Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1881-09-10
A NEW BRANCH OF THE POSTAL
SERVICE


graph, which is always saying something
to get somebody into trouble, published
an article relative to the engrossingpar-
TALLY which the domestic cat feels for
its home, its vehement yearning to re-
turn thither when circumstances over
which it has no control have resulted in
its transfer to unfamiliar localities, and
all that sort of thing, winding up by
giving an interesting account of how
certain eminent Dutch naturalists had
utilized Grimalkin as letter carrier;
made sort of carrier pigeon of the cat,
in fact. Of thirty-seven cats carried
miles from their native village, and
turned loose with letters tied around
their necks, not one failed to get back
to the starting point in time.
Well, young Mr.. Tillinghast, out on
West Hill, read this article, and a roman
tic conception occurred to him right on
the spot. While he was burning a
limited quantity of old Judge Diffen-
baugh's gas and just running Miss DIFF
fenbaugh's bangs that evening, he told
Miss Diffenbaugh all about it. Happy
scheme! born of loves emergencies.
Mr.. Tillinghast would carry Elfrida's
beloved maltese home with him that
night. The next evening, when the
stars were shining and the presence of
the old Judge, returned from circuit,
forbade Clarence about the premises,
the maltese home returning would bear,
bound to its neck by silken cord, a
memoranda of Clarence, his undying
affection and one thing and another.
Clarence loved the maltese for its
mistress sake, but it just called for all
the love he had in the warehouse before
he got it home. The maltese was one
of the fiery, untamed Ukraine breed !;
blue as smoke, with tail like second
growth bologna sausage, and it weighed
about twenty-three pounds. Its name
was Cleopatra. 1t was really Mark
Antony cat, but Miss Diffenbaugh called
it Cleopatra because it was such pretty
name. You never can tell whether a
cat has right to vote or not by the
name girl gives it.
Mr.. Tillinghast tucked the cat under
his coat as well as he could, but the cat
stuck out fore and aft. Vainly he strug-
gled with it, bowsprit or spanker would
stand out in spite of him. And when
he was about halfway home he met q
group of friends, ladies and gentlemen,
returning from some festive and expen-
sive ice-cream saloon. They accosted
him, and he had to let 90 with one hand
to lift his hat, and as he did so Cleopa-
ira got his head out and yelled for fresh
air in tone that blighted the lilacs and
threw one of the ladies into Mysteries.
Appalled, by the fearful sound and its
terrible consequence, Mr.. Tillinghast
was hurrying on, when one of the gen.
tlemen collared him and told him that
in his opinion it was a very brutal,
cowardly trick, and one that no gentle
man would be guilty of, and he believed
that Mr.. Tillinghast would never have
done it had he not been intoxicated,
and he would expect an explanation and
apology from him when he was sober
Greatly depressed in spirit, Mr. Til.
linghast pursued his homeward way
Cleopatra occasionally clawing his ribs
in manner that indicated an early
grave. Often the erratic eccentricities
of Cleopatra compelled the young mar
TO weep aloud, but they reached home
at last. Cleopatra curled up on the foo
of the bed and purred himself TO sleeI
with the calm content of cat that haC
made a substantial lunch of human ribs
and Mr.. Tillinghast sat up the greate
part of the night, writing letter full o
poetry, and bathing his lacerated body
Next evening he made ready to senC
his messenger home. In order to in
crease the cats "vehement yearning
to return home, Mr.. Tillinghast hat
fed it nothing during the day, and Cleo
patra, in the frenzy of hunger, hat
chased imaginary rats about that room
until there wasn't left in it piece o
fragile furniture big enough to breal
again. The only thing that WASH
scratched was the ceiling, and the onl
thing that wasn't broken was the ham
mer.
"f," said Mr.. Tilinghast, holding
his lacerated hands in bath Of waite
and soda, after tying his letter CAREFUL
around Cleopatra's neck with a blu
ribbon, "if your 'yearning' TO retur
home is one-half so vehement as mine
to have you return thither, you will b
in the lap Of your angelic mistress be
fore l can close this door again. Go
messenger Of love that is deep as tn
sea and deathless IS eternity, go, te
the heart that holds my own that pen
! h. q