Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1875-07-25
The Conscientious Cat.

Does cat have a consciencel We al
most thought ours did, and l believe you
will think so to, when you have heard the
story; for it is true, every word of it.
Our cat was a great pet with all the
family, being not only very handsome
and very playful, but unusually intelli-
gent, we thought.
We had also another pet, canary,
whose name was Dick. Sometimes we
used to let Dick out of the cage for an
hour or 80, but we were always careful,
at such times, to have pussy out of the
room, and the doors securely shut, for
although she was an exceedingly good
cat, and we had never known her to make
any attempt to catch Dick, yet we re-
membered the failings of most cats in
this respect, and their natural appetite
for bird flesh, and so we shut her out and
considered her not a member of the fam
| lily when Dick came down among us.
One day sister Jennie and thought we
would have our playtime with Dick; SO
we made sure that pussy was not in the
room, and that the doors were all closed,
and then we opened the door Of Dicks
little house, and out he flew most gladly.
But we had forgotten that our little sis
ter Ella was playing out in the yard, and
just then she came running in, and the
cat with her, for she didn't know that we
had the bird out. Jennie and both
gave scream, when we saw the cat, and
ran to put her out, but before we could
get to her she had the bird in her mouth
and was out of the door again in twink
ling, and we after her. In vain we ran,
we could not catch her; in vain We call
ed, we could not call her back. Ella
took broom and chased her round and
round the yard, but she could not get
near enough to her to hit her; and at last
the cat with Dick still in her mouth,
climbed over the high board fence, which
surrounded the garden and escaped into
the open lot adjoining. Here Ella could
not follow her. She could not climb
the fence, and even if she could, We felt
now that the chase was hopeless, and that
the poor little bird would be devoured
before the cat could be caught. So we
returned to the house, and mournfully
sat down and cried as if our hearts would
break; our minds filled with indignation
against naughty, wicked pussy, and with
distressing visions of our poor little bird
being cruelty torn to pieces and devoured.
We had sat thus for few moments,
when, hearing the door pushed open, We
looked up, and what was our astonish-
ment to see pussy walking in with the
bird still in her mouth, just as she left
us. She laid him gently on the floor and
quickly walked out again. What did it
mean! Did pussy have a conscience, and
did her conscience tell her, when she got
over into the lot, and was just going to
have such a rich treat, that she was doing
wrong, very, very wrong, and that it was
her duty to bring the bird directly back
unhurti 1t will always remain mys-
terry to us just how she was influenced to
do as she did, but at any rate, there was
Dick back again and alive. AT first we
could hardly believe our eyes, and stared
at one another, and then at the bird, as
if in dream, but we soon realized that
it was true, and that Dicky needed our
still alive, he did not move, except to
fluttcr little where he lay on the floor;
and we found that pussy's sharp teeth had
made some serious wounds in his wings,
which no doubt gave him much pain; but
we put some sweet oil on then, and took
such care of him that in a few days he
was as we'll as ever.
As for pussy, if she had been human
being l think she would have been quite
spoiled by the praise and petting she got
after that; and if we thought she was
remarkable cat before, we thought now
that she was simply wonderful, and that
her history ought to be written.-Fanny
Perciraf, in Coagreqationalist.