The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1879-01-31
WHIT SHALL HR DO WITH HER?
a short story for the EtttIe O ner. by Cl,as.
DUGI,y warner.
81. k{cholaa

This sad, but short, tale about 9
cat, or perhaps about a rabbit that pre-,
tended to be a cat-I do not know which
You will presently see why it must be
short.
Some time sgo supposed friend sent
me, as a present, what puTported to be a
Chinese cat. Thereby hangs a tale .
Not at all. The cat hadn't the sign of a
tsil. It was said 10y way Of apology and
explanation that all Chinese cats have
no tails. Il this is fact in natural
history, it is an absurd fact for it is
known that ali Chinamen-even the
smallest have tails which are called
cues, and sometimes Pig-tails, but never
cat-tails. And it seemed improbable
aud heartless that a Chinaman would
deny tails to his cats. However, l took
the kitten in, and named her "China"-
name she has never responded TO. to
this day.
And this shows the animals instinct ;
for when l came to look in the dictionary
found that in all probability she was a
Manx cat from the Isle Of Mana small
English island (hardiy room enough to
turn round) where cats are obliged to
do without tails. It is considered very
nice kind of cat, of which / have doubts.
1t is said that Turner, the great painter
--who was probably as good judge OF
cats as ever lived-kept seven Manx cats
always in his house. Perhaps it was ne
cessary to have seven Manx cats to get
The equivalent of a real cat; in my ex-
perience 1t requires more.
AS said, I doubt If "China" is cat,
take her altogether. She had as kitten,
no tail. Her grown tail now Is less than
an inch long, and most of that is fur. 1t
is exactly ike rabbits tail, that Is,
kind of place for a tail. When she first
began to realize her existence she evil
IDENTIFY thought she was a cat and her first
sportive effort was to play with her tail.
She looked around and there wasn't any
tail there the other end OF her was
rabbit. She was mortified; but what
could she do? She began without any
apology, to play with her hind leg, to
chase it round and round as il it Were s
tail and ever after that she has amused
herself with her hind leg.
And her hind legs are worth playing
with. For they are not ike the hind
legs of a cat, but are long and bend
under exactly like the legs OF a rabbit,
When China sits down she sits down
like a rabbit. So she is neither one
thing or another; and cannot make out
whether she is a cat trying to be rab-
bit, or a rabbit trying to be cat. She
succeeds, any way. China is rather hand
some. Her coat Is the most beautiful
combination OF soft buff and ermine tur
- most pleasing c)lor-and she Is
most shapely little thing besides, with a
fine head and pretty face. Like some
other beauties, she is not IS good as she
Is beautiful. She has a Il mpeI-can be
very playful and afec.ionate enc min
ute. and scratch and bite the next with
out proyocatioD. From sn infant enc
seemed to have no conscience. she was
a perfect whiTlwind in the house, when
the whim took her TO frolic; went over
chairs and all sorts OF furniture like
flying squirrel; succeeded n about
week in tearing eff al the gimp from the
chairs and lounges, climbed the szslis
trses, shook off the blossoms, and then
broke the stems. Punishment she minded
not at all-only to escape from it for the
moment. | think she had not, as kitten
a grain of moral sense, and yet she was
" awful cunning" and entertaining
more so than a spoiled child. We got q
sedate Old cat to come and live with
China. She drove that big cat out o
the house and off the premises in less
than hall day and that, too, when she
wasn't more than seven inches long She
went at the big cat with incredible fury,
with all the blsze aud momentum OF a
little fre-ball.
Now that China has come to be Of de-
cent sizs, some of the vivscity and play
fulness has gone out OF her, but she Is
really untamed-goes FOR things on the
table steals, and all that and it is more
difficult than ever to tell whether she is
a rabbit or a cat. We have another
companion for her-a mild, staid old
grandmother of a cat, with very big
tail, enough Tor two, il they would share
it. China treated her with no respect, !
but, on the whole, they got on well, quar-
reling only halt the time, and consent to
live in the came house. China over ooks !
the intrusion.
But as to the nature OF China, this is
what happened recently. China's mis-
tress had undertaken to raise some rad
ishes, in advance of the season, in a box |
in her conservatory. It was slow pro-
cess, owing to lack of heat or lack OF
disposition in the radishes to grow. |
They came up, shot up, grew slender,
tall, and pale. Occasionally the mistress |
would pull up one to see why the bot
toms didn't grow. so that we could eat
OhSA Oob ShO never NAoSO'SAS~ "-J |
The plants spindled up, all top and no |
and by and by they got tired
and laid down to rest. They might in
time come to something. In fact, they !
began to look as if they wele thickening
in the stem and going to grow in The
root. One morning they were gone.
Gone. after weeks of patient watching
and anxious expectations
Nibbled on close to the ground. China
mad eaten every one of them short.
Now, doesn't that show that China is
4 rab5it7 VIII q cat eat radish tops
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