The Grange advance. [volume] (Red Wing, Minn.) 1873-1877, 1877-03-28
Turning Into Cats.

true but You ask the children and |
the barn-swallOws'! <; i i.Ss;;t:A;.s
Well, and so you may be sure u was I
great fun to sit up ON the Mg granlte-
rock on the side of Deer Hill and see
Them turn, Just where they Were and
whatever they were doing, at the very
minute!
The minister's son had come into
the study, with his hat in his hand. I
and said: 1T
..Shall Cornelius and L. sir. take our
scythes, sir, and 80 out and NOV a
little while, sir - .,;l
And then Mr.. Fadyon's fool caughtI
hold of the bell.rope. .',. @ts
Mr.. Fadyon s fool knew some things II
as we'll rs anybody and he knew how
to ring the bell exactly when the sun.
dial and the noon-rnark and his grand
mothers eight.day clock said it was vas.
noon. - II
So 'sding, dong " went the bell, and
it was only y Maltese kitten that had |
hold vf the lOpe!
IL. just ut that hour, Aunt Patty was
out in her garden hoeing weeds, with
an old hat of Uncle Rodney's tied on
her head; and she beganjto turn first her
nose and thtn her chin. They were
very long and sharp when she was
Aunt Patty, aud they grew short and
snubby. and whiskers began to start,
and her ears pricked up as though she
heard something, and then, quicker
than you could say ''scat! ~ she was a
spotted cat chasing Deacon Davis
hens, that were trying to sneak
through the garden fence with the
old ROSTERS spurs on. After soaring
them half ont of their feathers, she
kept on through Mrs. Deacon Davis's
cal. hole, and up in the back chamber,
where she prowled about and shifted
in all the dark corners and behind the
old tea-chests and barrels.
When she was Aunt Patty she al
ways nistrusted whether or no Mrs.
Deacon Davis hadn't some cObwebs
and poke-holes out of sight, for all
that she kept everything looking neat
as wax on the outside.
And then the ministers son jumped
with one spring on the minister
shoulder. and began to bite the min
listers hair and claw off his glasses. for
he liked rough ways and mischief as
well as any boy, only he had to be
proper because he was the minister's
son.
The minister looked around solemn
and dignifed, good deal astonished;
and then his glasses grew rOunder and
rOunder. and his arms grew Slenderer
wink all over; and then there was 4
great black cat, with white spot on
his throat and white face and four
e. ~ ~ h0 ~, ot,s,S>.
swapping at the flies. with one paw on
"a volume of Jonathan Edwards SER
mons: E :. s. 81 i;
twas a great change for the min
lister. But as for Mrs. Deacon Davis,
she didn't seem to need to alter a bit.
Her eyes were the mildest skim.milk
before, much more failed than an old
cats eyes; and her hair was pale buff
and sort of furry. And she had way
of rubbing herself against the side Of
her chair us she talked along in a kind
of purr-purring tone. She stopped
work for the irst time in her life,
though, and taking her yellow paws
out of the washtub. went to chasing
dandelion. down.
But as soon as ten clocks anywhere
in the town struck one at the same
second, all the cats turned back to
people again; and you onght to have
seen how surprised they were to catch
themselves doing such odd things.
Aunt Patty Was r,,lnmaging through
the minister Wites bureau drawer
among her best clothes; and, bad as
that looked in Cat. it looked II thous-
and times worse in Aunt Patty, with
Uncle Rodney $ hat still on her head
and a hoe under her arm.
Mrs. Deacon Davis was curled up
asleep in the rocking-chair, and she
rubbed her eyes and put her hands in
the wash tub again, and didn't know
anything had happened. She wouldn t
believe it now if you should tell her.
Only, when her clock struck one tit
was always a little slow, she felt
grieved to see few cats hairs on her
chair-cushion, and to find she had lost
so much good time light out of the
heart Of the day. s'But then she
thought, ''my nap has rested me III
completely, and with such poor health
as [ enjoy, [ do suppose 1 needed it.
And, all is, must work the smarter
to make up
The minister looked most astonisheG
to find himself playing with large
brown, limp rat. sit is very extraor
binary! Most remarkable - said he
@'Gloriana!' he continued, turning tt
the black serving maid, who wa:
swinging herself down from thu
cherry-tree, where, a moment before
she had been black kitten, chasing a
squirrel. "Gloriana! you may taxi
this dead animal and bury the crea