The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1891-11-25
TIMOTHY PENJAMlN.
why He Can Not Bear to Even Look at a
Lamp Chimney.

why He Can Not Bear to Even Look at a
Lamp Chimney.
"Mew, me-ew, me-e-ew," came from
under the house at intervals all day.
"What can be the matter with those
kittens?" said Villa. "What can be?"
echoed Carrie.
Madam Tabby had found small hole
in the wall under the house, and when
her dear kittens complained of the rough
treatment they received from the chill
dren she carried them in there and, by
good luck, found bunch of soft hay on
which to lay them.
This morning she had said: ''Now,
children, here are two wee mice for
your dinner. may be gone all day.
I'm going to try to catch chipmnnk
for our supper"
What is chipmunk, map" said
Theodore, the maltese and white kit
| ten, as she wet her paws and COM
menced washing the back of her ears.
''Be good kitten, my dear, and you
| will find out" answered her mother.
| '"Timothy," she went on, after watch
ing her son for a moment, you are not
washing your face properly, turn your
ears down as Theo does hers" and with
these words she hurried off.
Timothys whole name was Timothy
Penjamin. He was small, plump kit
ten, with stripes running all around
him, and he growled little after his
mother went away at the idea of 'rheo's
knowing how to wash better than he
did, and then he curled himself up in
the soft hay for nap. But Theo
crowded so that he growled more
than ever, and as she did not
move, he decided not to sleep, but
to set out on an exploring ex.
petition. He did not 60 far before he
found strange object. 1t was as
round as himself but larger and longer.
What could it be? He stood on one side
of it and could plainly see Theodore on
the other
Tim walked around and around it
and gave it funny little taps with his
paws, but it did not move. At last he
came to the conclusion that two heads,
if they were kittens heads, were better
than one, and called Theodore to come
and gave her opinion as to what it was.
Theodore walked about it and tapped
it as Timothy had done and then grave
ly remarked that it might be chip
munk.
How silly you are, Theo," said Tim.
| tniIn'f nathan, tho o1,; I, 20
for our supper, and do you think you
could eat that thing? No, indeed it's
too hard"
Theo surveyed the strange object
again with serious, round, blue eyes,
and at last suggested that one of them
crawl in the big hole at one end and see
what could be discovered in that way.
So in Tim crawled This was easy to
do, but how his feet slipped about when
he tried to walk after he got in.
"Theo," he said, 81 can see you right
through it, but it isn't nice in here and
I'm coming out"
But alas! poor Timothy Benjamin,
when he tried to crawl out at the hole
at the other end, he found it too small.
1t was perfectly impossible for him to
squeeze through. Being very young
kitten, he did not think of backing tc
the hole he came in at, and Theodore
did not either So there he stayed
an unwilling captive, every few
minutes uttering a plaintive me-ew.
And his sister, the greedy thing, after
making up her mind that he could not
possibly get out, ate both mice right
before hungry Tins eyes, and then
laid down and took a nap.
"What can all those kittens?" said
Villa. for about the fiftieth time, and
again Carrie added: "What can it be?''
"There comes Mary" said Villa, and
both children ran to tell Mary (Willa's
elder sister, the trouble.
Let me see," said Mary, taking hold
of large board; ''if pull this board
back l can crawl under and help the
poor kittie out of its trouble" So she
did, and was back in a minute with
Timothy Penjamin in a lamp-chimney
How Mary laughed! How Carrie and
Villa laughed! How the whole family
laughed to see the funny little ball OF
fur in its strange prison. Then Mary
brought great saucer of milk and re
leasing Tim and putting him gently
on the floor she placed it before him
and soon his little pink tongue came out
and Tapped up every drop, and when il
was all gone she carried him back tc
his home under the house. and yor
never saw a meeker, qaieter little kit
ten than Timothy Pen!am was wher
his mother returned, and, hearing the
story, gave both kittens lecture on the
evil effects of curiosity.
She had brought them the chipmunk
though, and they found it made very
good supper. But Timothy Penjamin
to the day of his death. could never
bear to even look at a lamp chimney
Inez P. Shaw, in Detroit Free press.
| "A small boy recently made so much