The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1890-07-23

and even Penelope was speeches. Wlth
surprise al the phenomenon.
A call from neighbor, inadvertently
followed by his miserable bull-terrier,
with wide open throat, careless whether
Spot or Grimalkin were the quarry, so
long as it was cat, restored the two Ia
dies, not to friendly relations but to what
might be called a convention Of the
PDwers For before two sentences of
greeting had been uttered the house was
filed, as if by a cloud of smoke, with an
uproar Of yelps from the kitchen, and
the neighbor was out there pulling at
his dog, which would not release his
hold, and the shrieking ladies had fallen
on their cats, and the cook was heating
a poker to make the dogs jaws let 90,
and Nora was wiping the blood from the
floor, and ii was all chaos come again-
ooh cried Miss Penelope, when the
visitor had taken himself and his dog
out of the way, 40 think of that monster
attacking dear, innocent little Spot
"Pm sure I'd as lief it would be Spot as
Grimalkin,7 said Miss Florry, impru-
IDENTIFY.
@And great liefer," flashed Miss Pene-
lope.
a was going on TO say continued
poor, stupid Miss Flory, innocently bent
on keeping the peace, IF Grimalkin,
wasn't better able to fight back
q wonder if you ever say anything
without a second meaning in it, Flora,
said Miss Penelope, still trembling with
the excitement. spot is just as heroic,
just as good fighter as Grimalkin."
@Dear me, should hope so
q wonder what you do mean. Or if
you know yourself what you mean
wonder you can feel and speak as you do
about Spot, and then allow him to caress
you so. If it were any one else you would
call it the blAckest hypocrisy
1T isn't any one else"
"You may think, persisted Miss Pene-
lope, still caressing her favorite, whose
fur net yet subsiding made him resem-
bic picture of the primeval hairy masto-
don, "that it's no matter, being a cat.
But the principle is exactly the same. If
you're hypocrite toa cat you'll be hyp-
ocrite to me. And always thought you
werew And at that, with an indignant
look, but no reply, Miss Fiorry put down
Grimalkin, and was about to retire from
the room.
you had better 20" said Miss Pene-
lope. a should think you'd be ashamed
to stay and look either spot or me in the
face. You may think didn't see the
glance pass between YOU and that brute's
master. But my eyes are good enough
for that yet. You forgot your precious
GrimaIkin was there, and deliberately
signiied that you wanted him to set the
dog on spot. And he did"
Il should Ike to box your ears, Pencil
ope7 cried Miss Florry.
ave no doubt you would
Somebody ought to-
"You cant't7
Il don't wish to-I"-
"You just said you did 4 pretty re-
mark for me to repreat ?7 And then the /
poor, wicked, indiscreet Miss Florry did I
escape.
A few weeks Of armed neutrality. in I
which Miss Penelope went about, as
Nora told the cook, with her face as black /
as athunder-cloud, when, to the thorough /
discontinue Of the badgered and wretch /
ed Miss Florry, it was suddenly discover Z
ed that Spot had disappeared. Mss (
Florry ventured to intimate that ne had .
gone on one of his predatory excursions
little more extended than common.
But when night came, and still he dii 4
not tap with his usually imperious paw
upon the window-pane, Miss Penelope
did much more than intimate.
"He has been made away with !" she
cried. That is what has happened. I
have been expecting Il ever since you
said you wished you'd never see him
Il didn't say any such thing
"Yes, you aid"
81 didn't. fl did, meant l wished
I'd never seen any cat"
''It's the same thing. And nobody
knows what you meant, l expected you'd
have him made away with them, and
now I'm sure oft. And l find that
you've had Rough-on- Rats put round the
stable pretending its for rats, / shall
know very well what you had it put
there for?"
"weII, then sid Miss Florry, in an
gry desperation, what viii you do about
in?"
you'll see what III DO about it If
can't do anything else l will let the
neighbors, the church, the whole COM
munity, know what a creature YOU are,
that you murder little innocent beings
and gloat over their suiferings, and sit
calmly by while
81 can't sit calmly By while you 90 on
in this way, Penelope; and you stop this
minute, or III thrw something at you
said Miss Florry, goaded out of all pa
tience and discretion.
Il shouldn't be surprised if you did.
You've killed my cat; and the next
thing you'll try getting rid Of me. III
find you have killed my cat, shall ex-
pect poison in my own tea cup next
"Meow-w, cried sharp little voice IN
der their chairs. "Meow-w."
The whole house sprlng to its feet
and Spot was discovered between the
floors where he had crawled and gone 10
sleep and been wandering round, unable
to find the way out
ale can't have been there without
crying all this time you have heard him
and said nothing" cried his mistress.
You put him there, you know yeu did
/ never knew such wretch as you have
become. You, Flora, with your chari-
ties, and philanthropies, and prevention
societies You ought to be expelled from
every one Of them, and you will be if
make a complaint Of your treatment of
this poor pet
Miss Penelope had come to the end of
her tether, and Miss Florry OF her pa
tience. Miss FlorTy felt that her own
temper was torn to shreds, she saw that
nervous pros.ra.ion must follow its con-