The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1890-12-26

u taken; neither was he dog.
Logan was n cat. He was not a
Maltese cat, nor IN Angora cat nor
q Manx or tailless cat, nor even n
tortoise shell. He was like a great
many boys and girls, just plain,
everyday body, nothing remarkable
about him, but with kind friends
who tried to make life comfortable
and happy for him.
Logan had n great nhny expert
ences in his life, some of which you
will hear about some time, but just
now l am going to tell you how he
enjoyed one Christmas.
In the family with whom Logan
had his home, there was u custom OF
having a gathering Christmas after.
noon OF two or three families, some
of them relatives, and putting all
their Christmas presents to each
other in pile, hcaped up on q table,
or under it, or around it, as the pile
grew higher. You may be sure there
were no children in these families, or
they would never have been able to
wait till four o'clock in the afternoon
for their presents; us it was, some OF
the big folks sometimes got impa-
tient, but it was Of no use, the young
ladies managed the affair, and sud
we must witt.
Though all the family were very
friendly to Logan, lie was the esDecial
pet of one young man. This gen.
tleman said Logan should have q
basket to lie and sleep in. The idea
was laughed ut, but he persisted tllat
Logan should have it for Christmas,
and had sent up and smugglcd into
the house, ono of the dearest little
baskets you ever saw. And not SO
very little, either, for Logan weighed
ten pounds. Probably some of you
have seen the willow baskets design
ed for the pet dogs of ladies': this is
what was provided for Logan's
Christmas present.
But when the young lady of the
house saw the basket, she said it
must have a cushion, so though very
busy with the last preparations,
material was hunted up for q cover,
part Of an old quilt was begged OF
the mother, and O. soft cushion,
which just filled tho bottom of the
basket, was added to the outfit.
But this was not oil.
Some time before this, Logan ha d
been carried to the photographers to
have his picture taken. He had
objected very strongly to this, and
the result had been a lifelike but
fierce-looking picture, and they had
not been finished. Another friend of
the family and Logan, Christmas
morning sent addressed to him n
package containing q small gilt bell
attached to a blue ribbon-this for
Logan's neck-and u card photo
graph OF himself.
The question which disturbed us
now was, would Logan take kindly
to his basket? 1t was placed among
the other presents and when the
proper time came, his name was
called like the rest. Care had been
taken to keep him in sight, and he
was brought in and set down in
front OF the basket. What do you
think he did? Just looked ut it,
smelled of it, got in and lay down rs
If he had slept there every night OF his
life. He objected SO strongly to
wearing his bell that it was tied in
the willow canopy, SO that it
rang when he got in and when he
got up to turn round. Logan be-
came very fond OF his basket. and
when he had stayed out all night, as
you know cats will sometimes do, he
would come in, walk straight to the
basket and curl up for long sleep.
He became SO large. the bnsket be.
came too small, and sometimes lie
would sleep with one leg thrown en-
trrely outside, n tail, which was
long and handsome, hanging out.
l am sorry to say the basket is
now empty, for Logan, alas is gone,
but he is not forgotten. A. G. NJ.