Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1892-03-18
ABOUT AN ARTISTS CAT.
AND A FEW OF ITS REMARK
ABLE ADVENTURES.
Burned His whiskers While Viewing
Candle Wick-Iiid I'm - Pitcher
and then In "a Rabbit rie-
Hi, First Mouse.

Peter is the property OF Mr.. Louis
Vain, the well-known London artist
Peter can say his prayers; Peter can
talk In short Peter is almost human.
! The following extract from Mr.. Wain's
illustrated biography of Peter deals
with the youth OF this remarkable
! parsonage:
The day came when / put Peter into
the pocket of my overcoat and took
him away TO his new home | had
the greatest confidence in him. being
firm believer in the doctrine OF
| heredity.
His father / never knew. but his
grandfather as l have said. bore a
great reputation for courage as was
! indicated on his tombstone the in
scription on which ran as follows:
Here lies Lear aged about
years a Tom Cat killed in
single combat with Tom the
Templar whilst defending his
hearth and home England ex-
poets every cat TO do his duty.
His mother, Cordelia was OF an af-
| fectionate nature. caring little for the
| chase. Indifferent to birds Except
! sparrows). temperate in the matter OF
fish, timId of dogs, IA kind mother and
| had never been known To scratch
! child. | believed then that there was
every possibility of Peters inheritlng
! the admirable qualities of his rela-
| tives.
The world into which he was intro
duced contained large assortment of
curios which had bought in many
salesroom, such as bits of old oak.
/ bits Of china, bits Of tapestry and in
Vulnerable odds and ends which had
taken my fancy.
Picture then Peter drinking his
milk from a crown derby dish which
! had placed in the corner between the
toes OF gentleman skeleton whom
time had stained tobacco brown.
The crown derby dish and the skele-
| ton were like the rest of my furniture
bargains"
At this period OF his life Peter re-
! sembled series of irregular circles.
such rs geometrlcian might have
made in an absent moment; two round
eyes. one round head and one round
! body. | regarded him much as a
young mother would her first baby.
! for he was my first pet | watched
him lost he should get into danger; |
conversed with him in a strange jar
gon. which called cats language /
played with him constantly and intro
duced him TO a black hole behind the
skeletons left heel which was sup
posed TO be the home of mice
He kept a close watch on the black
hole, and.one day. which is never to
| be forgotten he caught his first
mouse. 1t was very little one, but
it chung to Peters nose and made it
! bleed.
Regardless of the pain. Peter
march up to mo tail in air and laid
the half dead mouse al my feet, with
n look in his eyes which said plainly
enough, Shades OF Caesar! | claim
a victory. MASTER"
He returned to the black hole again
and mewed piteously for more Peter
was very green, as you will under
stand. but he soon discovered that
mewing kept the mice away and. hav-
ing taken the lesson TO heart pre-
served silence for the future. The
mouse hunts occupied but a small
portion of Peters time. He was full
Of queer pranks which youth and high
spirits suggested to him.
He took delight in tumbling down
the stairs; he hid himself in the mouth
| Of IA lion whose head was one OF my
chief treasures; he tilted against a
dragon candlestick like young It.
! George; he burnt his budding whislS-
ers in an attempt to discover the
source of the flame in the wick of the
candle
He became too great como sseur
| OF vases ornaments and pictures sit
! ting before them and examining them
an hour at a time lie was also very
much given TO voyages OF discovery.
dark continents having peculiar fas.
! cination for him. Even the lions
mouth had no terror for him. ] once
produced him from the interior of
brand-new top hat like a coniurer an
/ ome.ette.
Again. we were very much surprised
at breakfast ono morning TO see Peter
walk out of rabbit pie in which he
had secreted himself | used to let
my canary fly about the room. and
Peter chased him. The canary flew TO
an old helmet on a shelf and thus
baffled Peter. The canary seemed to
know this for when Peter was in the
room he always flew TO the helmet and
SAM in peace. II he perched else
where there was a chase. but the he'll
met was n sanctuary.