The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1871-03-31
A Wonderful Cat.

A lady, writing for the Le,oiston journal,
tells the following story Of o cat which
lived in the Pine Tree State:
The little people were highly pleased
one day on discovering black and
white kitten among the hens in the
great hen-house. They thought surely
they could catch it, for it was not more
than finger length and hal: long, but
it was the widest little kitty that ever
lived. There never was = chance to get
hold Of it at all. 1t used to start out
from under the barn to eat the hens
victuals, and drink their milk, but it al
ways lodged again when it heard any
body approaching. The kitty grew larger
and larger, but no tanner, and after the
old cat died it got the idea that it was a
hen. When the hens were let out to-
wards night to pick among the green
grass, the kitten went with them into the
fields and sat down while they scratch
cd about, actually seeming to be lost in
wonder at the unreasonable thing that
she had not the art of scratching also.
If the biddies remained too long in one
place, she would be seen to pat them on
the back with her paw until they moved
on. She would 90 on their nests and
curl around over the eggs, never break
ing one, and remain there little while,
when she would come off again, all this
while, no doubt, believing herself a
genuine biddy. She did 60 to roost with
them one night, but it was hard work
for her to keep her balance, and she
never tried it after that one night.
Well, after she had grown a nice,
i Al.
she had family of kittens. Now her
troubles commenced. She kept her
kittens away in dark hole under the
barn for while, but it seemed as if she
reasoned that place was not for their
comfort and health.
Now comes the funny part. There
was staid old biddy sitting on nest
of eggs in barrel, the little people be-
ing determined to have some chickens
to feed and pet, and this barrel had to
be well covered to keep the other in
quisitive hens from meddling with the
fractions, brooding Mrs. Biddy. Well,
one night this wonderful cat, which
must really have reasoned and drawn
conclusions that, as kittens were often
drowned and chickens never, she
could outwit people, got the barrel un-
covered and brought her kittens one
after the other in her mouth and tucked
them snugly under the hen, between
the eggs and the nice warm feathers of
her body. What the hen thought of
this proceeding we do not know, other
wise than that she presented a terribly
disturbed appearance in the morning,
her feathers and temper alike being
much rutfled.
To show that the poor biddy was sadly
perplexed by the maneuver, have only
to relate that the children got another
barrel and put hay in the bottom for a
bed for the kittens, which were sum-
marily removed from their unatural
mother, and placed in the nest prepared
for them. Mrs. Hen came off her nest
that day to get something to eat and to
stretch her legs, which must have been
a great pleasure to her after sitting
cramped up so many hours, and to show
how her ideas were confused, we have
only to say that she was found in the
kitten barrel, with the whole family
tucked in under her, and the old cat
contentedly lying by her side.