Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1886-08-06
SHENANDOAH HERALD
ADVERTISING RATES.
STORIES ABOUT CATS.

The Montreal Star thus tells how
cat rode one hundred and seven.
teen miles on a fy-wheel of an en-.
CINE: "Ihe engineer of the Star
printing establishment soon after
starting the steam engine one
morning, noticed a white patch on
the inner surface of the drive
wheel, which he thought was a
piece Of paper caught by one Of the
spokes in its flight and whirled
around and around. The white
patch was noticed by several of the
hands during the morning, who ac.
counted for it in the same way, but
no attention was given TO the mat.
ter until the engine was stopped
shortly afternoon. AS the wheel
stopped, the engineer was surpris-
ed to see the white spot fall to the
ground and then get up and crawl
away. lie then, for the first time,
became aware that the white spot
which had been whirling in the fly
wheel was a cat which had been
clinging to one of the spokes of
the wheel, and had only relaxed its
hold when the wheel had come
to a stand still. The cat seemed
dazed for awhile, and was taken
into the street for free air."
\ member of London Geological
society says: 81 once had cat
who always sat up to the dinner
table with me, and had his napkin
round his neck and his plate and
some fish. He used his paw, Of
course, but he was very particular,
and behaved with extraordinary
decOrum. When he finished his
fish, | sometimes gave him a piece
of mine. One day he was not to be
found when the dinner bell rang,
so we began without him. Just as
the plates we're put around for the
entree, puss came rushing up stairs
and sprang into his chair with two
nice in his mouth. Before he
could be stopped he dropped a
mouse on his own plate and then
one on to mine. He divided his
dinner with me as | had divided
mine with him."
Mrs. Cashel Hoey in her "Book
on CATS argues thus IN favor Of
animal logic: Every day, after
breakfast, | made it rule to throw
a bit of bread into an adjoining
room, as far off as | could, so as to
induce my cat to run after it as it
rolled away. This custom | kept
up for several months, and the cat
always regarded that piece of bread
as the titblt Of its dessert. Even
after it had eaten meat, it would
await with attentive interest the
minute when it was to start in pur.
suit of the mOrsel of soft bread.
One day | held the coveted scrap
in my hand, and swung il about for
a long time, while the cat eyed 1t
with a kind OF patient eagerness,
and then, instead of throwing it
into the next room, | threw 1t be-
hind the upper portion of a picture
which was slightly inclined for
ward from the wall. The surprise
of the cat, who, closely following
my movements, had observed the
direction in which | threw the
bread, aud its disappearance, was
extreme. The uneasy look OF
the animal indicated its conscious
ness that a material object travers-
ing space could not be annlhilated.
For some time the cat considered
the matter, then it started of into
the next room, evidently guided by
the reflection that the piece of
bread having disappeared, it must
have gone through the wall. But
the bread had not gone through
the wall, and the cat returned dis
appointed The animals logic was
at fault. | again attracted its at
tentiOn by my gestures, and sent a
second pience of bread to Join the
| first beAind the picture. This time
the cat jumped upon a dlvan and
went straight to the hiding-place.
Having inspected the frame on
both sides it began to manGuvre
so deSterouSly with its paw that 1t
shifted the lower edge of the pic
ture away from the wall, and thus
got at the two pieces OF bread.
PRESENCE OF MIND.-The fol-
lowing story is told Of one of the
Jacksonville bellies who is down at
Pablo spending the week;