Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-10-23
TIE TWO CATS.

It sounded much like mammy's pessus
pet" but the voice was so young, SO fresh
so cooling, that Joe Parker could not believe
his ears.
There was something magnetic" about
it, to use the slang of the day; at least il
attracted Joe to the row of raspberries that
flung their green arms all abroad on the
old picket fence between his garden and
the next neighbor's and irresistibly bent
his head to peep through those respectable
pailings and see what he could see.
And this is what he saw: Such lovely
girl! Her hair was red, to be sure, but il
was that bronze red that looks brown in
the depth of its ripples and gold on their
crests Just now, in the blazing sunshine,
it was all rich deep red, with gilt threads
among it, but then she had such eyes
large clear, red hazel eyes, as beautiful as
a robins or a squirrels, fringed with dark
lashes and overbrowed with delicate dark
arches, q little lifted with a look of surprise
that was the result of shape and outline.
regret to say that her fair, soft brow and
cheeks were slightly freckled but in such a
fresh red and white the smallest spot will
not even Mary Ann May, commonly called
NANNY May" For instance, her mouth
was large; but then it was so full, so
red, and parted over such firm, white
teeth, that it seemed Just to match the
saucv little nose above and the round,
dimpled chin below it. Her waist was
large, too; just as large as the waist of any
sculptured goddess wrought by Phidias or
Praxiteles, for Nanny had never been
pinched in mind or body, or given over to
that awful tyrant They" who puts our
girls to the torture of rack and boot from
their infancy that they may be and do as
"They" do and are.
But she had tall, strong, shapely figure,
and its movements were all instinct with
the untrammeled grace of nature. As she
stood in her mothers garden, with both
hands clasping her pet to her bosom, a
basket of dandelion green's and an old case
knife at her feet, she was perfect picture
but she had not an idea of it,
Joe's theories fled as he gazed. The
voice had not misled him, it was rot a
mothers voice; the darling on whom
Nanny lavished her sweet words, her ten
der embrace even her kisses, was-a cat.
But such a cat Peter was as great a
beauty as his mistress. His coat of deep
blue-gray, was striped and dashed with
shining black; a ring of black enclrcled
his massive neck his tail was ringed also
with sable, and five wide black stripes ran
from between his ears down to the very
tip of the tail, merging as they went into
one broad band, then there was snow
white spot upon his breast, and his power
full paws were black as jet.
"Manny's dumb silly about that there
eat" was her fathers chrome growl; but
since Nanny was all the child left to him
and in his secret heart its living idol, he
only growled. He would not have uttered
- derogatory word about Peter TOR any
thing; he even remembered to get bit OF
meat for him whenever he went to the vii
lage. and had once been known to turn
back half a mile for that very purpose.
As for mother May, she spoiled the cal
Just as she had spoiled Mary Ann. She
was a dear kindly, tender-h hearted old
woman, with an utter inability to rule OF
order or mold anybody or anything. She
took life as she found it, and neither
fretted at nor tried to amend it-a sort o.
moral feather bed, soft to evaporation
but, after all, resttul to the eager, hard
worked, exasperated and wiry people o
her race.
"A proper, nice woman" Semanthy Car
rier said "always an eternally good
natured. No faculty in her, and one tina
rifles YOU considerable when you want t.
have things gee; but when you're sick o.
sorry, sort of comfortin', like pouluce."
Peter knew his power and his position
Petted from his early kittenhood, he soor
learned, like the young Of the human
species. that he could tyrannize over hi
petters. and then the warmest, softest sea
was given up to him, the door opened a
his first appeal, the giblets OF the rarely
used fowls were saved for him, his taste
gratfied and his notions respected. ON
Is sometimes tempted to half accept thu
masculine theory that women like tyrants
when one sees how they manufacture then
for themselves.
Now, Joseph Parker had just come t.
Meriden to live \ certain Mr.. Webb, WHIT
had a manufactoryin Vermont, had moved
to Nerd n to get more water power, anC
as Joe Parker was his foreman in the pape
mill he had moved, too, hired house ;
little way out of the village, next to Mr.
MAYS homestead, and brought with hin
his mother-and his mothers cat. Henc
this story, and whatever tears may be
sprinkle it.
Mrs. Parker's cat was not at all like Pete
MAY. He was black, all black, with green
yellow eyes, and an aspect that made
stranger think of the regulation cat tina
was the familiar of witches in all history
He came from Hanover to Meriden by rail
nailed up in a strawberry crate, kissing
splitting, yowling and sharpening his claw
on his frail prison all the way, to the terro
of every passenger in the car. Indeed, 10
was forced to carry crate and all into
baggage car at the third station, and rld
with it the rest of the way, for the brake
men refused TO look after it, so daunte
were they with the wild animal within
Tiger was sent into solitary confinement II
l1ar Nrs Parker
her house, and was subdued by hunger ant
darkness before they dare TO let him rang
abroad in the new neighborhood.
Now, Joe Parker had not been in Meri
den long enough to make much acquaint
ance there, and was very hard at work dur
ing the fret few weeks of his stay, so tina
he always went 10 sleep in church on Sun
day, and missed any sight thereby OF tn
blooming damsels i'll the choir or IN IN
pews. He was ashamed of it. to be sure
but there was the change of air from Yer
mont mountains to the fat meadow lanC
and low-lying pastures about the river, ant
then he was really oyerworked for a tim
in helping to place the new machinery
move the cid. and settle his mother in thi
strange place, where he knew no one t
whom he could apply for help or sugges
ton. II was not Sunday to-day when h
peeped through the fence at Nanny, an
suddenly, as if by stroke, lost his homes
Young heart-for, beloved reader, this
only love story. Only love story; onl
record of the great love song, the event G
so many lives, the tinality Of all.
That passing bell
That tolls one into heaven or hell.
As the old poet sings When hear peopl
say. "Onlv love story" l think OF tina
eouplet OF Tennyson's:
one drew sharp knife through my tende
throat,
slowly, and nothing more.
Quite enough for once! muses. the aver
age reader; and so is this matter of love
be 1t in the passion of Romeo and Juliet 0
the less wordy and more commonplac
emotion of forman in a factory and
farmers daughter, for, after all, do th
best that We may" Ills love, love, love tina
makes heworld go round-yes, that make
our sad old world a merry go-round.
Love viii find out the way, says al
ancient song, and Joe was no exception L
the rule of the Pathfinder. He persuade'
his mother to send him over to the neigh
boris the very next night for pitcher Q
milk, and also to negotiate for their dali,
~ply. This being successfully effected
went daily for the milk before mil
hours, and his pail was filed by Mary Ann
blooming with the sweet morning air, neet
n - Il IL nnn-