Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1871-03-09
KITTY'S LETTER.

Lulu and her little brother Karl had a
kitten. She was q graceful, frolicsome,
| lively little creature, and specially addicted
! to running round after her own tail. AS
| she never could catch it, the interest OF
the pursuit never abated. For you see il
! she had once caught it she would have
found out that it was only her own tail
and not wonderful meteor, and she would
have found, moreover, that her own tail
was not convenient plaything In this
respect she was like some young people
that | know of, who are always on the
chase after something that they cannot
get, and very soon tire of everything that
they can get.
But must tell you about Kitty's letter
In these days, you know, everybody takes
to writing Old ladies and young ladies
and little girls and little boys all try their
hands, so that the world is in fair way OF
knowing just how it looks to everybody
and why should not Kitty have her turn?
At all events, one morning Karl and
Lulu found the following letter tied round
her neck with a blue ribbon.
Did Kitty write 1t? What did she write
it within Did she tie it round her own
necky And where did she get the rib
bOng
Patience, my dear little folks-how
should know everything? If Kitty didn't
write the letter who did and how should
| know where she got her ink and paper ?
All know is, that Karl and Lulu came
scamperng to their mamma (who perhaps
knew better with the following letter:
| My DEAR Folks IN THE WORLD
You think you know great deal, and
perhaps you do, but there is one thing you
| don't know, and that is how kittens feel.
People think that never have any cares
or troubles because | go racketing round
SO, but kittens fur may often cover deep
sorrow.
In the first place let me ask you, Karl
and Lulu, how would you like it if great
giant six feet high could catch you up any
minute, and whirl you over and hang you
with your head downward, or tumble you
over on your back, and roll you round as
if you were so much hay? Well, that is
the way am treated half the time No
body ever considers what want Nobody
ever says, Here, Pussy, would you like
to be taken up?' or, viii you please TO
let mcy but they catch me aud do all sorts
of things to me without even saying :" by
| your leave"
Haven't kittens some rights that children
| arc bound to respect? have had hard
and suffering life, can tell you, frisky as
seem. The first ] can remember | was
taken, mewing and screaming, from my
dear mother, and given TO lady who
wanted plaything for her dear Billy.
Billy used TO carry me round under his
arm with my head hanging down till all
the blood ran into it, and verify thought
should die. When he felt atlectiOnate he
used to squeeze me till l yelled with pain.
He used to pull me out and double me up
as if had been mOlasses candy, and when
| cried and scratched, all the comfort got
was that mamma would say, Dear little
Billy, how afraid / am he may get
scratchedi A kitten amuscs him so, that
like to have him have her, but at the same
time am afraid she may hurt him."
| Dear little Billy had temper of his
own, can tell you. When nurse wanted
to brush his hair, or when she took papa's
razor away, which he had helped himself
TO, then Master Billy would grow red in
the face, and throw himself on the floor,
and kick and scratch like little fiend.
"Get him the kittenl"1 m#Hifna would
| say. Where's Billy's kitten2" Then |
would be given him TO torment; he would
throw me across the floor, pull my tail,
in other ways work off his spite on me-
81 do believe, ma'am, he'll kill that
kitten some day, nurse vcntured to say.
90, no matter, there are plenty more il
he does" says mamma.
How / used TO hate the little monster
and wish great big king cat, lion cat,
might get him and shake and box him
round as he did mel suppose if lion
should give Billy to her cubs to amuse
them when they were out of temper there
would be no end of wailing and weeping,
but for my part don't see but 1t would be
tolerably fair proceeding. What right
had she to use me for plaything for her
dear little Billy? But little Billy was
SO convinced that / was made for his
amusement that every day he invented q
new thing to do with me- He put me In q
box with stones and ratified me. He
threw me into tub Of water to see II
could swim, and kept me half drowning
there till Susan came and took me out,
and then held me to the cooking stove to
dry till | thought should have burned up.
At last he tried to put my eyes out with
the scissors, and then made such long
welts In his arm with my claws that his
mamma was frightened. What bawling
there was TO be sure, what kissing and
crying and consoling! "P0or, dear, dar.
ling little Billy naughty, naughty, wicked
kitty.
| had run with all my might and got
into the cherry tree. used to run to this
cherry tree very often before, but then
somebody always climbed 1t after me and
got me down because dear Billy roared
and kicked at such a rate. But this time
the silly old mamma was frightened.
"That vile Kitten" she said, "I'll have 1t
drowned. Ionly kept it because it amused
BillyJbut if it is going to act SO, Ill tell
Martin to drown it tonight"
30 no! there you are, are you madam ?"
says /. II guess Martin won't find mc;"
and SO down the cherry-tree ran and up
the apple-tree, and jumped on the wall
and raced along till came TO your garden
and jumped down in it. There You took
me up, dear Little Lulu. remember
what sweet, clean, nice-smelling white
apron that was you had on, aud since !