Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-09-07

away with their paws, and sputtsred
fearfully when the milk was poured
down their throats; and as they did 60
Spotty seized my wife by her dress and
looked reproachfully up IN her face as IL
he would say, "why do you do so--you
will straugle the young strangers. -
Soon, however. they got accustomed to
the table ceremonies and when they had
eaten their fill my wife laid them upon
the rug in the corner. This was no
sooner done than, to my great surprise
Spotty stretched himself at full length
| upon the floor aud uttered the peculiar
| cry by which the mother cat calls her
young to get their food. l was some
| what doubtful OF his Intentions, so l
stood conveniently by while the little
fellows waddled to him. supposIng. no
doubt that they were to have q dessert
after supper. But he took them between
his paws, fondled them for moment
and then, notwithstanding their squeals =,
put them through the genuine massage
| treatment. This done, he shook them
off, and going to their bed, stretched
himself out upon it and called them
| again to him. When we left them they
were buttiDg against him for the dessert
| he couldn' t give them, and he was SUBJ
| hitting to their assaults with as much
| patience US could have been shown BY
mother cat who had reared q dozen lit
| tiers of kittens.
After that Spotty gave the kittens all
mothers attention, seldom leaving
them except when my wife happened to
be little late in taking up their food.
| On such occasions he would come down
stairs and stay by her until he saw the
milk duly warmed, and the bottle on its
way to the upper story. Both of the
kittens throve under his careful tending,
but the one so much like Its mother
seemed to have inherited the most OF her
vitality.
He was perpetual motion, and though
he had large chamber to range in, he
was possessed with desire TO see what
the outer world is MADE of. We aimed
10 keep the chamber door closed, but
now and then II would be left open, and
then Spotty would attempt to shut it
himself, but not able TO do this fully,
owing TO Its sagging upon the hinges, he
would plant himself in the aperture and
thus keep back the adventurous kitten.
One day when the kittens were about
four weeks old, l found the door ajar,
SpOtty squatted across the aperture, and
the kitten butting away at him in an at
watching the persistent little fellow q
bright idea seemed TO strike him. Spotty
was lying down, and all ut once the ju-
venile cat realized that he had oulv to
Chamber over his back to be out in the
hallway. This he proceeded to do, but
he had no sooner got half way oVer-in Il
well-bnlanced position-than Spotty rose
gently to his feet and, with q measured
tread, bore him to the further end of the
chamber.
SympathiZing with the kittens desire
TO see the world, took him then into
the hall and set him upon the floor, but
had no sooner done so than Spotty caught
him by the back of the neck and started
with him for the chamber. Taking the
little fellow from him L set him loose
again, and called Spotty to me at the
head of the stairway. When he had
squatted there upon his launches |
opened the other doors leading from the |
hallway and brought out the other kitten |
and set it beside Its brother. This was |
all needed to do, for Spotty's mother |
and all her kittens have shown an intui- |
tive acquaintance with the language of |
signs. After that Spotty allowed the |
kittens the freedom OF the entire second |
story; but l never paid them visit
guard ut the upper landing.
But one day the young gentleman was
caught mapping and the kitten got down
to nearly the foot OF the stairway. I was
seated in my room directly opposite when
1 heard q startled cry-Spotty's usual
signal of distress-and looking up saw
him with his head thrust between the
and his eyes fixed upon me with
an expression OF the utmost distress
Going to him found that he was stand
ing guard over the adventurous kitten.
Evidently the little fellow had passed
him unobserved and, being too small to
step from one trend TO another, had
.umbled, one step at time. that far
Town before SDotty discovered his alb
Ieuce. He had now blocked his further
progress, but deerning II too much of q
ask to carry him all the way up the
tairs, he had called me TO the rescue. 1
ook the kitten to my room, made him
mug bed in an alcove and went for his
title sister.
After that the three cats had their
.bode IN my library, and this was q
:reat relief to Spotty, ha being no longer
bliged TO give the kittens his constant
ttentioD, for he, no doubt, thought it
afe to leave them under the direct eye
1 the master; Tor now ne was absent
uring long intervals, always, however,
ppearlug at their hours for meals, rs
rs il he had a watch in his
ocliet, and never leaving them after
ightfull. At first was ut loss to ac- '
cunt for his prolonged absence, but
soon discovered that since the death of {
is mother the house had become over {
IN with nice, and that Spotty was en- '
aged in n war with the army of rodents. G
| was all of O fortnight before he had {
lbdued and driven off the enemy, but g
hen he had he resumed his d eToted at c
'ntion to his little brother aud sister.
Iowever, before this occurre d, they had {
,und new and altogether novel COM q
Rnion. 2
Though it was located upon one of the a
rincipal streets of large city our house f
as an old-fashloned New England t
ansion, with garden of nearly two o
,res, filed with fruit and shade trees. 1
y library was one of the rear rooms on r
lie ground floor, and overhanging it was "
magnificent elm which, l suppose, b
I'D stood there for nearly q century. In Il
le upper crotch of this tree, hidden h
: the leaves so as TO be scarcely visible T
ON below. o squirrel had his nest-a Il
sautiful fellow, with q glossy gray coat, A
Id a broad, bushy tail, that might have q
zen the envy of peacock. was told U
at he had made his home IN that tree
oil