Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1890-10-15
FIVE LOST KITTENS.

/ -
said the Squire as he met the Old
Settler at the tavern the other eve-
ming.
"That so?" said the Old Settler.
"W'at's the rumpus?"
"My Of woman's got cat th't she
thinks the world an all Of" replied
the Squire, "an wat does that cat up
an do about three weeks ago but
have a chico lot O. kittens. That
made the OF woman think heap
more TIM ever of her, and everybody
had to stan around fer that cat
family. Tn was six O. the kittens,
and they were ez poorly ez six red
wagons Wull, this mornin' the Of
cat took her family out fer an airin'.
She were gone good vile an wen
she kim back she only had one kitten.
Tother FIVE can't be found, an if tn
hain't weepin' an wailin' time
over to my house, then I don't want
cent"
Jeewhizz 7" exclaimed the Old
Settler. "W'at color was them kit
tens, Squire ?"
"Yaller."
"The same kittens, b'gosh !" ejacu-
lated the Old Settler, as if commun-
ing with himself. esquire" said he,
"yourol' woman won't never see them
kittens ag'in!"
Flows that, Major?" asked the
Squire. "Whar be they?
The Old Settler filled his pipe and
lit it, and showed his hat on the back
of his head.
"Never in all my Remembrance hev
/ ever know'd catfish to be around ez
arly in the season ez they be this
spring." said he, in deliberate and
off:hand manner. 81 were taking
leetle ia'nt over long the mill pond
this mornin', an sot down by the in
let to hev smoke. Ez sot thar /
see sumpin' movin' in the water witch
is tol'able smaller thar, an lookin'
closer l were s'prised to see th't it
were an oil residenter of catfish, with
a bran new family O. young uns.
"Jeewhizz!' I says, seems to me
you're kinder rushin' the season,
hain't YET? says |.
"Ez spoke l see cat walk out
onter log that p'ints out inter the
pond about thirty foot from whar l
was settin'. Follerin'. the cat kim
half dozen O. the pootiest little yall-
er kittens / ever see. The Of cat
walked out to the end O. the log an
scrootched down. The kittens cuddl-
ed together on the log just ahind their
nanny. Poorly soon the Of cat dab
bed one O. her paws down in the water
an snatched out sinner. She tore
1t up an gave all O. her kittens a
piece of it. Then she scrootched down
an went to fishin' ag'in.
"Wull, says, this here is interest
ing
"By this time the big Of catfish had
moved along with her procession O
young uns, an got along to whar the
cat were. The cat give start ez she
clapped her eyes on 'em, fer, Squire,
if thur one thing cat likes better'n
another it's catfish. That's the way
them fish gets their name. So these
here young catties was just nuts fer
the Of cat on the log, an quicker'n
creased tightening she scooped one of
'em out and give it out permisc' to her
own young uns. | could see the hull
p'formance. Ye orter see that man.
my catfish stop wen she sees that
baby o her'n yanked from her buzzum
so to speak. Her eyes actually shoot
out on her cheeks. But We orter see
her when the nanny cat divided
that baby 'nongst her kittens The
OF catfish turned pale around the gills,
an / know'd th't th' were goin' to be
a load O. fun. She yoked one O. them
kittens an. jumped back in the water
with it, an wasn't long a.fnding out
how kitten tasted. She had that kit
ten inside O. her, hair, claws, an all,
quicker'n I'd swaller a snifter of old
apple. VILE the catfish were doin'
all this, the Old cat had gone back to
her fishin an didn't know wat were
goin' on. She dabbed down ag'in adj
brung out hull han'ful O. young cat
fish an turned to divide 'em with her
family. Then she discovered th't tn
was unly five kittens left, an looking
round jist more than astonished, she
see the last of her missing young un
going down the nanny catfish's
throat. Then she ripped and tore an
took on so orful th't, b'gosh, she
skeert me, but struck and hung