The Iola register., 1881-09-16

my men, to set myself r. 'ght with them, and to
make them, if could, th-0w of that super
stition about the cat. can.ed them aft.
"Now," said /, ''you needI't look fright
ened; Pm not going to say anything about
last nights affair. I agree to call it ali a
mistake, If you you will give up your foolish,
old-wives' notion about my cat here. say
my cat, because l am determined to take 1t
home with me, and leave it with my little girl
here. Now, look at it; hasn't it the incest
little face cat ever hadl How can ye believe
there is q devil In the creature!'
THE devil" said one, s'often hangs out the
prettiest fgureheads, sir.''
SWELL" said l, ''that's true. But now,
you're sailors; you can't refuse shelter, and
you can't surely think i'll of poor dumb
creature that was twice thrown into that sea,
and twice came back to the old ship, and that
after all licked the hand that threw her out
ay, and-look ye!-licks it now."
.'Hooray for the Captain!'
But, my hearties, /" said l, there's anoth-
er thing" And this was my strong point.
You see that bark out there! she's called
the Lily, and believe she's the same as snug
gled this cat aboard of US. Now, has she
gained anything by losing the cat! When she's
been caught in the same hurricane as We have,
and she's come worse out of it; she's driven
far from her cOurse and she's leaking danger
Ously."
Tley turned and looked at each other and
nodded; they evidently thought there was
something In it.
1--WE keep the cat, them" said l." whether
the Lily would like it back or no. Is that
agreedi"
Gay, ", SIR"
II was q bad sea, but We lowered the boat as
We and the Lily approached: l particularly
wanted to 20 aboard of her. got the basket
out in which pussy had come to us, replaced
her as We had found her, and put the empty
champagne bottles on top.
The crew of the Lily were dropping with IA
tfgue when We went aboard, but, Lord to see
how the skipper and them about him woke up
when they saw us. AstOnishment is no word
for it.
"Good God'' he exclaimed. "Andyou are
the Sesmews"
"And you are the Lilly;" said l. 'That
was anice present you sent me. Ihave brought
back the bottles and the basket" and so say
ing, l uncovered pussy, who, to my amaze
ment, jumped out at once and bounded off.
had only intended to show the skipper she was
there. The poor man stared, his jaw dropped
and he sank down on coil of rope, with his
head in his hands, uttering a long, hopeless
grOan.
"COme, my friend, cheer up" said.
"We've almost nothing to eat," said he {;
''wc've been at the pumps two days, and now
that brute has come back! There's no use
standing by them any more; our voyage comes
to an end here, and down, down We go. We
might rs we'll have kept the beast; the old
wretch's words have come true, and We finish
in the middle, as she said"
doubted his mind was wandering. ''Come, I"
said /, "bestir yourself and give orders.
There's no use staying by the ship any longer;
you must abandon her and come with me-"
"What! Leave the Lily. She's good old
ship, and she's my own; no, I'll go down with
4 hnr on6 that oursp6 oat TnCa off ho
.however, and I'll thank you.''
could not make up my mind to think him
dsranged, and yet Just then the cat came
bounding along the deck with something in
her mouth, and all the hands paused and
stared. She put it in the basket at nv feet
where she herself had lain, and again bounded
away. 1t was kitten! and alive! The skip
per stared stupidity. Presently pussy returned
with another
"That's what's done it," cried the skipper,
with gathering fury; ''after got rid of her
they were here, and I never knew it," He
rose In his rage, and, seiZing a crowbar, would
have smashed basket and all, but he was easily
restrained and disarmed.
Lee me have them," said 1; "my little girl
will like them"
"What!" he cried, in something like an &C.
stacy of gladness. " And you will take the
mother, too" Then, becoming again despond-
ent, "but it's of no use, now. feel we are
going down.
Pussy had returned with her third kitten
which was dead, and had begun to purr with
delight and to rub herself round my leg, when
he reused himself and ordered all hands to
take to the boats. We stood by them in our
boat with pussy and her brood in the basket
on the stern-seat), waiting to give them a
tOwlne to our chip. When all the hands were
in the boats there was a pause Was not the
| skipper comnga No. "Cast Off" The Lily
was settling down rapidly, and the crew cast
of with little concern. The skipper's last act
was to launch with q curse broken pulley
block at the basket in our stern, as we rowed
of. 1t just missed the boat and slashed into
the sea. The Lily went down before we reached
the Seamew.
Next day we had a fair wind, and our crowd
ed ship crowded all sail and went merrily rae
ing, dipping and splashing for home. In our
new, bright hopes OF our voyage we all,
think, felt rather ashamed of our dreadful sus-
piciOns of pussy. At any rate, every one
showed the utmost tenderness and sOlicitude
for her and her two kittens.
How had the kittens been kept alive on the
Lily all that weeks you ask I don't know,
but have heard of q rat playing the part of a
| mother under similar circumstances, and am
certain there were rats in the Lily.-BeIgrdvia.