The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1878-09-13
A True Pussy-Cat Story.

Why cold rain-storm should come
in the warm, early June no one on Glen
wood farm could understand. The
farmer knew it would spoil his straw
berries just growing 80 nicely. Paul
and Emma wanted the beautiful sun
shine to play in, and looked iiscontented-
ly from the dining room windows for a
whole morning, wondering if it ever
would stop raining; but no, it rained,
rained, rained for three whole days. On
the second day the children had played
in the garnet, with the old chairs for
horses, making big stage coach out of
an old trunk of grandfather's, with a
mosquito net somewhat the worse for
wear as a top, under which sat Emma as
sole passenger, while driver Paul
whipped and shouted at his patient
horses and performed feats of valor, in
jumping off the box while his steeds were
galloping at full speed.
1t grew cold in the garnet, and, leav-
ing the poor horses ungroomed and I'M
fed, after their hard work, the children
crept down to the bright wood fire on
the dining-room hearth.
What can we DO ?" said Emma.
If you hadn't let all my dolls die of
measles when you were doctor this morn
ing we might play with them"
"Well, they are dead and buried, and
you mustn't cry" said Paul, "but 1
wish we had something to do"
Just then, Meg" the children's own
special white pussy, came slowly in and
laid down by the fire, showing by her
contented purr how happy she was, in
spite OF the rain.
know" said naughty Paul: "we'll
dress Meg up in dead Dclly's clothes.
So poor Meg was caught, and first
had a pair of tiny stockings and two
little blue kid boots tied tightly on to
her soft, reluctant paws little hat
with feather came next but Kitty
made up her mind she would not sub
NIT to it, and shook it off 30 many times
that the children gave up, and were just
trying the effect of dark cardinal sash
on pussy's white complexion, when
the door opened and Aunt Sarah's voice
called:
Come, Paul-come, Emma, and see
what mother pussy is doing in the
kitchen"
Paul ran, and Emma ran, and Meg
ran too, stopping every minute to try
and tear off the tightly-tied blue boots,
and trailing half yard of red ribbon
after her. You may be sure Aunt Sarah
laughed when she saw poor puss in her
strange attire; but Paul and Emma for
got all about her when they looked be-
hind the big stove and saw~but must
first tell you how what they saw came to
be there.
If it was hard for children to amuse
themselves indoors on rainy days, what
do you suppose the downy little balls of
chicks, who had been strutting about
the barn-yard for two or three sunny
days, were to do in the cold rain? They
were nearly frozen, and 80 wet that
they didn't look downy at all. First
one died, then another, until only half
were left; then Aunt Sarah took some of
them into the warm kitchen, to save
them. Five little ducks were taken in,
too. You may be sure they were fright
ened when they came into the big
kitchen. There was big dog there, and
large black cat, with green eyes, who
walked over to them and smelled them
all over. OF course they expected to be
eaten right up, and even Aunt Sarah
who knew what good old puss Topsy
was, and knew, too, that she had never
killed chicken but once, when a
little kitten-was alarmed when Mrs.
Topsy took little duck in her mouth
and carried it behind the stove; but in
minute she returned for another,
until all five were safe and warm; then
she laid down and licked them all over
and purred over them, and was just as
kind to them as if they had been her
own kittens. The ducks, strange as
it seems, liked it, too, and when Paul
and Emma came in and screamed with
delight at seeing puss with her strange
new family, the ducks were warm and
dry, and cuddled close between pussy's
paws, as if they had always been there.
She nursed them gracefully until the
storm was over, and the children never
wondered what to do again, for to watch
Pussy pet and play with the ducks was
fun enough.
Meg was forgotten, and went round
for whole day with one blue boot and
an open-worked stocking on. Her other
ornaments che left under the kitchen
! table, where cook found them.