The Arkansaw traveler., 1885-04-11
For TnE ARKANsAw TRAvKLKR.
 A REAL STORY OF THE UNREAL.
BY PHrL FARRADAY.

dows it wlnked its eye sleepily at me, like the last star of Ihe morning, as sat alone listening to the steady breathings of my wife and children as they passed away the unconscious hours in refresh ing slumber. The cat was lying dozirg in chair, when cricket ran out from the wainscot and scampered along the floor. It stopped in the middle of red flower on the carpet aud began to chirp. That chirp was its last; for the cat, sec ing it just as it had gotten through the introduction, jumped down and devoured it in half dozen seconds. The murder was committed before had time to in- terfere, and my anger was fast getting the better of me and threatened to soon get the better of the feline assassin, when clear, rattling knock at the deor, like the hammering of wood. becker on a telephone pole, took my attention into custody. The weather was sobbing and signing, and cogitated as to who could want me on such a night at suck time thereof While thus mentally engaged, the door slowly opened, and little old woman of the shortest stature, with deep set eyes that shone like diamonds, wear ing peek-a-boo bonnet on her head and patent leather over-boots on her feet, walked in. The cat leaped to the floor, ran into the wood bex, and sat there glar- ing at her. She shook her right hand in which she held a faded cotton um- brella with a dog's-head har dle-at it. and seated herself in the chair it had so hastily and in such terror vacated. She gazed steadily at me, and as she tried to warm her hands at the fading fire re- marked that the weather was raw.
 "Yes," ventured to reply, "rather too much so for such people as you to be abroad in."
 "How do you know what kind of peo- pie am ?" she 6ercely responded.
 This question stunned me, for surely I was beginning to conclude had never seen anything like her before, in fair weather or foul.
 She pulled of one of her boots and threw it at the cat. The cat dodged the missile which landed in the box upright. It then jumped into the boot, hind foot first and its green eyes gleamed as it looked now at me and now at my queer guest. l. was an odd sight-a boot with a cats head.
 "You have a nice lot of children" she went on, as she held her bootless foot up against the steve-when 1 saw it was bare, and small and shapely, and as white as the mountain sleet-" and pretty wife. know her and them. No, you needn't wake her up. l know you we'll enough, too. It's pity you are blest with such gifts of heaven, which should be bestowed only on the good"
 She. was getting personal. While was never known to strike a woman, felt it would be righteous act in me to slap her into the middle of the street. But such proceeding would alarm my family, and perhaps result in a visit to the police court. So held my peace and she held her seat.
 Madam" began
 "But am not madam"
 "Well, Miss, then"
 But am not Miss!'
 "What in the name of all the ogres at once are you2" exclaimed, partly ad- dressing myself to her and partly to the ceiling, in the desperate hope of favor ble answer from some quarter.
 "I am the friend of crickets against cats," she shrieked loud enough to have awakened Rip Van Wrinkle before his time was up; but noticed with no little amazement that the children slept peacefully on, while thought my wife's l face never looked so sweetly calm in re- pose. "I am the friend of crickets against cats, and the man who will sit | lar ly by and see one devoured on his own hearthstone, should be pinched with l pincers and stabbed with stillettos "- here she thrust her dripping umbrella in l painful proximity to my nose" and but | for the love I bear them "-pointing to l the bed-"I would tonight avenge upon l your person this shameful death of one | of my favorites. l love crickets, and they l love me, and not one comes to i'll that | do not appear on the instant. It is the work of my life to keep harm from them, but sometimes arrive too late-as i l did tonight. But will punish you for your cruel neglect. Listen and lookp
 Taking from an old reticule that hung on her left arm piccolo flute not much | longer than a broomsuaw. she com menced playing tune. When boy,