still with the dear child in Paradise. Others said she was a witch cat,
+spared for a little while, to be happy in this beautiful home; but her
+mission being over, the witches called her back. That perhaps at night
+she was allowed to visit the grave of the one she had served so
+devotedly.
+
+But my opinion is, she was just a good, loving cat. She was grateful for
+all their kindness, and loved little Hope just as all cats love those
+who are kind to them. She had not been born in that home, as one would
+know by the strange way she often behaved that she had no training.
+
+Of course her disappearance is hard to account for; but I do believe she
+could not bear to live in that home after Hope had left it, and she
+found another one for herself. Of course a cat has a right to an
+opinion. This is mine.
+
+But does it not show how kind, loving, and faithful cats can be? If
+properly trained, they make the best companions for children.
+
+Who that ever has seen dear little kittens, so loving and trusting,
+climbing in the arms of those who are kind to them, can doubt they are
+given to them for friends?
+
+
+
+
+XXII
+
+WATCH AND CHLOE
+
+
+Much has been said of the benefit of example. Why, then, when a cat
+follows the example of the people with whom she lives, should she be
+called "bloodthirsty" if she kills a chicken? She follows her master to
+the hen-coop, and looks on in wonder when he wrings the neck of one of
+the chickens he has fed daily. Then when she takes her own method of
+killing a chicken for her own eating, where is the harm? She could be
+taught better, of course.
+
+Dogs are taught not to touch game, even when it falls at their feet,
+till their master gives them permission. Cats would never steal if they
+knew it was wrong.
+
+Look at my case. After the theft of that meat from the good
+"philanthropist," I never took anything else. My mistress made me
+understand wherein it was wrong. I felt very much ashamed, though I
+could not be blamed. It was one of the most delicious morsels I ever
+had.
+
+If a cat is not well fed, she will help herself, just as, under the same
+circumstances, human beings would do the same. It is astonishing how
+many peculiar traits are brought out when one studies animals.
+
+I heard a story of a cat called Tinker, who lived with a very nice
+family. They were country people, with a large farm, with horses, cows,
+dog, and cat, all well cared for, and favorite companions of the
+children. Nothing was ever killed on that place except rats.
+
+Tinker was a ferocious mouser. She was, however, very fond of all the
+animals, and the horses would put their heads down to her when she
+rubbed against their legs. Even the cow did not resent it when she would
+lick her after she had been milked. They did say that Tinker had been
+known to help herself to a little, sometimes, before the good Brindle
+had been milked.
+
+They had hens and chickens in plenty. But they never killed one of their
+own, always buying their poultry of the farmers around. They were
+content with selling the eggs in great quantities, for the hens were so
+well kept that they laid a great many.
+
+Tinker was well fed; and as she had never seen hens and chickens killed,
+she treated them as if their right to live could not be questioned. She
+walked out and in the hen-coop whenever she pleased. She had very nice
+ways, and was never known to go near the pig-pen, that being, in her
+opinion, not exactly a pleasure ground.
+
+One day the hens were all out in the large field back of the house, when
+Tinker was walking about on a voyage of discovery. She soon espied three
+little chickens of a very tender age shivering with cold and sending
+forth feeble little peeps. She looked around; then mounting on the nest,
+she sat over them, and they nestled in her warm fur.
+
+Soon a great clacking announced the return of their mother. She was
+telling all the gossip of the farm to the other hens. She was just as
+surprised as she could be to see her place filled. She flew at Tinker in
+great wrath. Tinker just raised her paw and kept her back and sat there
+as long as she pleased. The mother hen ran about, telling her story to
+all the coop assembled to see the fun. Even the lordly rooster cocked
+his comb about, in wise deliberation, over this most unusual occurrence.
+
+The unusual noise drew out the master, who was so well pleased that he
+called his wife to see Tinker in her position as chicken nurse.
+
+As soon as she saw she was appreciated, Tinker left her post, and there
+is no doubt the chickens wished their mother had fur on her rather than
+stiff feathers.
+
+Does not this prove that a cat would be kind to all creatures, were the
+example before her such as she could follow? Animals learn to kill by
+seeing man kill everything he is allowed to without drawing upon himself
+the penalty of the law.
+
+It has often been said that women care more for pets, particularly cats,
+than men do. I do not think it is true. Men do not make such open
+demonstrations and decorate their pets in the absurd way that women do,
+but where they do love them, it is a very lasting affection.
+
+If you follow the course of children who are cruel to animals, you will
+find they meet with their punishment oftentimes in this world. I have a
+story to tell in illustration of this fact.
+
+A very charming family lived not very far from Boston, though their home
+was in quite a country place. The family was composed of a widow with
+four sons and an only daughter. The eldest son was really the flower of
+the family. The boys were all full of life, but very unlike their elder
+brother. Robert was a gentleman and a scholar. Mary, the sister, was his
+special friend, and he made of her a real chum, telling her all his
+plans and in every way making a friend of her.
+
+They lived in a grand old house. It had been built by their ancestors
+some two hundred years. The land about was very beautiful, and they
+lived in comfortable style, though not really wealthy. They loved the
+old family horse, and the cow would follow every member of the family.
+They had a good, big dog; and last but not least a great, dignified cat
+called Bruno.
+
+The cat was the special pet of Robert and Mary. The younger boys teased
+him, and he kept out of their way. He well knew how to defend himself,
+and they were rather afraid of him.
+
+There were no near neighbors. The grounds of their nearest companions
+met theirs, but nearly half a mile away. As they were not congenial, the
+distance was rather satisfactory.
+
+Bruno would not notice the poor, wretched, hunted-looking cat belonging
+to the other place, and she was afraid of every moving thing. The people
+were very mean, though they kept up a great show of wealth; the servants
+and the animals about the place were half starved.
+
+Poor Mossy had no one to love her. She had never been petted, and her
+life was made still more wretched by the loss of her many kittens. At
+last she disappeared. Then they realized her value, for she was a great
+mouser, and the place was infested with rats and mice. Knowing their
+enemy had gone, they returned in full force, and the people tried in
+every way to find Mossy, but in vain.
+
+After a time the chickens on our friend Robert's place disappeared. They
+could find no trace of the robber, though they watched very carefully.
+
+Max would bark nights, and Bruno, the cat, seemed to be very uneasy at
+the same time, as if he heard some intruder. One of the boys would stay
+out at night till quite late, but the hen-coop was peaceful; and though
+they tried every means, they never caught the intruder. And the chickens
+disappeared, all the same.
+
+At last the boys discovered a hole in the back of the hen-coop, where the
+earth had been dug down and room made large enough for a cat to enter.
+The boys declared they had seen a cat that looked like Mossy come out of
+the pine woods at the back of the hen-coop, and they believed she had
+stolen the chickens.
+
+Robert said, "If it is Mossy, do not harm her, but coax her here and
+feed her."
+
+Robert had always petted her when he could get the chance, but she
+seemed to shrink from and distrust every one.
+
+The boys were not of the same mind. They had no love for Mossy, and
+believed in punishing the one who had stolen the chickens. So they
+baited a trap with poisoned meat, just outside of the hole, and poor
+Mossy was caught. She was quite dead; but, not satisfied, they battered
+her head with stones.
+
+Robert's wrath was terrible when he learned of poor Mossy's fate. He not
+only cuffed them right and left, but he told them they had forfeited the
+right to the pleasure trips and fun he had promised them. Robert had a
+scientific turn of mind, and his experiments were a great wonder and
+pleasure to the boys, and the loss of his favor was a severe punishment.
+
+The next day, when they went out, they said, "We will take the body of
+Mossy into the woods and bury it, and perhaps we shall find out where
+she made her home."
+
+They had laid down the body of Mossy on the grass while they went to dig
+a grave for her, when a mewing, shrill but feeble, greeted their ears.
+They looked back, and a most pathetic sight greeted them: the dead body
+of poor Mossy was completely covered by five little kittens. They were
+half starved, and were trying to nurse their dead mother. "Oh, ho!" said
+the boys, "this is what she was up to! She wanted to raise a family all
+by herself."
+
+The three boys each took a kitten, and, whirling it around, dashed its
+little life out against a tree, saying, "We will send her orphans after
+the chicken stealer."
+
+Robert and Mary had followed them, wanting to see that they buried Mossy
+as they ought to. They arrived on the scene just at the moment when the
+poor little kittens were killed. Robert rushed forward and with one blow
+felled one cruel wretch to the ground, while the others fled.
