The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1886-05-12
A GREAT FRIGHT.
A story About Four Little Kittens and .
Rubber Hall.

Rubber Ball.
1t was about very small kitten that
Jessie's great fright came. And l
must tell You first little about those
kittens.
If you could only have seen them as
they were brought in from the barn in
basket! Four of them. lying on a
piece of old carpet with their old man.
my-she purring and giving once in
awhile motherly little ''Mmmm"
when they stirred.
''Four babies!'' exclaimed Jessie, in
great delight. II wonder Il she's four
times as happy with them as you are
with me, mammal"
Mamma thought not, and she gave
Jessie hug and kiss Just where the
head. 80.
! But Jessie thought she must be, as
she made arrangements for making the
precious little family as comfortable as
possible. She brought her dolls wal
nut bedstead, high at the head and al
most big enough for q real baby, and
made it up with clean spread and
Then Madam Puss was carefully re-
moved to it, and her little black treas
ure and her gray-and-white pet and
her Observation-Disclosures beauty
and her cunningest-in-the- -whole-world
white-with-just-a-tiny-spot-on-its-tai tail
darling were lovingly laid beside her.
Any one would think she might have
considered herself well-off cat, as
Jessie softly lifted her head and placed
pillow under it. and then carried
away the old basket. But there is no
accounting for cats tastes.
When Josie got back, she met her at
the door, with the gray-and-white
dangling from her mouth. and she
trotted off to the barn before Jessie
could catch her, to find her old quar-
ters.
The little girl carried her back in
great DISNEY, settling her again as
costly az before, but she found she had
her hands full.
For half the day that cat kept jump.
ing up every little while, trying to carry
off a kitten. Later she seemed to make
up her mind that if she had to submit
to lying on clean little bed, instead
of an old carpet, she would do it in q
proper spirit; SO she lay still and took
Jessie's petting as If she felt that she
deserved 1t all, and great deal more.
And when at night the family was
taken out to the basket in the barn,
she was back again in five minutes,
carrying the OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
white.
Well, the kittens grew every day
bigger and prettier and cunninger.
Their eyes opened and they crawled,
and then stumbled and tumbled about
with uncertain little footsteps. They
rolled over each other, clawed each
other, and disrespectfully played with
their mothers tail.
They were around In every corner
and in every body's way when jessie
had her great fright.
1t was just at twilight, when all were
gathering for tea, that q dreadful
scream was heard. Every one ran to
see if the house was on fire or burg
lar getting in or window fallen down
ON Jessie. r. !.
What is itp What's the matter.
Jessiep"
"ob! ohl' oh!!! It's smashed-1
know it isr'
"What, dearp Your handp you
footp Tell mamma what ails you"
"Oh, it's dead! it's dead! I've killed
itr'- ~ aa
"Killed sDsat, Jessiep"
"A kitty. / stepped on it-hard. II
felt soft and it gave one squeak, and it
hasn't squcaked again, SO l hnoU it's
dead" a.r.
"Dearl dear!'' said Aunt Maria
Jane. II knew something would hap
pen to those kittens-always under
foot"
Poor little kitty! Poor little girlr'
said Jessie's mamma, putting her arms
around her and trying to comfort her
while some one brought light.
Then every body went ON kitten
hunt. The yellow-and-bl -black-and-white
and the gray-and-white were asleep in
little lump on the hearth-rug; the
black was curled up in Aunt Maria
Jane work-basket.
Somebody stepped on something soft
in corner and jumped as it squeaked.
"That's it!' screamed Jessie. ..lt's
that dear little white onei' ''.
But no. For just then the little tail
with the spot on 1t was seen peeping
out of Jessie's hood, into which its
ownerh had crept for nap. Papa held
down lamp to see what the soft thing
was which had squeaked SO like kit
ten.
"E's my rubber ball!'' cried Jessie.
- Y0nkh's Io,,aynsason