St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1877-11-09
Pussy and Puppy.

lived in barn in a bed of sweet-smell-
ing hay, with her three children.
Puppy was baby-dog who lived
with his mother in the city their bed
was in dark, dusty cellar underneath
a lumber store, and it was not made of
sweet hay, but of musty pieces of can
vas laid under the cellar stairs.
One day little boy named George
came to the city, and went to see the
keeper of the store who was a friend of
his father.
The gentleman showed him the little
family in the cellar-the proud, loving
mother-spaniel, and her four brown
babies. Their eyes had opened that
very day: was it not pity they had
nothing pleasanter to see than dust and
cobwebs, lumber and old barrels ? All,
but they had their beautiful mother,
and she was all the world to them /
Little George was delighted he
gently stroked the backs of the puppies,
while their mother looked up trustfuIly
into his face, for she saw at once that he
loved her children. Then the gentle
man told George that he might have
one of the puppies for his own if he
would promise to take good care of
him.
The little boy was more pleased than
he could tell for to own fat puppy
had been his dearest wish for a long
time. 1t was hard to make choice out
of four such beauties, but he finally
chose one little chubbier than the rest,
with white face and white forefeet.
Now old pussy belonged to George,
too, and the barn she lived in belonged
to his father; so as soon as the little
boy had reached home and had shown
his prize, he took Puppy to the barn to
visit cat and kittens.
The bright sunlight shone upon the
clean floor; the smell of hay was sweeter
than ever after breathing the close city
air, and the view of understanding
fields from the open doors was refresh
ing.
Pussy's house was indeed pleasanter
than the dark cellar!
She was lying in the corner with her
kittens, picture of cOntentment and
comfort. She was glad to see her little
master, and if she could have smiled a
welcome would have done so ; but as it
was, she only purred louder and looked
earnestly at the little furry ball which
the boy carried so tenderly in his arms.
Then George placed the little stranger
down by pussy and the kittens. And
what do you think the mother cat did
Do you suppose she bit Puppy or even
growled at him, as jealous cat would
have done No; first she bent forward
and kissed him, then she allowed him
to nestle close to her with her own
loI Ir 80
Puppy loved his adopted mother and
his new brothers and sisters. From
that moment he lived happily with them
in the pleasant barn while Pussy al
ways treated him like her own child.
When the young family grew little
older and were large enough to play, it
was funny sight to see them frisking
about the barn with Puppy in their
midst as full of spirits as any of them.
How little George laughed, and how
| wished you could have seen them
too!
This is true story. Do you not
think that Pussy was very kind cat ?
Do you say: "Oh, she did not know
the difference between Puppy and her
own kittensq" How indignant she would
be at such an idea
"Not know my own kittens from a
strange puppy Do you know black
from white ~ she would say. And !
will tell you what it seems to me might
have passed through her mind:
"Well, here is puppy, surely
enough. Where could he have come
from ? Poor little one, he is too young
to be taken from his mother; how he
will miss her But if Georgy has
brought him to me it is all right.
Cuddle down, dear, and will be an
other little fur mother to you, and we
will all be happy together, for isn't it
pleasant to have young family and to
live in such barn Purr, purr-urr-
rr-rr "-Youtk's Companion.