+
+Poor Mary almost fainted at the dreadful sight; but Robert put the two
+little kittens (that he took from their mother's dead body) into her
+arms, and as she wrapped them in her shawl, they cuddled up to her so
+confidingly that it comforted her, for she said, "They shall never know
+sorrow."
+
+Robert was moved almost to tears. As soon as he could command his voice
+he said: "God will punish this act of cruelty, this crime. They are my
+brothers, but I would not lift up my hand to save them from prison."
+
+He then made a grave, and Mary helped as well as she could (with the
+little kittens in her arms) to put in leaves, and Robert spread out his
+handkerchief and tenderly laid in poor Mossy and her three kittens. It
+was a solemn sight. Mary covered them with her handkerchief and a few
+more leaves, and then Robert filled in the grave.
+
+They carried home the two little orphans in silence. The poor things
+were very hungry, and Mary fed them and put them into a basket with soft
+white wool, and as soon as they opened their eyes she was ready with
+milk and petting, that they might not feel their mother's loss.
+
+Robert was very fond of them. As soon as they could run about he took
+them up to his den, where all his time was spent in study, and they were
+perfectly at home. They would dart about, over books, papers, and table,
+and there was so much electricity about them that Robert named them
+Castor and Pollux, for he said they were like a flash of lightning in
+their movements. Of course they were called Cassy and Polly. They were
+the exclusive property of Robert and Mary, and the boys never dared
+touch them.
+
+The mother, a confirmed invalid, was never told of the boys' wickedness;
+for her sister, who had the care of her, with the help of Mary, kept
+everything of a disturbing nature from her.
+
+Strange as it may appear, their instinct taught the kittens to shun
+their mother's murderers. They would never go near them; and another
+very strange thing--they would never, even when hungry, touch a bit of
+chicken. They never went near the hen-coop, and would run and hide when
+the hens and chickens were around.
+
+Is there not some psychological explanation of this fact? Did not the
+spirit of the mother in some mysterious way influence her children?
+
+It was supposed that Mossy, after losing her kittens so often, decided
+she would take the matter into her own hands and save those she was
+expecting. She went away, when near the time of their birth, and hid
+herself in a cave in the rocks, for it was found some time after that
+she had made a deep cave, digging it out patiently till it was large
+enough for comfort. Chicken feathers were found spread all around,
+proving she had thought about the comfort of her children and herself,
+and provided them a good home. She stole chickens from the neighboring
+coops, and feasted herself and used their feathers. She certainly
+displayed human intelligence in her work.
+
+Castor and Pollux grew up to be very fine cats. They were very smart
+mousers, like their mother, and they were devoted to Robert and Mary.
+Bruno was quite jealous of them at first; but after a time, finding his
+importance was not lessened, he gave in, and treated them with
+politeness. When, one day, Cassy brought a mouse he had killed, and laid
+it in his arms when he was asleep, he adopted Cassy at once. It was a
+real picture to see that big, dignified cat with the plump little
+kittens playing around him. They had no respect or veneration in their
+intercourse with him. They just loved him as they did everything around
+them.
+
+Mary would take them in to see her mother sometimes when she had a few
+hours' relief from pain. The mother would say: "What will you do, Mary,
+if Robert or you should marry? You cannot both have the kittens, and you
+surely cannot separate them."
+
+"Oh," she answered, "I shall never marry, and Rob may get a wife who
+will not love cats, and I shall have them all my own."
+
+When she repeated this to Robert, he said: "I shall never have a home
+where Castor and Pollux are not welcome. It will be the test I shall
+apply to the woman, if I ever find one, whom I propose to make my wife,
+whether she loves cats and is kind to dumb animals."
+
+"You had better not announce the fact; for there are hundreds who would
+tolerate even a gorilla and pretend to be fond of it for the sake of
+being the wife of my elegant brother Robert."
+
+He laughed, saying, "Perhaps, in that case, as there are sixty thousand
+single women to be provided for, it would be better not to advertise."
+
+He was truly in earnest, as was soon proved. The young friend of his
+sister that he had been very much pleased with, and had paid more
+attention to than to any other he had met, came to visit Mary soon after
+this conversation had taken place. She was very pretty and charming,
+trying to please Robert in every way. Finding he was fond of cats, and
+hearing with sympathy the story of Mossy, she was very affectionate to
+Cassy and Polly; but they did not reciprocate, and kept away from her
+when it was possible.
+
+One day Cassy sat upon her beautiful new hat and crushed the flowers.
+She flew at him in a great rage, saying: "You horrid old cat! I would
+not have you around in a house of mine."
+
+She slashed him over with her bag, while he slunk under the sofa in fear
+and trembling. It was the first abuse he had ever known.
+
+She thought she was alone, and soon left the room with her precious hat.
+But she had forever ruined her chance of being Robert's wife; for as
+soon as she left the room he moved the Turkish screen that formed a
+protection for the window seat where he was lounging with a book, and
+stooping down he took poor Cassy from under the sofa and carried him up
+to his den, where he remained with his two pets. They were the only
+witnesses of the death of his fancy for his sister's friend. When she
+called Cassy and Polly to her, he well understood why Cassy crept under
+the table out of her sight.
+
+He became a very successful scientific man, but the brothers met with
+retribution for their cruel crime. Two of them were victims of a
+railroad accident, while the third died from blood-poisoning from the
+bite of a rat he had caught in a trap. Justice was dealt out to them in
+full.
+
+If young people would test each other's natures by their treatment of
+animals, there would not be so many deceived and repentant married
+people.
+
+Castor and Pollux lived to be twenty years old. They seemed to bear a
+charmed life. They were very fond of each other, but often they would
+have a pitched battle and retire to separate corners for a while, but it
+never lasted long. They were soon as good friends as ever.
+
+The lady Robert married was very fond of cats. When she was married, she
+could not be separated from her pet dog Fido; but she was mistress and
+soon made them understand they must be friends.
+
+She never allowed either the dog or the two cats to be unjust to each
+other. It took time and patience, but she persevered, and was successful
+at last. By judicious treatment she made them the best of friends. It
+was a very funny sight when Fido would carry some of his candy and put
+it on Cassy's and Polly's paws, and then bark with delight at his own
+generosity.
+
+And when her little girl, named Mary, after Robert's sister Mary, who
+had died just before his marriage, was born, the two cats and the dog
+were her earliest friends, and they often fought for her favor, each
+seeming to believe her to be his own special property; but she kissed
+and cuffed alike, so they were a very happy family.
+
+Cassy and Polly were always to be found in their master's study when he
+was engaged in absorbing work. They would quietly pore over maps and
+charts, as full of interest as they would have been had he been their
+teacher. Their master said he had solved many hard questions while
+smoothing their soft fur and meeting their intelligent glances. And he
+could not help saying, "What do you think of it, my friends?"
+
+I think a man like the master of Castor and Pollux a true and grand
+gentleman. How many might be happy if, like him; they would care for
+their humble friends. There is no doubt that a cat oftentimes helps out
+some problem.
+
+My mistress would sometimes take me in her arms and look into my eyes. I
+could feel that look right into my heart, and I know that I answered it,
+for she would say, "Oh, Daisy, you have given me an idea." And I would
+advise my friends, both young men and women, when you have some
+difficult problem or study, take your faithful friend, the cat, look
+deep into her eyes while you tell her your perplexity, and see if she
+does not help you solve the difficulty. There is an electric current
+that passes into your brain from hers, and clears away the mists from
+your understanding. Then your kindness to your dumb friend is rewarded
+by the success you deserve.
+
+There is another story I like very much. It is about a cat and a dog,
+and they lived in Beverly, in a very beautiful place quite near the
+shore.
+
+The dog's name was Watch, and the cat was named Chloe. Watch was not a
+handsome dog, but he was a faithful, good little fellow. He had very
+short legs (my mistress said, just like a cricket). He was a dark
+yellow, or what now is called a dull old gold. He had a very broad back,
+where Chloe could sit comfortably whenever she pleased.
+
+Watch was very humble, and believed in "woman's rights" evidently, for
+he never offered any resistance when Chloe saw fit to use him for an
+easy-chair. He would crouch down on his short legs, and solace himself
+with a good sleep--that was his panacea for every ill. But he never
+allowed his master, whom he worshipped, to take one step without rising
+and standing in respectful silence or following him at a distance. This
+was very exasperating to Chloe, for he would shake her off with scant
+ceremony to do honor to his master.
+
+But Chloe had no reverence or respect for anything but a good dinner.
+Many were the cuffs she gave poor Watch, which he bore meekly, because
+he would rise when his master appeared and disturb her sleep.
