Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1874-04-29
Tassy's Mistake.

Frank Day is Connecticut farmers son,
twelve years old, aud he owns a dog and
cat. The dogs name Is Halifax, and the
cats namc IL Tassy. do not know how
Tassy got her name, but Halifax was so
called because friend Of Franks father
iished him out Of the soa at Halifax, N. 3,
when he was a puppy, after some boys had
flung him into the water with a stone
around his neck.
Halifax is a mougrel, partly Newiound.
land. and Of full-bred size, but with enough
other blood in him to make him mouse.col-
orcd instead Of black.
Halifax has two peculmrities first, be
becomes drowsy after a irolic, and drops
down aud takes a nap, no matter where he
happens to be second, while ho lies asleep
the tip Of his shaggy tail keeps moving.
One day in hayiug.time, Frank and his
dog had been tomping togcthoron the new.
mown hay IN the meadow, when one Of Hall
ifaxs drowsy fits came on, and down he
lay, and was soon fast asleep. Frank play
fully covered him up with hay, and went
of to the barn, leaving him completely
concealed, except that wigging Bit OF tail.
Now Tassy is a great mouscr, and i'm
proves her time daily, as good cat should,
hunting far and near for game Hardly
had Frank disappeared, leaving Halifax
asleep, whom Tassy mado it in the line Of
her business to visit the meadow where the
dog lay. With careful eye aud prieked-up
ear, she moved softly across the mown
field, little dreaming that her canine friend
was at that moment rear BY taking a nap
under the hay.
But Tassy had cat experience enough to
know that mice love just such hiding-placcs
as hay.folds afford, and seeing the pile that
covered the dog, she stole slyly that way.
Nearer and nearer, aud still more softly, she
crept
Then she stopped and stretched her neck
to look and listen All what was that
Mt under the edge Of the heap2 1t moved
and rustlcd about, and even showed the
color of its fur among the loose timothy.
Surely, If her eyes ever saw a mouse they
saw one now
Crouchng down again, Tassy crawled
several feet nearer then gathering herself
and rapidly measuring the distance to make
sure Of her aim, she vaulted into the air,
and dropped down all claws and teeth upon
her prey.
Never did cat expectation come to more
surprising catastrophe. Up rose the pile
Of hay as if can of gunpowdcr had burst
Underneath, and big, living mass bounded
out, giving utterauce to deafening howl
Poor Tassy did not wait to ascertain til,
origin Of this lerocious yelp, but, with every
hair on her body bristliug, she dartcd from
the orchard as fast as her four feet coulC
carry her. Her sole object in life just theI
was to get up tree.
But the cat did not have all the aston
ishmcnt to herself Halifax was as mucl
put out as Tassy. To have somethin,
come and bite his tail just as he was in tn,
savorest bliss of beef.bone dream, wa
more than he could stand. With his eye
yet hardly open, failing to recognize his fe
line playmate in the bundle Of furry frigh
before him, he gave chase across the meadow
bowling in his anger at every jump.
Tassy reached the fence, aud undertook
to scale it; but making au uulucky step
she faced about with loud sputter, an,
put her back up to fight.
For second or two, dog aud cat stoo
staring at each other, not three feet apart
Then a whimsical look OF recognition cain
over both their faces that said, as plainl
as brute features can speak, We are sold i!
Halifax Topped his ears, narrowed his grea
mouth to kind of silly grin, and tipped hi
head in queer, side-wse gaze at the cal
Tassy drew in her claws, aud the stiff flu
wlted upon her back and tail. Evident
both realized the ridiculous joke and apprC
ciated it. Exactly what communicable
passed between them there at the fence n
one knows; but certainly good nature wa
thoroughly restored, and as they sauntere
away, QUO could fancy that they agreed t
gethcr not to toll anybody how they wer
fooled Aud all the rest Of the summt
Halifax showed signs Of funny recolleotic
every time he met the cat. He would twi
his head in quizzical way, and seem
say
4 "Well, Tass, how about that mouse ovt
there in the meadow ~ YmtHS Con
panioa