The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-01-18
MILK-wH1TE AND DoUBLE-ToED
Mrs. Ripley's Peculiar Cats, Reported
bya Traveller in Vermont.
l-.a... H. N-o,, Vail ct,,,

From the NelC York Sun.
RUTLAND, VT, Jan. IA traveller who
was snowbound the other day in the remote
mountain hamlet of Ripton reports a new
and peculiar home industry in that village.
There being no public house in Ripton, he
was Obliged to find quarters at the pretty
cottage home of Mrs. Ripley, who opens
her house to transient boarders. As the
gentleman entered her sitting room his at
| tention was attracted to eleven milk-white
double-toed cats that were lazily toasting
| themselves under and about the big, glowing
base burner.
ooh, those are some of my cats, explained
| Mrs. Ripley, who had noticed her visitors
| look of establishment. "Aint they beauties
But that mess is only part of them.
There are as many more in other parts of
the house"
Then the lady went on to tell how it came
about that she went into the business of
raising milk-white, double-toed cats.
"All double-toed cats are very valuable,
you know, and when cat, besides being
ouble-toed is also pure white, perfectly
spotless, why he is good deal more valua-
bic than a cat that is only douOle-toed. Peo-
pie want them forpets, you see, and people
IN New York and Chicago and other big
cities must have something curious about
their pets-something to attract attention
and that is why double-toed cats first be
came fashionable. OF course, | knew this
myself, and then it occurred to me that a
milk white cat with double toes
would be good deal more highly
priced than one that was just simply double
toed and nothing else. The milk-white part
of it is my idea, and so | began to raise
double-toed whites for the market. But, oh
my, the mik-white ones are dreadfully hard
to raise. They get sick over the least little
thing: sometimes it is a cold, and they
sueeZe and NOPE round the house and then
up and die; and sometimes they just get
sick-you can't tell what's the matter with
them-they lose their appetite and pine
away, and then they up and die just the
same. No catnip don't seem to hello them
a bit: it's in their constitution, ! think they
are delicate, you see.
There" continued Mrs Ripley, as she
pointed to big, snowy white, superblv
marked animal that had got out from be
meath the stove and was stretching itself its
many toes spreading in the act and reveal
ing sharp, white claws, that's the finest
cat have and the handsomest that | ever
raised. | am raising it for Chicago lady
by her special order, and think it will suit
her. Such cat as that is worth from So
to So, and considering the care and risk of
bringing up such cat it is not any too
much, either The ordinary double-toed
white eat is worth from 81 to 81 or s. 50 |
am rather new in the business yet, and it is
too soon to say whether it will pay or not {;
but it is a nice and quiet business, and I am
very fond Of pets, any way, so 1t doesn't
matter 50 much. think shall he able to
sell all | can raise to the dealers in pets in
the cities, even if they are not disposed of
directly to customers"
Mrs Ripley's cats, although they are
pure white from their long patrician smell
ers to the ends of their polite claws, have
not the pink eyes Of albinos; their eyes are
of the usual tawny hue, or in some cases OF
a dreamy, aqueous color. She has as many
canaries as cats. Her rooms are hung with
cages, bavies Of birds cluster on the perches
of each cage, and her sitting room rings
with their twittering, except when the cats
are mewing; then they are very silent