+
+He was really a refrigerator color. His fur was short and stiff, his
+ears were large and prominent, drooping, unless something unusual
+aroused him. Then his interest only lasted for a moment. He would
+relapse into the stolid, silent dog they all believed him to be. He
+identified himself with the family, though he did not join in their
+sports; but he always knew just what was going on, and would follow them
+at a distance wherever they would go.
+
+His master was his idol. He seemed to live for him alone. His bright,
+beadlike black eyes were always fixed on his master's face, and he knew
+every change of expression. His master would say, "Watch is the only one
+of my children with black eyes; he takes after me." Years after Watch
+died there were two little black-eyed girls born, but Watch could not
+enjoy the sight of them.
+
+Chloe was a calico cat, yellow, with patches of dark and white spots.
+She was not much prettier than Watch, but the children thought her
+beautiful and loved her dearly.
+
+Their father had made them a wooden doll, and they were as pleased with
+it as children of to-day are with the elegant creatures who can open and
+shut their eyes and squeak out "mamma" and "papa." The children had been
+brought up to enjoy and believe Bible stories, and they thought the
+highest honor they could give that doll was to call it by a Bible name.
+So, after a discussion, they named it Amminadab, for the very reason
+that it was very hard to pronounce and impossible to understand.
+
+Chloe and Watch were very good friends. To be sure, Watch never dared
+say his soul was his own in Chloe's presence. Possibly that was the
+reason they had peace.
+
+Chloe had a very roving disposition. Day after day she would go off into
+the woods near by, and then Watch would suffer great anxiety. He would
+go out into the road, and look up and down, and then indulge in a mild
+bark. He never would go to sleep till she returned, and would meet her
+with the greatest satisfaction, wagging his short tail and walking
+around her as if to say, "You _have_ come back, haven't you?" He
+delighted to see her run up trees, and would look up at her, and bark
+with pride, never at all jealous of her superiority.
+
+When the children went down to bathe, Watch would attend them as
+body-guard. They always carried their doll and gave her to Watch to take
+care of. They would place her on a high rock, while Watch would sit down
+beside her, with his paws on her dress, to keep her from falling off.
+They would say, "Watch, take good care of her," and then they were sure
+he would never leave her. Chloe did not often go with them, for cats do
+not like the water as dogs do; but she knew where they were and was very
+impatient for them to return.
+
+One day when their mother said, "Chloe, where are the children?" she ran
+down toward the water and back again several times.
+
+Their mother laughed, saying, "Go and bring them home." And sure enough,
+the children were amused to see Chloe on the rock by Watch's side. She
+took hold of Amminadab by her dress, and tried to pull her away from
+Watch. But here she was mistaken in thinking he would give her up. He
+held his ground. He had been told to guard that doll, and guard her he
+would. Chloe tugged at her dress, tearing it with her teeth, but he held
+on. Then she fell upon him, and cuffed and clawed him, while he tried to
+dodge her all he could; but at one hard blow, in defending himself, he
+loosened his hold a bit on Amminadab, and Chloe, with one good pull,
+gained the victory and ran home, dragging the poor doll over the ground,
+bumping her poor wooden head without mercy. This was too much for Watch.
+He ran in pursuit, but his short legs were no match for her long ones,
+and she reached home, dropping Amminadab on the threshold long before he
+arrived.
+
+Then ensued a fight to carry her back, and the master, who always took
+the part of Watch, had to separate them. He took the bone of contention
+into the house, and that settled it.
+
+They were sincere friends, however, and later on, when poor Watch was
+unfortunate, the good heart under Chloe's rough exterior was shown.
+Watch lost his hearing and then his eyesight, and it was then Chloe came
+to his aid. She helped him and seemed always to have the care of him on
+her mind. She hovered around him when carriages drove by, and he, not
+seeing or hearing them, would sit in their track. She would drag him
+away by the ear or push him away and share his danger. And he soon
+followed her slightest touch.
+
+She would often put his food under his nose, for he at last lost even
+his sense of smell. The sense of feeling he never lost, and would put
+out his paw, and his poor old heart would beat while he would give forth
+a cracked and feeble bark when his master touched him--loyal and
+faithful unto death!
+
+His master could not bear the thought of parting with him, though he
+knew it must be, for he was in danger of being killed all the time, and,
+having lost all his senses, he at last refused food, and they were
+obliged to "put him to rest." Chloe was inconsolable. She wandered about
+everywhere, searching for him.
+
+One day they saw her lying down on some shining object. They found it
+was an old collar belonging to Watch that she had found in the attic.
+She fought when they took it away from her; and when they returned it,
+she carried it out to the barn and put it in the corner where Watch used
+to lie.
+
+There were warm sunny places he had selected to rest himself in when he
+grew tired and sick, and Chloe went to every one of his old haunts and
+made her bed. She attached herself to the master just as Watch had done,
+and seemed overjoyed if he noticed her. Very soon the sympathy between
+them in their mutual loss made them real friends. He would talk to her
+about Watch, and she seemed to understand all he said. It was a real
+comfort to him.
+
+It is often said that a dog is more companionable than a cat, and has
+higher intelligence. That is not true. Cats fully understand everything
+that a dog does; but a dog is trained, and no one but a real cat lover
+would ever think of training a cat.
+
+Chloe never regained her bright spirits after the death of Watch. She
+did not wander off into the woods so often, attaching herself more to
+the children and her home. She followed the children like a shadow. She
+could play hide-and-seek in and out the pine trees, jumping out on them
+in real earnest, and was always the first one to find the hiding place.
+
+On the place was a real old-fashioned well. Chloe was very fond of that
+well, and the bucket was a real friend. Warm days she would lap the
+drops of water from its sides, for it was like ice water.
+
+One day a kitten belonging to a neighbor mounted on the side of the well
+and looked down with wonder into the boundless depth. It was a perilous
+seat. Chloe, not pleased at the kitten's rashness, ran around the well
+and in every way tried to call her down from her perch; but she was an
+obstinate little creature and took no notice of Chloe's evident
+distress. Finding moral suasion of no avail, quick as a flash she flew
+up, and, taking her by the nape of the neck, deposited her in safety on
+the grass, where they had a good romp together; and she never allowed
+that kitten to go near the well again without her company.
+
+The master would say, "We need not fear for the children; Chloe will
+never let them approach the well without her company."
+
+It was very funny, one day when the children, returning from a long
+tramp in the woods, discovered they had left Amminadab behind. There
+were lamentations loud and long; they were sure they would never again
+see their dear dolly. Their father asked them if Chloe was with them.
+Yes, they said, but they did not notice her coming home. Their father
+walked out into the road, looking in the direction the children had
+taken. Soon he espied a small cloud of dust and, as it came nearer, a
+small yellow object, dragging in its mouth something that retarded its
+progress very much. Soon poor Chloe arrived and laid Amminadab at the
+feet of her master. She had walked all the way from the pine woods,
+dragging that heavy wooden doll by the dress, which bore marks of her
+teeth, having to shut them tight to bear the strain of that weight. She
+had to take frequent rests, and Amminadab's head was covered with
+scratches from the stones she had bumped; but she was all there, and
+when Chloe laid her on the doorstep, she sat down panting and tired, but
+with the satisfaction of having done her duty just as Watch would have
+done.
+
+She was petted and praised. Her master brought her out a nice supper of
+fried fish, and she was perfectly happy. After she had acknowledged all
+their thanks, she washed her face (cats never pick their teeth in
+company) and laid herself down on a rug where Watch had enjoyed lying,
+and slept "the sleep of the just."
+
+She was faithful to the end. To the last day of her life she would never
+allow Amminadab to be left out of the house without the children, but,
+taking her in her mouth, would carry her in to her place in the
+playroom. She would pick up the children's clothes. If they dropped a
+ribbon or a bit of paper, she would be sure to pick it up and put it on
+a chair or sofa.
+
+She died peacefully, and her grave was made by the side of her friend
+Watch.
+
+It is certain that the family never had truer friends than this dog and
+cat. They all remember them, and count them with those loved ones of
+whom it is so comforting to say, "Not lost, but gone before."
+
+
+
+
+XXIII
+
+THE STORY OF BLACKIE
+
+
+One of our friends boarded in a family where cats were treated in a
+cruel manner. Often when my mistress visited her, the tales of woe about
+poor, ill-used cats made her very sad. Cats always found our friend's
+room, and proved very loving and grateful for her care. She kept them in
+her room all she could, always feeding them; and as she had her meals
+sent to her rooms, she had pieces of meat and always a plenty of milk to
+give them, and they were very thankful; they loved her dearly. She said
+they were hunted about, and never knew what it was to have a kind word
+spoken to them.
