Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-09-11

"spoou vittles.'' They thrust the bottle
away with their paws, and sputtered
fearfully when the milk was poured
down their tkroats; and as they did so
Spotty seized my wife by her dress and
looked reproachfulIy up IN her face as if
he would say, "why do you do so-you
will strangle 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 and uttered the peculiar
cry by which the mother cat calls her
young to get their food. 1 was some
what doubtful of his intentions, so 1
stood conveniently by while the little
fellows waddled to him. supposing, no
doubt that they were to have dessert
after supper. But he took them between
his paws, fondled them for a 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 butting against him for the dessert
he couldn't give them, and he was sub
hitting to their assaults with as much
patience as could have been shown by a
mother cat who had reared dozen lit
tiers of kittens.
After that Spotty gave the kittens all
a 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 go 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 a desire to see what
the outer world Is MADE Of. We aimed
to keep the chamber door closed, but
now and then 1t 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,
the kitten butting away at him in an at
tempt to force passage. While L was
watching the persistent little fellow
bright idea seemed to strike him. Spotty
was lying down, and all at once the jul
venile cat realized that he had only 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 a
we'll balanced position-than Spotty rose
gently to his feet and, with a measured
tread, bore him to the further end of the
chamber.
Sympathzing with the kittens desire
to see the world, 1 took him then into
the hall and set him upon the floor, but
had no sooner done so than Spotty caught
MIN 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 st 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
when l did not find him squatted on
guard at the upper landing.
But one day the young gentleman was
caught mapping and the kitten got down
to nearly the foot of the stairway. l was
seated in my room directly opposite when
[ heard O startled cry-Spotty' usual
signal of distress-and looking up saw
hun with his head thrust between the
balusters 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 10 another, had
tumbled, one step at time, that far
down before Spotty discovered his alb
sence. He had now blocked his further
progress, but deeming it too much of q
task to carry him all the way up the
stairs, be had called me TO the rescue. 1
took the kitten to my room, made him
snug bed in an alcove and went for his
little sister.
After that the three cats had their
abode IN my library, and this was
great relief to Spotty, he beng no longer
obliged to give the kittens his constant
attention, for he, no doubt, thought it
safe to leave them under the direct eye
of the master; for now he was absent
during long intervals, always, however,
appearing at their hours for meals, as
punctuaIly as if he had a watch in his
pocket, and never leaving them after
nightfall. At first was at loss to &C
count for his prolonged absence, but
l soon discovered that since the death of
his mother the house had become over
run with mice, and that Spotty was en-
gagged in a war with the army of rodents.
1t was all of fortnight before he had
subdued and driven off the enemy. but
when he had he resumed his devoted at
tention to his little brother and sister.
However, before this occurred, they had
found new and altogether novel COM
panion.
Though it was located upon one of the
principal streets of large city our house
was an old-fashIoned New England
mansion, with garden of nearly two
acres, filled with fruit and shade trees.
Ny library was one of the rear rooms on
the ground floor, and overhanging it was
a magnificent elm which, 1 suppose,
had stood there for nearly century. In
the upper crotch of this tree, hidden