Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1886-04-08
HOW TOM FOUND A HOME.

Young Readers.
ooh, do look here, Maud" said Aunt
Kate, ''here is such nice big cat come
to our house, and cook tells me he
comes now each day, and she thinks
he has not got home. :"
Maud was just nine years of age,
and was fond of cats, and dogs, and
birds, and dolls.
When she heard her aunt call her,
she ran out at once, and there she
found her aunt, who stood at the hall
door, and on the top of the steps was
the cat of which she spoke.
He was fine large one, with q
gray, but his paws were white, and he
had brown nose.
"Oh, you dear cat!'' said Maud, and
she bent down to stroke him. Puss
gave a NEW, and then purr; for, of
kind to him.
"Aunt Kate, do let me keep this cat,
and have him all for my own,' she
said.
eve must see first" said Aunt Kate,
IL
home is. for those who have lost him
may want him back. But you may go
and fetch him some milk"
Maud ran off, and soon came back
with the milk, and gave it to the cat
"Mew!" which meant: 'Please give
me some more"
eyes, he may have some more, as
he seems to want it so much, said
Aunt Kate. 'sHe is fine cat, and we
must not let him starve."
When he had done his milk, Maud
took him up in her arms and brought
him to small room where she kept
her dolls and the toys she had to play
with.
"Now,' said Aunt Kate, "I want to
write and read, and have lots of things
to do. You must play with this nice
old cat, snow him your dolls, be good
to him, and think of some nice name
we can call him by whilst he Is with
u.s." and Aunt Kate went off and left
Maud with puss.
"Puss, puss! what shall we do?"
said Maud. "You go and look round
the room and see if you think this will
be nice home for you, and 1 will get
one of my books and see what kind of
name can choose for you.
"Puss must be good cat" thought
Maud, for he did at once what she told
him; went for walk round the room,
smelt all the chairs, had look at a
doll, which, poor thing, had had fall
on to the floor and hurt its head, and
then he came and sat down in front of
the fire to wash.
"Now, puss, would you like us to
call you Moll?" said Maud. "Moll,
Moll!'' but puss paid no heed. "Well,
then, do you like Fluff?' But still
puss did not turn his head. Such lots
of names Maud thought of, but puss
did not seem to like them.
Soon Aunt Kate came back. 'Oh!
aunt" said Maud, lido help me to find
a name that puss will like. He will
not have Fluff, or Fritz. or Moll, or
Kit, and lots more that have thought
of and told him."
''Come, then, I'll try what I can
do,'' said Aunt Kate. tom, Toni"
and as soon as she spoke this name,
back went his ears, and ''Mew!" said
he. ''There, now, that is his true
name, Maud; he knew it at once"
And so from that time puss was
known Dv the naIle OIL LON.
Aunt Kate did all she could to find
out where he came from, but all in
vain. So Maud was told she might
have him now for her own, and how
glad she was; and how kind she made
up her mind she would be to him.
Now Tom grew up to be such wise
cat. 1 will just tell you one thing
he learnt to do.
One night, quite late, Maud had gone
to bed, and Aunt Kate took book and
sat down by the fire to read. The
room she was in was close to the hall
door. Soon she heard knock at the
door, but she did not pay much heed
twice she did think she must go and
see who it could be, for both her maids
were gone to bed. And who do you
think it was? Why, Tom, who came
in with purr and NEW, and his tail
straight up in the air.
Now, I must tell you Aunt Hates
hall door was half glass, and low
down. where it was wood, there was a
round brass ring, with which one had
to knock. And Tom had stood on his
hind legs, and with one of his paws
took hold of the brass ring and then
let it fall, SO as to make it knock.
And the strange thing is, that when
he found he was let in this time, he did
it now and then when i. was Geld or
wet out of doors, and Maud soon knew
Tom knock, and would run to let
him in.
Tom, then, is a great pet, and
Maud, who is now grown up, and has
home of he own, hopes Tom will live
for lots more years to come.-Little
Folks.