+
+One nice cat had several kittens that were kept for the little son of
+the family to abuse. One of them ran away from him, and was jammed into
+the crack of a door and killed. Another had its back broken under the
+rockers of a chair; while the boy had the third one by the tail,
+swinging it about, banging its head against door-steps, till its feeble
+moans made the neighbors call to him; and as he paid no heed to them,
+one good-hearted Irish girl rushed out and, with a good shake, took the
+kitten in, and ended its sufferings in a pail of water. You do not often
+see a real, true-hearted Irish girl that is cruel to animals.
+
+The mother of that boy never noticed any complaints made to her of her
+child's cruelty to animals. She allowed him to do as he pleased with his
+living playthings, regardless of their suffering.
+
+At last the cat ran away or was stolen, and my mistress's friend said
+she hoped they would never have another.
+
+A little sister had been born, and at an early age developed the same
+cruel traits that made her brother a terror to all animals. At last,
+after some months, they had a black kitten given them. She was about six
+months old, a beautiful black, and she had very sharp claws. Though the
+boy was obliged to keep away from her,--for she defended herself with
+her sharp claws,--her life was wretched. The first lesson she learned
+was to defend herself, and look upon every one as her enemy.
+
+She had not one friend. No one ever spoke a kind word to her, and she
+was given wretched food and bones, for the boy devoured every scrap
+usually given to a cat. Then she was hunted into the cellar to find
+rats, and her life was one long punishment. No resting place, no nice
+corner, or bed to call her own--she was an object of pity indeed.
+
+At last a gleam of light dawned on her darkened life. A mouse had been
+heard in the room of our friend, and Blackie was sent up to catch it.
+She cowered down in one corner, trembling all over, not knowing what
+would be done to her. When the lady took her on her lap, smoothed her
+soft fur, she seemed to realize that there was something besides kicks
+and blows for her. When laid on a soft wool shawl on the lounge, she
+testified her delight by "kneading up bread" on the shawl with her
+claws, till she was tired, then purred out her satisfaction, and at last
+indulged in a good sleep, though starting and trembling at every sound,
+for cats are all nerves and sensitive in the highest degree. That night
+she caught a mouse, and after that was allowed to sleep in the room for
+a long time, and she effectually cleared the place of them.
+
+When she slept downstairs again our friend had given them a box for her
+to sleep in, with old blanket pieces folded to make her comfortable.
+This was to be kept in the passageway just out of the kitchen, that she
+might keep the rats away.
+
+She had got so attached to her friend by this time that she did not
+relish being out of her room at all, and early in the morning she would
+be up at the door, crying like a child to be let in, if the door was
+closed.
+
+It was a very great trial to this kind-hearted lady, for she could not
+keep Blackie all the time, and knowing she would be away in summer some
+months, she was very unhappy about leaving Blackie. She tried to
+interest the people in the house in her, but it was of no use. The
+mistress of the house hated Blackie, frequently threatening to get rid
+of her. She dared not offend her boarder, so she contented herself with
+abuse of the poor cat on the sly. She did not half feed her, but the cat
+knew where she could always get food, for the kind friend would buy meat
+for her and feed her well. Blackie turned from them all. She did not
+believe in any one but her kind friend, so it was impossible to help
+her.
+
+All the lady could do when she went away was to speak for her to all of
+the people she could in the house, and to give the servants money to buy
+meat and to be kind to her. But she always left with a heavy heart.
+
+At last Blackie was to have her first kittens. She, with that rare
+instinct that cats have at such times, established herself on the lounge
+in her friend's room, and if not forcibly removed, would ignore her
+hunger rather than go down in quest of food. She was determined her
+kittens should be born in luxury and under the care of her kind friend.
+Her friend did not fail her. She provided a nice box, all lined and made
+soft inside; and although she could not have it in her room, she went
+down every night to see that Blackie was made comfortable.
+
+Poor Blackie! She had a determined will, and escaped from her box the
+night her kittens were born, and got up to her friend's door, where she
+cried, and then lay down as near the door as she could, and bore her
+pains in silence, like the patient creature she was.
+
+As soon as morning came she was carried down and put in her nice box
+with the seven little kittens she had borne. Her friend took care that
+they disposed of them humanely, keeping only one. Blackie never rested
+till she brought up that kitten and laid it in a large chair; then she
+felt relieved. She would take it up the two flights of stairs, then put
+it down at her friend's door, while she mewed and scratched till it was
+opened to her. She was very happy with her dear little kitten, and truly
+it was a lovely little creature--a real tiger-striped gray.
+
+Blackie was perfectly at home; she cast off the care of her kitten, and
+rested and got up her strength in this peaceful element. She had avoided
+the boy tyrant and hid her kitten away from him, and his mother dared
+not help him find it, fearing Blackie's friend.
+
+The kitten was just the smartest little creature. She soon got big
+enough to go up to her friend's door, and mew just like her mother, and
+she cuffed and fought Blackie in a way that proved she would be able to
+defend herself. Her mother was not so fond of her after she began to
+show her independence. She tried to keep her in subjection, but found
+her to be unmanageable. When she went out to parties nights, her mother
+was very morose over it; and when her first kittens were born, she
+disowned her altogether. She never would stay in the room with her.
+
+The little kittens were all four allowed to live, and were around the
+kitchen, under people's feet, abused by the children, and Kitty Gray, as
+the friend called her, was just wild to get them up into her room. But
+Blackie, their grandmother, drew the line here. She stood on the stairs,
+and Kittie Gray with her "No Name Series" (as Miss Milly called the
+kittens) were never allowed up there.
+
+Poor Kittie Gray! She could not understand it. She had had such a happy
+childhood, and now the change was fearful. From a bright, happy cat she
+became a snappish, nervous creature, all the time in fear for her
+kittens. Sometimes Blackie did try to save the poor little creatures
+from the children, but it was of no use. Their mother hated her because
+she had defended herself from that boy, and they kicked and cuffed her
+till she was obliged to abandon the wretched little creatures to their
+fate, and the boy and girl tortured them just as they pleased. Their
+mother said Blackie was a thief, stealing things to eat all the time,
+and she hated her. She said, as soon as her kittens were born, she would
+get rid of her.
+
+When the good friend of Blackie heard of it, she talked seriously to the
+woman. She told her that with her feelings she never ought to keep a
+cat. She said that Blackie had well paid for her home in keeping them
+free from rats. She said, "The cat would not steal if you would give her
+enough to satisfy her hunger." Then she tried superstition as a reason
+to be kind to her.
+
+"She is a black cat," she said, "and they are supposed to have the power
+of making or injuring your fortunes. There are people who would never
+dare turn a black cat from their home, and would consider it a mark of
+good fortune to have one an inmate of their family. If you get rid of
+Blackie, you will never prosper. At least," she said, "have it done
+mercifully."
+
+It did seem as if poor Blackie knew she was doomed. She never was like
+herself. Though she would go up to her friend's room and cry to be let
+in, she was very unhappy, and if any friends came in, she would run and
+hide, instead of remaining to be noticed as she had before. She was the
+most wretched cat, and all the petting her friend gave her was no
+comfort to her. She had a premonition of her fate. Kitty Gray dared not
+go near her, and it was between two fires that their kind friend lived
+at this time.
+
+She was away for two days, but the servant had promised to look after
+the cats and earn the money given her for that purpose. On the lady's
+return at night, as she had company, she had no chance to ask after
+Blackie. In the morning no little voice greeted her; and later, when she
+opened her door, Kitty Gray crept in alone. She looked frightened, and
+began hunting around the room, mewing piteously. She was dazed, poor
+little creature! by the scene she had witnessed.
+
+The lady said all at once a faintness came over her, and as she fell
+back on the lounge she seemed to realize what had taken place. She had
+not believed they would dare do this thing. She rang the bell several
+times; then the servant came up, looking very much frightened.
+
+"Maggie," said the lady, "where is Blackie?"
+
+The girl hesitated, but at last said, "She is given away."
+
+"That is not true; I want the whole story," said our friend.
+
+Maggie then said she had promised not to speak of Blackie.
+
+"Very well; you can send Miss M. to me, if she is in the house."
+
+Very soon the young lady from the next room came in. She said: "I was
+just coming in to tell you this sad story. I leave the house next week
+to go West. Had I not proposed going there, I should not have remained
+in this house another day. As it is, I have never been downstairs since
+you left, and I never shall go to that table again."
