The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1877-03-09

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wait until was my own master be-
fore cenld own one.
In 1865 / was living In Thirty
second street, and mehowibelieved,
like a great many other fatuons fell
lows who get married and pay the
bills, that l was my own master.
| My aunt's cat was perpetuated in
my wife's sisters pet. Poe's raven
was an evangeI of love by the side
of that cat, and for year that mon
ster was master of the place. II
lived on EogIish sparrows-any-
thing less was not good enough for
his iordship. My wifeis sister had
a theory that he employed his wax
ing hours in Kidding the ward of
rats. l can take my oath that, gor-
ged and pampered, he would turn
out of his way if he met one. He
slept by the fire in the basement.
At night he was religiousiy put cut.
as my wtfe's sister said to hunt for
vermiB, but in reality to sit on the
| back shed in a select council of
baad of voluptusries like himself,
and carry on his amorous pursuits
to q chorus that would have shamed
the fiends themselves.
Let me put myself right. because
my wife's sisters friends will un.
doubleday have this article sent to
them marked.
If you go up to that house on
Thity-second street, you will find
the back fence in the yard, the roof
of the woodshed, and the grape ar
Dor full of bullets that were aimed
at that Eat in vain. But desire to
say here that the hellish noise of
that monster at night did not aggra-
vate me half as much as the devilish
human kindness with which he was
treated by the women. Bruce came
to see me one day; he had little
ten-ounce black aud tan with him.
When he was going out, that infer
nal cat which had been ly ing In wait
in the hallway, pounced on the dog
unawares, and before Bruce could
rescue the poor fellow, had bitten
him through the lore leg. after
which he ran down stirs. l follow
ed it down with dire intent. What
do you think the crafty thief did ?
[ found it stretched upon its cush-
toned chair, purring as innoceutly
as kitten that knows no guile.
The women instantly came to it's
rescue, and was mistaken. 1t must
have been some other cat.
1t occurred to me one day that
human intelligence, if concentrated
upon the question, must be superior
to the instinct OF the cat. I hen ]
tried diplomacy and thought to win
my wife's aid. l rushed down to
her one day, crying, with genuine
horror in my voice and face, that ]
had seen that Internal cat sitting on
the babv's breast in the cradle. /
had thought it safe to count upon
the maternal instinct in this case.
Alas. my wife only replied, "Why,
Dolph, how absurd! Jane Chat
my wife's sister, has carried Tom
down to Sarony's to have his photo.
graph TAKEN"
Then when be swallowed the sky
lark that Ned Bannister gave me, ]
hired the ashman to carry him of
one morning, before the women
were up. You know the result
The beast was back in five hours
asleep on the cushion, and by some
language, known only to cats and
women, it conveyed the true state
of the case to my wife and my wife's
sister, and there was GOODNESS in the
family for three weeks.
l believe / was as mad then as ]
ever was in my life, and 1 went and
consulted Bruce. 'Get fox terri
err" said he. "They train 'em in
England to kill cats. Try a thor
ough-bred English built"
This revived my old notion OF
keeping dog. l discarded the idea
of the former fear that, in the work
of determination 1 couldn't stop al
the cat, and might even carry his
vengeace beyond my wife's sister
but sent off for two fox terriers.
Instead OF fox terriers, my agent
brought me back in the vile de Pa
ris, two Bedlington dogs. Shaggy.
Wiry, anxious little brutes, they
seemed to be compounded of steel
quicksilver, and old rope. They
, wighed twelve aud fourteen pounds
aud they yapped and snapped inces.
sanity.
1 believe I was previously disap-
pointed, not to say disgusted.-
What, in Heavens name," I cri ed.
did you bring me these poodlet
for? l had set my heart on dog
that would Kill cat"
81 know it, said my agent, $50 ]
picked these. Either of 'em will
warm 3 cat in seven minutes. If be
don't I'll give you a hundred dol.
lars for hun"
Then l brought my prizes off, and
named them Mp and Tuck. Tuck
was the male. A more gallant lit
tie animal never saw. AS near as
L could get at his pedigree, he was 8
combination of the Scotch terrier
and the Welsh barrier, with strain
of the Skye in him. He had the
rough, wiry coat of one. the cottony
head of the other. His chest was
deep and wide, his loins were trim
and knotted hard with muscles.
His fore legs were light, straight,
aud symmetrical as cats. Iexam
ined his teeth. They were ali there
clean and sharp. He had no dew
claws, which made me suspect his
strain of Skye blood. Altogether,
L never saw such a bundle of
strength and agility, such respira-
ton, such courage. and such bot
torn ia go small a compass.
"What hideous brutes !" exclaim-
ed my wife, jumping upon a chair.
"Bloodthirsty monsters" cried
my wife's sister, backing up against
the door. There's hydrophobia in
every expression"
"If you will have dogs, my DEAR
continued my wife, '.why do you
not get Spiizes-those beautiful
white Spitzes ?"
''SpitzesI" exclaimed with hor-
ror. why, they are the fiercest
animals outside of the African Jun
gle. Thy'd worry the cat. Now,
these timid little beauties wouldn't
harm q mouse. That's what I want
ed to speak about. You see they
are famous dogs. That one, drag
ging up the carpet in the corner,
belonged to the Marquise Of Lorne.
She lost it In st. James Park one
day. 1t was stolen aud sent out
here. 1 got it dirt cheap, and tho't
some of sending it back. with nv
compliments to the original owner.
The o. her one, trying to get under
the door, was one of Eugenie's pets,
aad was sold when she went into
1