Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1890-06-13

experienced parsonage Ill consider
the matter"
Ned took the children off to the barn
on some errand; Mimy's musical voice
rose and fell in mournful wall as she
cleared the table, sat on the vrran-
dab and thought of turning new leaf
| had nothing to do but to keep my
house in order, and that promised to be
light work for some time to come. Now
that poverty had ceased its unmerciful
pinching, surely there was no need of
rushing and tearing through life with
out stopping 10 sip it's sweets. would
begin now to take things easy would
give the house more liberty, would take
more leisure myself 1t could be done.
it must be done. The comfort Of the
family aud my own health depended on
it. Having turned the leaf and viewed
its clean unwritten page, hoped the
morrow would not blot and mar its
snowy surface, and went to bed.
The morning dawned fair and warm.
The children got up slowly and1ingered
dreadfully over their breakfass. Ned
took down several pairs of pants and
strcwed them about the room, after
searching the pockets for his watch key.
Mimy walled her usual tune, and took
two hours for clearing up the breakfast
things. | cleaned the house leisurly
without dissenting word; everything
on the place was happy as the larks in
the meadow. | CHANGED to enter the
kitchen on some errand, admiring the
shining floor in the dining room as
passed. Mimy sat churning; her face
was black as ebony, her large eyes shin
ing like two harvest moons; she was
telling the children some long, miracu-
lous story. which delighted them. I
heard the cry Of a cat; it sounded faint
and painful, bat not far off. The chill
dren had two cats, named respectively
Sinbad and Sebastian. Sinbad was very
independent, and always attended his
own business but Sebastian was con-
stantly getting into mischief.
Meow meow !" came the sound.
muifled and weak. opened the closet,
it was not there. "Mimy, where is that
cat? Have you fastened it up anywhere?"
"No'm, | daint fastened no cat up"
replied she. This disturbed tho story,
and the children started to look for their
pct.
Sometimes it would cry pitifully, then
stop suddenly, and no amount of "kitty
--kitty-kitty"-ing would be answered.
Anxious and interested, We all joined in
the search. After while the children
began to cry. and the case seemed hope
less. The pantry door opened into the
kitchen; noticed the lard can inside;
its top was bottom upward-the top was
not good fit and whirled over at every
jar. spoke to Mimy about tho top
Just then the unearthly scratching aud
mewing began louder than before.
Here It's. chilluns. Here's your s.
bastun done fell in dc lad can. Laws
a-massy hos white now !"
The lard was warm, the slippory kit
ten stood on the tips of his hind feet,
scratching the side Of tho can with his
paws, barely able to keep his face above
tho greasy slough into which he had
fallen. The children clapped their hands
and shouted with gloe, Mimy stood with
the top in her hand, laughing and ejac-
ulating by turns.
"Mimy, why don't you take that cat
out of that lard p | cried sharply.
How ism to git him out'n Il. Miss
X ate He'a up to his eyes in
shore 'nough," and she ladghe.
head TO foot. ~ can't cit a-holt'n
Take him by tho cars and" Jo
then SobastE,.. gave mighty bound.
passing under Mimy's arm aud landed
on the kitchen floor, setting down a pool
of lard with him. With hasty shake
he made for tho dining room, ii was in
pursuit. took wide circuit around the
floor, quivcring and shaking one foot at
n time. and throwing snowy Jumps OF fat
in all directions, then escaped through
the hall to the front rooms, The children
screamed and danced and yelled. Mimy
folded her hands under her apron aud
assisted them. A deep, broad roar came
from the doorway, and discovered Ned
laughing with all his strength.
"iou stupid, good-for- nothing mig
ger Don't you know the lard will ruin
my new carpets2 Have you no gump-
ton at oil Come, every one Of you,
and catch this cat, instead of standing
like idiots and laughing at nothing !"
They came in body Ned 10 see the
fun Tom and jamie to suppress their
merriment and pursue, but not touch,
the snowy kitten. Sebastian had left
a greasy trail behind him; evory relief
station being plainly marked by numer-
Gus spatters He had jumped on chair,
then on the bed. When | entered at
the head Of the train, he was rubbing
and rolling in the middle of the bed.
Mimy seized him and carried him of
to tub Of water, followed by Tom and
jamie, still dancing and giggling. The
lard was ruined. the floors, the carpets,
the bed--it made me sick to think Of it.
| was angry, yes mad mad at the cat.
the lard, the negro--at everything.
sat down dizzy and furious. Ned drew
up chair close by: broad smile still
fingered, but he tried hard to suppress
chuckle.
"Say, don't be discouraged. Kate.
This is only the first one; there arc great
many leaves in ones life, and new
one has to be turned every day. Try
again, now, it'll all come out right in
the end. What will you take for that
lard, Kate ? | shall need some to oil the
machinery in this house-I mean on this
farm, aftor this. Set your price"
"One dollar" answered sullenly.
He gave me the dollar and went out to
see how Sebastian's bath progressed.
"And this is the new leaf p thought.
Of course. the leaf wasn't 20 blame, the
turning wasn't to blame, the cat wasn't
to blame, it only followed its natural
instinct for its own safety. Mimy lost
sight of the floor and carpets in the ludi-
crous scene. But made no new reso-
lutions just then. I concluded to wait