+
+Then she told her story. She said the night after our friend went away
+she saw Blackie at her door, and petted her and carried her down to her
+box and helped the girl give her some food. In the morning she did not
+get down to the table till late, and then there seemed something very
+unusual in the atmosphere of the house. She went out as usual to see
+Blackie, but the mistress of the house shut the door, saying, "That old
+black cat is dead, and I want to hear nothing about her." The young lady
+said she was so faint she ran upstairs to her room and burst out crying.
+
+Later, when the servant girl came up, she made her tell the story. She
+said the girl had been told that if she should let Blackie's friend know
+how she died, that she should lose her place, but the girl said, "I
+don't care. I hate her; and as soon as I can I will leave here."
+
+She said Blackie had four kittens. As soon as the last one was born, and
+poor Blackie lay back exhausted, this fiend in human shape, this cruel
+woman, took her and thrust her into a tub of water, holding her down
+with all her strength till her struggles and shrieks ended. It was a
+wholesale slaughter. Next she put the two good-sized kittens of Kitty
+Gray in, and then the four helpless ones of Blackie. The boy and girl
+looked on, dancing and yelling till the cries of the kittens were all
+still.
+
+The girl said she thought _Hell_ could not be worse than that scene.
+They were thrown into the city cart, a dreadful sight, and one
+calculated to harden the hearts of the children, who looked on at the
+exhibition of these neglected remains.
+
+The lady was speechless. She said she could not bear even to see Kitty
+Gray, and she wished the poor little creature had been destroyed with
+the others. She wrote a note, giving a week's notice that her rooms
+would be at liberty, sent for a carriage, and left the house. She sent a
+friend to pack her things, and never entered the house again. But she
+wrote a note to the woman, saying that she knew the laws of the land did
+not punish such crimes, but she said: "God will avenge that poor black
+creature; and the sight that you allowed your children to look upon, of
+wholesale cruelty, will prove a curse to them. You will never prosper."
+
+And she never has. The loss of her two best boarders, then the sickness
+and death of her husband, the children both of them with some
+troublesome disease all the time, filled her cup of woe. In one year's
+time her house was empty, and she was obliged to give it up. Wherever
+she is, the curse she brought on herself, in the murder of Blackie, will
+follow her forever; and she will yet see her children made to suffer for
+the cruel natures she encouraged in them.
+
+Many a murderer can trace back his first wrong act to just such crimes
+as this one. The first lessons in cruelty are the ones to be dreaded;
+the children cannot reason, and they follow the example of those older
+than themselves, and their hearts harden, and no later instructions will
+ever counteract their influence. And soon the teaching in our
+institutions supplement their home lessons of cruelty, and they are
+ready for the pastime of vivisection. No wonder that they are adepts in
+this criminal abuse of creatures in their power. And God suffers it just
+as he allows men and women to follow their wicked natures and commit
+crimes for which they have to pay the penalty. I heard my mistress say
+this, and I did comprehend it; therefore I do not hesitate to write it
+even if it does sound too deep for a cat. There are cats--and _cats_,
+and I am of the second kind.
+
+I have told you the story of Blackie that you may know what is passing
+around you all the time. It is heartrending to see the poor cats
+stealing about, trembling and hiding at the sound of a footstep. Half
+starved and homeless, what can they do but steal, to satisfy the pangs
+of hunger? Think how many people steal dress and jewels to decorate
+their sinful bodies, while cats are satisfied with the forms and clothes
+their Maker gave them; and they keep themselves clean without the
+expense of a ticket to the public bath-houses.
+
+There is much said about not giving to the poor, for fear of encouraging
+laziness. There, again, cats are superior to the human race. You never
+find a lazy cat. Give a cat a home, enough to eat, and then give her
+work to do, to clear your house of rats, and she will spend days
+patiently watching, allowing nothing to divert her attention till she
+has accomplished her task, and the rats are all killed or driven away.
+
+And they feel well paid by kind words. Cats are invaluable to amuse
+babies, if you will trust them. I heard a lady say that her baby she
+left for hours, with the cat sitting on its little crib. She did not
+like the idea of nurse bottles, as she nursed her baby (that being the
+fashion at that time); and as baby must have something to go to sleep
+on, she made of pounded cracker and sugar a pap and put it into little
+pieces of muslin tied around with a string. It was about as big as a
+cherry, and the long ends of muslin would prevent the baby from
+swallowing it. He would go off to sleep contentedly with that comforter
+in his mouth. Nino had looked on with wide open eyes and even ventured
+to smell of the little comforters.
+
+One day, hearing the baby cry after a good long hour's sleep, the mother
+went in, and saw one of the funniest sights. She said the baby was
+crying, but Nino was lying on her side, with the little comforter in her
+mouth. From the noise she made and the satisfied expression on her face
+there is no doubt she enjoyed it, just as one does a new discovery in
+cooking. When her mistress took it away from her, she made great
+resistance. After that, when the baby had his comforter, she always laid
+a fresh one by the side of Nino--a very satisfactory move for her.
+
+She trusted Nino with the children, and Pussy seemed to find as much
+pleasure in playing with them as she would have found with cats. There
+was never any nice thing given to the children of which Nino was not
+given her portion. They never enjoyed their own unless Nino had her full
+share.
+
+Cats are invaluable in stores. There is no doubt they often prevent
+robberies and protect their master's property. In a grocery store they
+do good service. They keep away rats and save a great deal from
+destruction.
+
+A nice grocer told my mistress that he would not take any sum of money
+for his cat. He had a very large gray cat, and he might always be seen
+walking about as if master of the store. His bright ribbon bow on his
+neck made him doubly attractive to all the children around. He walked
+over the boxes and cases, with velvet paws, and never was known to break
+or destroy anything. He would lie quite happy in the window where the
+sun came on him and would sleep for hours. But let any one presume on
+his not hearing, and he would find a very wide-awake cat.
+
+Dick never allowed cats to visit at the store. He would drive them out
+with tooth and nail. But he evidently visited his own friends, for some
+days he would be away for hours, though he never was absent nights, his
+master seeing that Dick was in his box, on his rug, before he closed the
+store.
+
+The grocer's daughter was very fond of cats, and Dick was a prime
+favorite. One evening, on returning home, she found a little kitten on
+the doorstep. It was not more than two days old. It appealed to her
+heart at once, and she decided to keep it. She gave it some milk in a
+saucer, but it did not know how to lap it, and she gave it a few drops
+on her finger. From the way it drew her finger into its mouth she got an
+idea. She had seen dolls' nurse bottles, and she bought one, filled it
+with milk just warm, and the little kitten took to it at once. It was so
+happy, sleeping peacefully with that bottle in its mouth, that every one
+who saw it was delighted. One friend suggested that the girl should
+exhibit the kitten in the window of her father's store.
+
+It was a dear little black and white kitten, and lying in a basket lined
+with blue, a blue ribbon on its neck, and the nurse bottle in its mouth,
+it was a lovely sight. A place was made in the large window, a big box
+put in, and the basket put on it, and then the crowd were treated to
+this little show. Not only children, but men and women, crowded the
+sidewalk; and the exclamations of delight and admiration proved how deep
+a hold cats have on real true hearts. The grocer facetiously reminded
+them that as they had all enjoyed this free show, they might now come in
+and patronize him, saying milk was expensive, and nurse bottles consumed
+a great deal of the best; that now he had an extra mouth to feed, he
+must get more custom. His joke was appreciated, and in a very few days
+he found that the increase of trade, due to the charming picture in his
+window, was really worth the experiment. And after the people had once
+bought of him, his kind heart and the very nice quality of his goods
+made them friends and customers from that time.
+
+But Dick! Wasn't he as mad as a March hare. He looked upon the nurse
+bottle as an infernal machine, and the little orphan as a fraud. He
+would not go near the basket, but took a seat where he could measure
+every drop of milk that was consumed; and although he had always scorned
+milk as too weak for him, he would hang around the milk-can, and once,
+when it was not given to him, he threw over the can, spilling all the
+milk, and then walked away, as if to say, "Now I hope you will give me
+my share." And they never after that overlooked him, for he developed
+quite a love for what he had before despised.
+
+His master said he had every reason to be grateful to cats as well as
+fond of them, for they cleared his store of rats; and one large yellow
+cat he had when he first kept a store, had saved him from being robbed.
