The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1886-05-15
JESSIE'S FRIGHT.
A Story About Four Little Kittens and
Rubber Hall.

huDDer Dali
1t was about very small kitten that
Jessie's great fright came. And 1
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
piece of old carpet with their old NAM
my-she purring and giving once in
awhile motherly little "MmmmP"
when they stirred.
-Four babiesl" exclaimed Jessie, in
great delight. II wonder if 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
pretty light curls parted on her fore
head
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 Il real baby, and
made it up with a clean spread and
lace-trimmed pillows.
Then Madam Puss was carefully re-
moved to it, and her little black treas
ure and her gray-and-whte pet and
her yellow-and -black-and-white beauty
and her cunningest-in-the-w underworld
white-with-i ust- a-tiny-spot-on tail
darling were lovingly laid beside her.
Any one would think she might have
considered herself a 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-
tiers.
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 a
proper spirit; so she lay still and took
Jessie's petting as if she felt that she
deserved it all, and a 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 yellow-and- black-and-
white
Well, the kittens grew every day
bigger and prettier and cunninger.
Their eyes opened and they crawled,
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 dreadful
scream was heard. Every one ran to
see if the house was on fire or burg
lar getting in or a window fallen down
on Jessie.
"What is itP What's the matter.
JessiePn
"Ob! OH! oh!!! It's smashed-I
know it is!'
"What, dearp Your hAndP your
foot? Tell mamma what ails you"
"Oh, it's dead! it's dead! I've killed
itr'
"Killed lUhdt, JessieP"
"a kitty. stepped on it-hard. 1t
felt soft and it gave one squeak, and it
hasn't squeaked again, so / bnO,o it's
dead
Dear! dear!' said Aunt Maria
, Jane. 81 knew something would hap
, pen to those kittens-always under
foot"
Poor little kitty! Poor little girl"
said Jessie's mamma, putting her arms
| around her and trying to comfort her
while some one brought light.
t Then every body went on kitten
| hunt The Observation-Disclosures
} and the gray-and-white were asleep in
, little lump on the hearth-rug, the
7 black was curled up in Aunt Maria
l James work-basket.
= Somebody stepped on something sott
5 in corner and jumped as it squeaked-
D That's itr' screamed Jessie, ITS
: that dear little white oneE"
e But no. For just then the little tail
b with the spot on 1t was seea peeping
= out OF Jessie's hood, into which its
I owner had crept for nap. Papa held
a down lamp to see what the soft thing
: was which had squeaked so like a kit
4 ten.
f "It's my rubber BALI" cried jessie,
z Youths Companion.