The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1888-03-24
Out Youm9 Peop1e.
THE CATS OF SAN LORENZO.

THE CATS OF SAN LORENZO.
1T wish you would tell me the story again
That you told me one day." said little Lor
raine.
.Don't you remember? About a city.
And beautiful church in a beautiful street,
Andplace where any for saken kitty
Can have a home and something to eat
I1yisb you would tell me that story again,
I liked it SO much" coaxed little Lorraine.
Yes l remember the story told:
The city of Florence. far over the sea-
Let us forget the snow and the cold
And fancy ourselves in Italy.
Where the sun is warm though the month be
March,
And near the Laurentian library.
Under the shelter of some great arch,
We may buy boquets of anemone
The scarlet blossoms from hill and plain
III ,ytsh 1ue lUere there" said little Lorraine.
Then we would inter-, all by ourselves,
The door of the library. Row upon row
Are thousands of learned books on the shelves.
And manuscripts written so long ago;
And while I am perusing Petrarca's rhyme,
with it's stately music and quaint concettt,
NV little friend has tiresome time
And thinks she would like to see something
pretty.
Then we go close to the window-panes
Turning our backs on the rows of books
Through the colored glass with it's brilliant
stains
Curious enough the old cloister looks;
For the architecture severe and rich
Of its long arcade of stone is seen
In varied colors, as if witch
Had painted it purple and red and green'
Perhaps we might see some people come
With a carriage and pair-leaving town, no
doubt
And the footman opens bag wherefrom
great gray pussy comes leap1ng out.
"When the people go and the cats remain,
The cats should be cared for said little Lor
rdtne.
And next comes pretty Florentine child,
With tangled curls and her eyes cast down,
And her apron wrapped round kitten, too
wild
To keep in the house, and too dear to drown;
A tiger-striped kitten-she sets 1t tree,
And off it scampers, SIS If afraid
Of losing its Dewly-found liberty,
And hides in the walls of the old arcade,
AS if it would never be seen again
Il do loue kittens" said little Lorraine.
A mother-cat with her babies three
Would bask at ease in the clear March sun
And cuddle her kittens so costly
And then we should see them begin to run
At the very first sound of the stroke of noon.
From the clock on the tower; and If before
Wo saw few pussy-cats. very soon
For every one we might count three-score.
For men come bringing great bags of bread
In broken morsels, with bits of meat;
And the food with which all these cats are fed
Is gathered at house-doors from street to
street.
psf, pst, psf When the call they hear
From corner and crevice green eyes are peep
ing,
And cats and kittens from far and near
Come running and trotting and springing and
leaping,
With tails in the air and ruffled fur,
Cross cats and pleasant cats, great ones and
small,
With NEW and hiss and squeal and purr-
There is food enough and a welcome for all.
From window and parapet, roof-tree and tile
The cats come quickly as they are able,
A procession of cats that would reach mile,
Obeying the summons to come to table.
So many cats, we should try in vain
To count them. "a YniuiOn?" said little LOr-
rdine.
Black cats and gray cats and black-and-white,
Yellow and tortoise SHE'LL Tabby and Tom
Every stray cat has citizens right
To live In peace in this ancient home,
To fight and to frisk and to NEW and to purr.
Every cat in the cloister may live at ease,
And nobody punish him or her
For doing whatever they plan or please.
When the meal is ended, the cats will go
Each again to his favorite place;
Some live high up and some live down low,
And some would lead us a sorry chase
If we tried to follow them; we should fall,
For we could never Chamber or run
AS the pussy-cats do, on the parapet wall.
On roofs and arches and think it fun.
So better for us to stay below
And visit. tomorrow, some gallery
With marble statues in stately row
And marvellous paintings for us to see.
II ,Dollld rather look at the cats again
When they dine Tomorrow" said little Lorraine
e. CAvAzzA.