+The thief had got in through a window, and had made some excellent
+selections from the boxes and cases, when the cat, seated on a high
+shelf, knocked over a tin cracker box, and that fell against another,
+and down went the whole shelf of tins, with a noise like thunder. The
+man fled, leaving his tools behind him, probably thinking the store was
+filled with armed men. Pretty good work for one cat!
+
+It seems to me the best combination a safe could have would be a dog and
+a cat. At the least provocation they would fight, and this would
+intimidate intruders.
+
+
+
+
+XXIV
+
+RETRIBUTION
+
+
+A great deal has been said about chloroforming animals. I should prefer
+this mode of leaving the world to any other. Miss Eleanor was so unhappy
+over hanging, that the desire to have criminals disposed of in that way
+was one of her often expressed wishes. If it must be that one murder
+should follow another,--"a life for a life,"--why should it be a cruel
+one? Justice would be satisfied.
+
+Miss Milly said, "Oh, that would not be satisfactory to those who
+delight in punishing their fellow-creatures."
+
+While the law will allow such exhibitions, reserved seats, and tickets
+to witness the taking of life, and all the etiquette of a first-class
+bull fight in Spain, just so long will they persevere in the most
+barbarous way of taking life. It is murder just the same, however it is
+done.
+
+Sometimes we really see retribution follow crime. There is no doubt it
+is always punished, though it is not given to us to know how it is done.
+In the story I am about to relate we can plainly see just how swiftly
+retribution followed the sin.
+
+A friend told my mistress the tale, and it made my hair stand on end. I
+suffered so deeply in thinking about it that I know I can tell it in a
+forcible manner. Tales of this kind, however we may dislike to hear
+them, must be put in black and white before we can reach the hearts of
+those in whose power rests the future of that crime called vivisection.
+
+Millions of innocent victims are offered up every year in the name of
+science. It is simply pandering to the low animal craving for cruelty.
+No man or woman can witness the torturing of helpless creatures and come
+out of the ordeal innocent. Why is the cannibal worse than the doctor
+who uses his knife on helpless creatures, teaching a class of young
+people to do likewise? Is life safe when the fiendish craving to operate
+comes upon him? Would his wife or his child be sacred? Would he not
+practise on them?
+
+And now, as this all-absorbing subject has driven me all around "Robin
+Hood's barn," I will tell my story. An elderly lady who was very fond of
+cats told the story to her daughter, and from her it came to my
+mistress. A niece of this lady, a beautiful girl, had married a young
+doctor. Her friends were not pleased with the match, but could not
+influence her. She was young, beautiful, and rich. She was her own
+mistress, being an orphan, and under no obligation to obey her aunt
+unless she would do so willingly. It is a very true saying that love is
+blind. She could see no flaw in her idol.
+
+For two years she travelled in Europe with her aunt, the separation
+being a great trial to the lovers. On her return they were married, and
+his devotion made her life perfect. When their first child was expected,
+they felt that nothing would be wanting to complete their happiness.
+
+One year from the date of their marriage she died, and a few hours after
+her beautiful little son followed her. Her husband was prostrated with
+grief, and in two months from the day of her death he left his home and
+sought in travel to forget his sorrow. Three years after, he died in
+Rome, of fever.
+
+His friends believed he had recklessly thrown away his life. Without his
+wife he cared not to live. But there was a mystery that many friends
+suspected, but the truth was never made public. The aunt held the key to
+the mystery and revealed the sorrowful secret to her daughter.
+
+Alice was one of the most sensitive girls. She never would tolerate a
+falsehood. She had one master passion, and that was love of animals. Her
+horse knew her voice and would follow her about like a dog. But of all
+her pets, she loved cats the best.
+
+Some time before her engagement to Dr. G. she had a beautiful little
+kitten. She seemed to live for that little creature. It was always in
+her arms and seemed to know as much as a child. When it was eight months
+old it disappeared under the most mysterious circumstances. Search was
+made, and great rewards were offered, but all of no avail. She mourned
+for it, and had it been a child she could not have suffered more.
+
+She fell ill of low fever, and her friends were very anxious about her.
+They never mentioned Little Blossom to her, and she never had another
+cat. After her engagement and marriage she was very happy, but never
+could speak to her husband about her loss, and he knew nothing of her
+love for Little Blossom. They were seldom separated, but two months
+before her death her husband left her to visit a patient in a
+neighboring town.
+
+As she was well and cheerful, he did not feel any hesitation at leaving
+her, though he expected to be away all day. He was surprised, on his
+return, that his wife was not watching for him as usual. He ran up to
+their room and, finding the door locked, called to his wife to open the
+door. Receiving no answer, he was alarmed and, going through his
+dressing-room, entered the room. The odor of chloroform caused his heart
+to stand still with fear. His wife lay on the lounge insensible.
+
+He threw open the windows and used every means in his power to restore
+her, and she at last revived. With a look of horror she recoiled from
+him, releasing herself from his arms in frantic haste. He thought she
+had lost her reason, and when she again became unconscious he took her
+in his arms and carried her into her room, where he laid her on the
+couch, and she soon revived. Very tenderly he soothed her, asking her
+why she had used a dangerous thing like chloroform so recklessly. He
+remembered that she had, before her marriage, used it for neuralgia, but
+since he had the care of her he had never allowed it.
+
+She looked with a dazed expression. She trembled all over if he touched
+her, and made no answer to his words of tenderness. He telegraphed for
+one of the best physicians and a nurse. And then, with the aid of her
+maid, who was very much attached to her mistress, he made her as
+comfortable as possible.
+
+The maid could give no explanation of the cause of her sickness. Her
+mistress had received several letters, and had been shut up in her room
+writing for some hours. She had taken her some toast and tea, though she
+did not care to take it. She thought she had taken a chill, for she was
+shivering and looked very white. She said she would sleep, and did not
+wish to be disturbed. So the maid left her, and had heard nothing of her
+since, till called by him on his return.
+
+Though conscious when the doctor and nurse came, she closed her eyes and
+never spoke a word. After an examination the doctor said, "She has
+evidently received some shock that has unbalanced her mind." He advised
+her husband to keep away from her, as the moment he came near her she
+trembled and shrunk away from him.
+
+It was torture to her husband, but his knowledge taught him that the
+doctor was right--that the nearest and dearest are always turned from by
+the diseased mind. Though he never left the dressing room, he kept out
+of her sight.
+
+Two days from the time she was taken sick she died, and her little son
+followed her a few hours after. She never spoke to them, though they
+believed her to be conscious. Their agony and grief did not move her at
+all, and in the last few hours convulsions prevented any attempt to make
+her speak.
+
+This was a crushing blow to her husband. To lose her without one word
+prostrated him. He was to know a deeper sorrow--one that would admit of
+no consolation. It was a long time before he could look over her papers;
+but at last it was necessary, and he aroused himself. Then came
+retribution indeed.
+
+A package met his eye, on opening her desk, directed to him in the
+handwriting of his wife. The date on the outside convinced him that she
+had written it soon after he had left her that fatal morning. It
+contained a letter in a masculine hand, but the letter from his wife he
+read first.
+
+From that moment his life was ended. He spoke to no one of his friends
+of his sorrow, giving the charge of their home into the hands of the
+aunt with whom his wife had lived, and then he left his home, to travel
+alone.
+
+The letter from his wife, and the one she had received that had caused
+all her sorrow, was sent to her aunt, at his death, with a letter he had
+also written. The letter from his wife explained all. She wrote him that
+after reading the enclosed letter all love for him had died out of her
+heart, leaving only disgust. She could not endure the thought of him as
+her husband. She was determined rather than live with him she would take
+her own life and her child's. She could read only cruel thoughts in his
+face, and her life would be filled with the dread that she and her child
+would be subjects for his knife.
+
+"My dear Little Blossom was like a child, and I can see her delicate
+limbs quivering while you tortured her. I should go mad to live with
+you, for her dear little face would always be before me."
+
+She had evidently fought with her weakness, to finish her letter, for
+the writing was almost unintelligible.
+
+He at once recognized the handwriting of the other letter, and he knew
+that there was no appeal from the truth. He could only say in anguish of
+heart, "It is just." The letter was directed to her, in her maiden name,
+and had been forwarded to her by her aunt. By some mistake it was over a
+year since it had been written, and with other papers was found by her
+aunt when she opened her house after a long absence.
+
+It was from one of her old friends, a gentleman of high standing,
+holding a very important position in a neighboring city. The news of her
+marriage had never reached him, else the letter would never have been
+written. He had known her from childhood and had loved her hopelessly.
