The Portland daily press., 1878-12-25
A Christmas Kitten.
CHAPTER I. MoLLIE.

CHAPTER I. MoLLIE.
Mollie lived nearer the sky than most little
girls, because her father was the Waterman
in a paper mill and lived in the
very top of the tall building. One,
two, three, four rows of windows, one above
another. before your eyes-which can climb
without anything to hold to and never tum-
BILE down, would reach the window of Mollie's
room under the roof OF the great red brick
building. There was box of flowers in the
windows, mostly lupines, because they grow
80 fast that little grin think they can SEQ the
green stems growing. Inside the room-if
bird Lit on the sill and peeped between the
clean white cotton curtains-would be seen
Mollie's little bed ard the bureau where she
kept her clothes and her doll and whatever
other little things she owned; and two red
wooden chairs; and a table, red too, where
Mollie learned her lessons and cut her dolls
dresses, and rag rug that she made with a
good deal of help-that didn't count. 1t was
the day before Christmas, and Mollie had
made great many mistakes in her spelling,
and put on her sacque wrong side out-all
because Lena Johanpsen, who sat with her
at school, was going to hang up her stocking,
and advised Molie to do the same. In the
little town, back among the hills where Mol
lie lived, it wasn't the fashion to make much
Of Christmas day-Fourth of July and
Thanksgiving were celebrated with powder
and turkeys: but no ore, except the Ger
man families that worked in the mill, took
any account of the lovelest of all days in the
year. So when Mollie, much excited, gave
the family at teatiMe an incoherent state
ment, it was difficult to tell whether Lena
was to be hung, or the stocking or Santa
Claus. But mother Strengthened out the
tangles Of Molie's hair and mind, as mothers
only can; and advised Mollie not to expect
too much because perhaps Santa Claus
never had heard of her, and so might not visit
her. Eight o'clock-and Mole went off to bed
with delightful sense of pleasant possible
tiles. She was too sound asleep to hear her
mother when she came in softly to puts
little china doll and some candy and bright
ten cent piece and a pair of soft red mittens
into the stocking that hung by the chimney;
but later she awoke, and saw the clear white
winter moon looking in at her window, leav-
ing long, narrow stripe of silver across the
foot of her little bed-and the rest of the
room was dark. A rattling in the chimney,
q sound of small feet, something came bound
ing down into the open fireplace. SIT must
be Santa Claus" said Mollie, and with this
comfortable fancy she went to sleep. Every
little reader of the PRESS knows how early
we all wake up Christmas moIning-the
short light of a winter day is not long enough
for fun. Mollie woke as early as anybody;
and, with her eyes half shut, ran to the fire.
place. Her stocking was pulled down from
the nail where she had hung it, and cuddled
against / was soft gray kitten! Mollie
laughed outright when she saw who her
visitor ws-instead of Santa Claus; and
great was the amusement of her mother and
father whea Mollie came into the sitting
room at breakfast time, with her kitten in
one arm and the contents of her stocking in
her apron. "That Kitty beats all for
climbin," said Mollie's father, II took notice
yesterday she was purrin' round the door,
an meant to bring her in for Mollie; an
then had to see about some of the men, an
when got ready to take her in-she wasn't
there. She mus ha' come up on the spout,
and liked the warmth of the chimney"
However Kitty came-she was Welcome.
Mollie warmed some milk on the Stove, and
her mother put in little cream, "seein twas
Christmas day for the kitty" Ant next
day at school-thoush Lena Johannsen had
strange stories to tel of candles, and tree
and gilded nuts, and stockings-the girls all
thought Mollie's story the most delightful
that ever was told, and Messy, as the soft
gray kitten was named, the most wonderful
cat since the days of Puss in Boots.
CHAPTER II. NOISY.
A whole year passed without much change.
Mollie had grown two inches, by the mark
on the sitt:ng-room door, Mollie's mother and
father were much the same as before-bu1
Messy had grown to be fine, large cat. Nc
greater friends could be than Mollie and
Messy; she followed her to schoop-not one
but every day; it was not against the rYYbsf !,
for Messy lay quiet undeyg; Wfkeaa n he would
.heten himself and purr, and walk about to
De noticed. Messy slept on the rag rug by
Mollie's bed. Mossy's porringer of milk was
SET on the floor beside Mollie's place at table.
The only time Messy and MoIle were not to-
gether was Sunday-when Mollie went to
meeting, and Messy staid at home and
washed his fur from top to toe; for cleanli.
ness is next to goodness, and is as much as
can be expected of pussy-cat. The night
before Christmas again-and this time two
stockings hung in Mollie's fireplace, one for
herself and one for the good Messy. A few
sugar-plums were in the toe of Mossy's
stockiDg-which had belonged to Mollie
when she was very small indeed-but his
real presents were dolls cup of cream and
some cold meat cut up with great care, which
Mollie had to set on the floor. as they would
not be desirable inside the stocking. Half
past eight was Molie's bedtime now.-it should
have been mentioned among the important
changes-and she and puss were asleep be.
fore the town-clock struck nine. Mollie's
mother and father had gone to lecture, leav-
ing the mill in care of one of the men; and
it was fine, cold December night. Mollie
woke later-as she had done the year before
seeing a light, hearing a noise; but this
time it was the red light of fire, and the
crackle and. hiss of the flame. Mollie sprang
out OF bed, dressed herself in a minute, and
ran to the door. The fire was coming up the
stairs from the first floor. There was no
way down. Mollie ran back into her room
and looked for Messy to comfort her. Messy
was gone; for the first time since be had
lived with Mollie-he had deserted her. Mol
lie sat down on the floor and cried. She
thought that her father would manage to
take her out safely from the mill, in some
way-but Mossy's unkindness was more than
she could bear. Meanwhile where was