The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1877-03-17

Danvlle IN. W Adcertiser: We picked
I'D a few local stories about brides and beast
les the other day which we here and now
put into history.
Here is stery which our vcracious Dea-
con +. 8. Palmes relates to US, and which we
are therefore bound to believe: About two
years ago one of his trusted hens Matched a
brood of chickens, and they were domiciled
in coop in the garden. Close by, IN an as.
paragus bed rested fine old cat, the pet OF
the household, with some new kittens. One
of the kittens looked upon the chickens and
loved them-loved them so well that 1t abaL-
doncd mother and brothers and sisters, and
went to the old hen and asked to be admitted
into her family circle and become member
thereof Blddy CLICKED assent and thence
forward, hen. chickens and kitten mingled
together IN mutual sympathy and sweet &C
cord. 1t ::astonIshed the deacon, yet did his
heart good, to see chickens and kitten rub
bling against each other, and lying close to-
gether, and his favorlte hen brooding them
all with her wings, and the entire family act
ing all day as If kitty, in spite of her four
claws and her fur, had been hatched from an
egg. The curious utilization has been kept
up until this day. The kitty Of two years
ago is now a grave old cat, but from kitten
hood to the present it has lived and roasted
with the chickens and hens.
There are several witnesses to the truth Of
another story. The affiiaton in this case
was between a cat at the Hyland house barn
and four small pigs. 1t commenced last
summer and continued tor some weeks on
:he grounds and the street adjoining the
Iiyland house The cat saw the pigs, went
up to them, made friends with them, and be.
came their constant companion until they
were shut up In pens When they ate, the
cat was ALWAYS present, and they followed 1t
about, running when it ran and walking
when 1t walked, and each night the ca; and
pigs slept together in the straw.
Just after the last heavy fall OF snow, man
in West Sparta. while in his barn-yard, feed.
ing cattle, heard a noise among his geese
close BY. He turned around and saw fox
take one of them by the neck, sling it over
his back, and start across the fields with 1t
toward the Hartman gully, quarter of
mile away. The man chased with pitch
fork, but the snow was so deep that the fox
gained on him. so he called his shepherd
dog and showed HIM the game. The dog
quickly caught up with the fox, but the fox
dropped his goose, turned around, whipped
the dog and then took up the goose and trOt-
ted on again. The dog was induced to tackle
the fox three or four times, ard each time
The result was tDe same as we nave ueSCllO
the goose was dropped, the dog whipped,
and then forward movement with the goose.
The fox finally got safely into gully with
his goose. and probably never had better
opinion OF himself than he had while he was
satisfying his hunger on the choice meat that
he had secured with so much risk and
courage.
About five weeks ago quail flew into one
of our village yards and was picked up by a
kindly hand and given to Thomas O'NIeara,
who put it in a large cage in his store. In
the same room were two canary birds in an.
other cage. The canaries would sing and
the quail would whistle in response. and so
much reciprocity Of feeling WIS manifested
that after time Mr. O'Mesra transferred the
canaries to the cage OF the quail The quail
received the songsters with evident delight,
and when night came, seeing them place
themselves on perch in the top of the cage,
il hoped to another perch just below and
slept there. This it has done each night
since, although before, IN accordance with
quail customs the world over, its roOst was
the bottom of the cage.