The weekly herald. [volume] (Cleveland, Tenn.) 1876-1888, 1879-04-24
The Charcoal Boys Cat.

There was once boy who lived in the
heart of deep forest, and burned charcoal
for living. 1t was a wild and gloomy
place. The boy worked for a great many
men. They cut and sold timber out of the
forest, and, after digging a place in the
ground, set the logs on end in the shape of
an Indian wigwam; they then covered the
heap thickly, 50 that fire would shoulder in
it, and set it on fire; after several days of
slow burning, the logs were changed into
solid black charcoal, and charcoal you know
is sold in the markets and streets. There
were long rows Of these heaps where this
boy worked. These men watched them all
day while preparing new heaps, and took
turns guarding the fire in them at night
Such workers are called charcoal burners.
Many time had the charcoal boy lain
stretched on the grass, with his hands and Il
bunch of pine boughs under his head, listen
ing to the chat of his companions or to the
signing noise of the great woods around
him. Frequently vivid pink lights would
flash out of the heaps, and then they had to
be covered more closely
The charcoal boy had nobody to live in
his cabin with him but cat, for his home
and his brothers and sisters was far down
the valley; He was much like Mother
Goose's little dairyman, who lived by him
self until the rats and the mice led him such
a life, that he had to go to London to seek
himself a wife. However, the charcoal boy
had cat, as | said When the cat first
came to keep house for him, she was for
lorn and wretChed creature. Somebody had
evidently carried her away from civilization
and turned her loose in the woods. She
was mere kitten, but so thin and shaggy
and wild-eyed when she appeared and rubbed
herself mewing against the charcoal boys
legs as he sat in the door eating his supper,
that she looked aged and decrepit The
boy might not have taken to her kindly,
but he was all alone in his cabin, and even
the voice of a cat sounded pleasantly. So
he gave her part of his supper, and let her
lie purring around his feet all night Be-
fore long she grew sleek and spirited. She
combed her coat carefully and settled into
being a very domestic cat. As she sat in
the door to welcome her master when he
came home from his work, or as she moved
gracefully about his hut, she was as com
Portable puss as one would wish to see.
% The charcoal boy, to amuse himself in
his idle hours, taught her tricks which she
performed with such spirit that he grew
really fond of her. His door had wooden
latch which was lifted by string. He
connected the string ingeniously with his
table, so that puss could at any time pouncc
upon the table and with one sweep of her
paw open or shut the door. He also hung
small trapeze from one of the rafters and
taught the cat to whirl over and over on it.
This was great fun for the boy, and in time
he trained the cat so perfectly and cOmmu-
niCated with her so well by means of
''meows," that she went through her per-
formance in regular routine, at any time
he signalcd to her. Often when the pine
sticks were dying down to ashes on the
hearth, and he stretched himself to sleep on
his hard bed, he put the cat through all her
tricks and laughed at her till his eyes grew
too sleepy to watch her. But he did not
know that he was training her to save him
from danger
One night when the charcoal boy lay
uONn III lllS Hul, nC COulu hCdCclD slCcp
for all the money which he had been several
months earning, was laid in smooth bills
under his head Next day, he meant to go
down to the valley, and carry il to his home.
He lay awake with his hands under his head
until the late owls hooted in the wood.
Puss was curled around his feet. By and
by he heard steps outside his cabin, and two
shadows passed between his little window
and the moonlight. In an instant he re-
membered that a couple of idle vicious-look
ing men had been lingering for several days
around the charcoal camp, and he felt sure
that they were now coming into his cabin
to rob him. He was no coward so he re-
solved to give them singular reception.
Slipping off his bed and squeezing himself
under ii, he uttered long 'me-ow, " which
puss understood, In an instant she an
swered with another cat-note, and, leaping
upon the table, opened the door. The two
men were just ready to force il open, but
they started back at finding ii thrown wide
open by invisible hands However, the
bolder Of the two stepped in, and the other
followed
"Me-ow," continued the charcoal boy;