+His letter stated the fact that a power stronger than his own will
+obliged him to write to her, and save her from marriage with a man who
+would surely make her unhappy.
+
+"If I cause you great sorrow, in this terrible relation, it may save you
+from a life-long unhappiness. Doctor L., my cousin, whom you well know,
+is my authority, and will swear to the truth of my story. Willard C.,
+your little friend and neighbor, will also vouch for its accuracy, for
+he took an active part in the scene of which I write.
+
+"Dr. L., as you well know, is a classmate of the man to whom you are
+engaged. And as he was a frequent visitor at your home, and a great
+friend of your aunt, you will know there is no appeal against his
+report. He returned from Germany last week, and when he asked my sister
+regarding news of his old friends, she spoke of your engagement.
+
+"'Impossible,' he exclaimed, 'of all things this is the most
+unaccountable.'
+
+"'Why?' said my sister; 'they are very fond of each other, and you are
+not so shabby, because you have broken with him, to grudge him his
+happiness, for he is devoted to her. You will admit it is a good match.'
+
+"'Yes,' he said, 'so it looks to the world, but he never ought to marry
+her.'
+
+"Then he changed the subject, though my sister tried to get at his
+reason for speaking in this manner. After she left us, I at once
+insisted on an explanation. Then to my horror and disgust I heard this
+fearful story.
+
+"My cousin said: 'You know my love of animals and my opposition to
+vivisection. I have never allowed myself to listen to or assist in any
+act of this nature. You know my intimacy with Dr. G., and I never for
+one moment suspected him of the cruelty of which I proved him guilty.
+
+"'Visiting Alice M. so often, I knew all her feelings in regard to
+animals, and I knew that her love for cats was the master passion of her
+life. Her last pet was a beautiful little kitten. You surely remember
+it? She called it Little Blossom.
+
+"'One evening I called on her and learned from the servant that Miss
+Alice had been ill for some days.
+
+"'On my way home I had to pass Dr. G.'s office, and as I had some
+business with him, I thought I would call. I found him very busy. Two
+young students were waiting to accompany him to the classroom. He
+invited me to go with them, saying, "We have a most interesting subject
+to-night." I never thought to ask the nature of the study, and finding
+an old friend in the outer room, I remained talking with him.
+
+"'Soon cries the most agonizing came from the next room, and my friend,
+an old physician said: "This is hellish work! G. is a fiend when he is
+at it. I must go and prevent all the cruelty I can."
+
+"'Some power stronger than my own will made me follow him. Dr. G. was
+the actor in one of the cruellest cases of vivisection. A lovely little
+kitten about eight months old, a pet kitten evidently, he was torturing,
+without the least pretence of anaesthetic. Its cries were fearful, but
+there was no release for it. I cried to him to give it something to
+deaden the pain, but he was deaf to my request. If ever a man's face was
+transformed to that of a demon, it was that man's.
+
+"'Two of the students, to their credit be it said, turned away sick and
+faint, while one of them, Willard C. cried out, "My God! it is Alice
+M.'s pet, Little Blossom."
+
+"'I gave one spring forward, and--yes, it indeed was dear Little
+Blossom, her lovely eyes starting from her head, her soft fur matted
+with blood, while her intestines were exposed to his cruel hand, to be
+tortured. I tore a long scarf from my neck, and finding a bottle of
+chloroform near, I saturated it with it and covered the dear little
+kitten, holding it down with my breast till every sound was still. It
+was a fearful task, for I was almost overpowered by the chloroform, and
+Dr. G. fell upon me like a madman despoiled of his prey. But others came
+to my aid, and Willard C. took the body of the little victim, saying he
+would bury it himself.
+
+"'To Dr. G. I said: "I will never take your hand again in friendship.
+Professional honor requires silence, and in this case sympathy with the
+owner or the victim will allow you to escape punishment. You know there
+is a law against taking a pet animal."
+
+"'He was in a great rage, saying, "That is not your business. I bought
+her of a boy, supposing she was his property. I do not think you are
+much of a doctor if you shrink from procuring the knowledge so necessary
+to science, however painful the ordeal."
+
+"'"Never would I be a doctor," I answered, "if I must also be a fiend.
+Heaven grant you may never have wife or child, for they would not be
+safe from you, if you needed subjects."
+
+"'He laughed a scornful laugh, saying, "My wife, if I ever have one,
+will be obliged to you."
+
+"'And now, great Heaven! he is engaged to the loveliest and dearest
+woman I ever knew, and she is the mistress of Little Blossom whom he
+murdered.'
+
+"'It must be prevented,' I said, as soon as I could control my feeling,
+for the fearful tale my cousin had so feelingly related, made me sick.
+'She shall never be his wife. I will prevent it, even though I have to
+tell her this heartrending story. If she should discover the truth after
+her marriage, it would kill her.'
+
+"I could not sleep that night. I could see Little Blossom in your arms,
+with her blue bow on her neck, just under one ear, and I could feel her
+soft little paws, when she would give them to me when you told her to. I
+could hear you say: 'Jack, I love her better than I could love a child.
+If anything should happen to her, it would kill me, for I mean to keep
+her all my life.'
+
+"And then the face of that man, as he bent over that innocent little
+creature! Even when she tried to lick his hand it did not touch his
+heart.
+
+"Can you blame me for telling you this? I know you so well that I do not
+fear that the loss of such a fiend will ever trouble you. I know your
+love will die at once, and Little Blossom will be avenged. And I cannot
+answer to my conscience if I allow you to marry this man. Wife or child
+would not be safe with a man who has entered into this compact with
+Satan, called vivisection. Let no mother ever trust her boy after he has
+willingly assisted in this cruel pastime.
+
+"Show him this letter, if you wish, and Willard C. will tell you where
+he made the grave of your dear little pet."
+
+After Dr. G. read that letter he no longer needed a clew to the loss of
+wife and child. Little Blossom was avenged. But at what a fearful cost!
+
+There are often advertisements seen in the daily papers and great
+rewards offered for lost pets,--dogs and cats. Never expect to find
+them. The doctors will pay more than the offered reward for nice,
+well-cared-for dogs and cats; and boys have no regard for those who feel
+the loss of their pets. It is to get the highest price.
+
+Is it not the duty of every one who can have influence to use it in
+behalf of the dumb creatures who appeal to their mercy? They cannot
+speak for themselves.
+
+
+
+
+XXV
+
+EVENTIDE
+
+
+We are still in our pleasant rooms, and life is very quiet and happy.
+Each day I grow less able to go about. I have no inclination to leave
+our nice room. It is really true I am growing old. I can hear only in
+one ear; but, oh my, don't I hear quickly in the other! The sense of
+smell has grown stronger. I think I could smell a rat one mile away. My
+eyesight is good. I do not believe even a Boston-born cat ever wears
+glasses. Their literary tendencies do not need to be advertised by
+glasses.
+
+But alas! there are other indications of old age. I love to lie quiet,
+looking in the fire, where I see pictures of the past. My appetite is
+good, but I am very particular about my food, and if it does not please
+me, I am irritable. Unless the boys or some friends I love come in, I do
+not feel inclined to make myself agreeable. It is a real pleasure when
+Will takes me on his knee, and I can stick my claws in, just as I used
+to, scratching gently, while he says, "Oh, Daisy, you are at your old
+tricks!"
+
+But it makes me sad after they have gone. I look in the fire and see the
+dear little boys of long ago, dressed so cunning and always so full of
+fun. To know that they are no longer mine! These smart young men have
+taken their places. Then, indeed, I feel I am an old cat and nearing the
+end. I have learned now the meaning of "the beginning of the end." I
+realize that I must finish my book at once, before I get too old to
+write at all. My thumb is rather stiff and rheumatic, and my "index
+claw" not quite as sharp a pen as it used to be, but I think I shall be
+able to finish my work.
+
+There is one thing very true. No one realizes my great age. Friends come
+in daily, and say, "Oh, Daisy, how lovely you are! and your tail is just
+perfect." Of course I know it is true. My tail is just lovely, and my
+fur is as soft and luxuriant as it was years ago. But when they say,
+"_She_ is beautiful," that arouses all the "old cat Adam" in me, for I
+suppose that is the part of us that dies last. After having all my life
+behaved like a gentleman, with all his virtues, and none of his vices,
+now, in my old age, to be called "She" is more than I can bear. The
+advanced woman cat may, like her superiors, have a desire to be men; but
+no gentleman cat would ever care to change his nature or sex. Just
+because my name is Daisy, they seem to think I am a "Miss Nancy," and
+adapt their conversation to suit an inferior intellect.
