Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1877-10-10

| think you had better let old pussy have it
for while, Or it will starve to DEATH"
So the kitten was saved, and grew and
thrived as the boys did, and at six years
If age, wnen Johnny was twelve and
Dickey was ten, there was not hand
,oner gray cat in all Allentown. Even
he Deacon was proud of it, and used to
show off its wonderful tricks. and tell how
Teddy was saved from an early death by
them two boys of his"
One hot summers Sabbath following a
week of hard work at haying, the Deacon
| went to church alone. His wife was visit
ng in neighboring city with her sister,
md the boys were away at school.
Now the Deacon had one failing; he
would sleep in church in drowsy weather,
IS he called n hot spell. His wife was
,bligel to exercise the utmost diligence in
order to keep him half-awake, if no more,
md her greatest anxiety on leaving home
was on this account.
1t happened that day that there was u
strange minister, IN old man with SER
mon that extended to the "lithlies." At
about the "thirdlv," the Deacon fell
lslecp. The pews directly in front and
Iireclly behind him were empty, for the
I'D preacher was not II favorite, so there
was no one to nudge the Deacon, even
when he snored.
Somewhere about " fourthly,' there APP
pearel on the window-sill, Mt the end of
he Deacon's pew, huge, handsome gray
Eat. Pussy looked around with an ex-
preston Of intelligence that was praise
worthy in a Deacon's cat. Everybody
knew him, and the congregation smiled.
But pussy was not content with his
perch. In IL slow and cautious manner,
after Il sdelong gaze at the speaker, he
crept down into the pew, smelled Of the
hymn book, and was lost to further vision
until he re-appeared, creeping softly mp
the Deacon's arm, and finally seated him
self with an air of feline triumph squarely
on his shoulder, purring contentedly.
And still he did not wake.
The minister brought out his d" fifthly,"
md pussy looked up ut him with quiet
blinks. There he sat in sight of all the
laughing boys, and there the Deacon
slept, his head thrown back and his mouth
open.
| say the minister proceeded with the
" filthy" Then he happened to look in
he direction of the Deacon's pew. lie
stopped. He seemed struggling with
some inward emotion, and having said, in
u strained voice, " Finally, my BRETHREN"
looked at the cat and abruptly sat down.
Of course he was hidden by the pulpit,
and no one saw him shake as he tried to
recover his gravity, for, unfortunately, he
had n too keen perception of the ludcrous.
1t was quite all he conld do to compose
his countenance sufficiently to rise and
say
" Brethren, the meeting is dismissed"
and then. sans singing, SGNS benedirtion,
the whole body rose and went out, leaving
the sex on to wake the Deacon and drive
away the cat.
Marvellous to say, it was some time be-
fore the Deacon understood the purport of
the broad grins that for weeks afterward
met him on trivial OF serious occasions,
and when he did learn of it, his indigna-
ton was all vented upon Teddy, who, he
declared, would never have made him
laughing stock if he had " drownded him
us he oughtcr" when he was Kitten
YOUTHS Companion.