+
+One young girl came to visit us one day, and we were tired enough of
+her. She had no brains and soon used up all her small talk. Then she
+gushed over me. It made me sick. I opened my eyes wide at her. This
+pleased her so much that she nodded just like a donkey, and clucked at
+me just as if she thought me a hen. Then she repeated that awful silly
+thing with no sense in at all:--
+
+    "'Pussy Cat, Pussy Cat, where have you been?'
+    'I've been to London to see the Queen.'"
+
+Her voice was thin and pitched high, and it made me tired and cross. She
+looked for approval and got disappointed. I backed away from her and
+swelled up my tail till it was as big as a muff. She was rather
+frightened, but my two friends laughed. They understood that I was
+insulted by such childish nonsense. As if I had a mind no deeper than
+that silly stuff!
+
+I wanted her to know that "Washington" and the "President of the United
+States" and his wife would be much more attractive to me.
+
+London and the Queen! There are snobs enough to visit them without a cat
+joining the crowd. I have no doubt the Queen is a nice old lady, but
+then there are so many nicer ones who earn their own living that I can
+see every day. Such a journey would be useless. I have never heard she
+was fond of cats. If she had been, they might be treated better by those
+who follow after and pin their faith on royalty.
+
+I did get very nervous over that silly "Pussy Cat." It ran in my head,
+and my nice fire pictures were filled with the maudlin trash. And I was
+heartily glad when Miss Eleanor said, "Now we will have a little of
+Dickens to clear the atmosphere." That calmed my nerves, and I fell
+asleep, and I also fell off of the hassock, where I had perched myself.
+
+The other day I heard Miss Milly say that she scarcely ever took up a
+paper without finding some interesting anecdote of a dog or cat. Miss
+Eleanor said, "What interesting stories we could tell of the pets we
+have known!"
+
+I just laughed to myself, thinking how surprised they would be when they
+found my manuscript containing many of their nice stories. I never
+forget stories I hear, and I hear many I would like to repeat if I had
+space. Here is one, however, I cannot overlook.
+
+A friend of ours had a beautiful maltese cat named Primrose. Primrose
+had four kittens. They were just perfect, and she was very proud of
+them. The mistress decided to keep them all, for the children were
+delighted with them. As they were living that summer in a large old
+farmhouse, they had plenty of room. Primrose had a large clothes-basket
+for her nursery, with a nice rug inside. A more luxurious place could
+not have been found for a home. Indeed, had she been a society cat,
+feeling the necessity of giving importance to her home, she would, like
+"human society people," have called her home "Catmore," "The Mewes," or
+"Pussy Villa." But she was content to call it what it really was,--a
+good homelike clothes-basket, with beauty and goodness enough inside to
+allow of its being nameless.
+
+One day one of the children tied a red ribbon around the neck of
+Primrose. She looked so charming that the other children gave up their
+pretty hair ribbons to decorate the kittens. There were pink, blue, and
+yellow. The fourth one was red, like the mother's. It was a beautiful
+sight. The basket looked like one huge bouquet.
+
+Primrose was away when they were decorated, and on her return she looked
+with surprise at the brilliant objects in her home. She gave one "cat
+call" of surprise. This aroused the kittens, and they climbed up the
+side of the basket and mewed for their dinner. Primrose looked at each
+one, as if to make sure they were her kittens. Then she jumped into the
+basket, boxed all their ears, and tore off every ribbon, with the
+exception of the red one like her own. This was her way of saying;
+"Stick to your mother's color; it is red. I will not allow children of
+mine to indulge in such foolish masquerading!" She only made them
+naughty little kittens, for they did crowd their little sister, with the
+red ribbon, almost out of the basket. They whispered and licked and
+played with each other, but would not speak to her.
+
+The next day, however, the children, finding that Primrose preferred her
+own taste in ribbons to theirs, brought red ribbons for them all. Then
+the mother was satisfied. Was not that a proof that Primrose could tell
+one color from another?
+
+I have one great pleasure--I can go out every fair day. I climb on the
+fence, but do not go away from our garden: for in the next house is a
+dog, and he is a poor, evil-dispositioned creature. He seems to hate me.
+Why he should want to make me answerable for his unhappiness, I cannot
+understand. Just as soon as I appear on the fence, he barks and barks
+till all the neighborhood is disturbed. I do not notice him, for I know
+it is a free country, and I have as good a right to the fence as he has
+to his garden.
+
+Norah, the girl where we live, is very kind to me. She keeps the window
+open, and I can jump in just when I please. The good kind old "gentleman
+of the house" speaks very kindly to me, and I know he understands me,
+for one day when I reached over when that dog was barking, and hissed
+right in his face once or twice just to aggravate him, this nice old
+gentleman laughed, and said, "Smart Daisy!" And I enjoyed it. When I got
+over my madness at night, all alone in my basket, all asleep around me,
+I did think how sad it was, when I ought to be at peace with all the
+world, knowing that my life would soon end, to go and irritate that poor
+dog by hissing at him; it made me feel ashamed. But then, I suppose I
+shall do it again unless I stay in when he barks.
+
+There was a very nice cat belonging to some people who had recently
+moved into one of the houses near. He was a real "out and outer." I
+never heard such a voice or such sentiments before. He said he wanted to
+kill! It was his mission! Let the rats and mice in the neighborhood
+beware! He was there. That was enough; they were doomed. He would make
+that back yard a battle-field.
+
+I was carried right off my feet by his eloquence. "Good heavens!" I
+thought, "is his name 'Gladstone' or 'Bismarck'? What a loss to me! I
+shall never find another rat; he will kill them all."
+
+When weeks and weeks passed on, and I had killed a few, though I did not
+tell him, he blustered so, I thought he had killed dozens. The nice cat
+in the next house told me that he had never killed one. She said, "He is
+a real coward." He is just like some men--all talk and brag, "great cry
+and little wool."
+
+I did like that cat. She said she was very soon going into the country
+to live. She preferred it to the city. She said where she had lived
+there were six cats. She liked them, but preferred a change. They were
+all old cats and did not care to play. Three of them had no teeth, and
+all the soft pieces of meat were given to them. But they were very poor
+company. She could not help them, and was glad of a change; it was too
+much like "The Old Ladies' Home" for her. One of them, she said, was so
+crazy after valerian that it was given to her all the time, and it made
+her just ugly and very quarrelsome.
+
+"Well," I remarked, "I am very glad to know of cats that are cared for.
+There are enough suffering around us to make our hearts ache."
+
+"Yes," she said, "and I could tell you tales that would chill your
+blood."
+
+I begged her not to. I told her I had seen enough to make me very
+unhappy, as I could not help them; but she would tell me one.
+
+She said: "On this very street I saw a nicely dressed young man chase a
+poor cat, a half-starved creature, into a sewer hole and beat her in
+with his cane; then some boys joined him, and the boys filled in the
+opening and stayed there shouting and yelling till she must have been
+suffocated. And this fiend in shape of man came away, laughing. If we
+could read the papers and knew his name," she added, "probably we should
+read he had battered his wife's head with a shovel or killed his old
+father."
+
+I went home with a heavy heart. I had not felt well for some time, and I
+could not bear to live in such a wicked world. I did not look out of the
+window very often, for fear I should see that sewer hole and the ghost
+of that poor cat peeping out.
+
+I cannot help them. All I can think of to comfort me is that I am with
+people who have all their lives done all they could to help and protect
+the poor and afflicted, and every animal they could do for has been made
+happy. And I rest in peace, for I believe that a higher power has guided
+me, a poor cat, to write this little book, that my life and the many
+tales of woe I have listened to and here repeat may go forth and do
+their mission.
+
+I feel that the end is near, and I know that the loving care I have had
+through my happy life will be mine, for I know we shall meet again. I
+shall watch for my loved ones at the gate of Paradise.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+It is eventide. The glowing tints have faded from my life picture, but
+the beautiful twilight remains. And when I have crossed to the "golden
+shore," I hope my memory will come back to my loved ones like the
+beautiful afterglow of a perfect sunset.
+
+To all the dear friends who have known and loved Daisy I would say an
+affectionate good-by till we meet again.
+
+
+THE END
+
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+  Transcriber notes
+
+  Obvious spelling and punctuation errors repaired.
+
+  Both "boot-jacks" and "bootjacks" used in this text. Bootjack used.
+
+  Both "life-long" and "lifelong" used in this text. Life-long used.
+
+  Numerous mismatch quote errors ignored.
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Daisy, by Miranda Eliot Swan
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