Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1892-03-05
PUSSY'S FRIENDS.
i liNSoN, TASSO, AND SIR WALTER
SCOTT ALL FOND OF CATS.

And Many Other Authors of Note Unit.
Ia Singing Her Praises Our Own
Josh Billings, Too Pets of Great
Mem.
Following in the wake OF Button.
writers of natural histories are pretty
unanimous in setting down the cat as an
animal incapable of personal attachments;
vet Puss has won the friendship and
affection of many notable men. The
skull of Morosni's favorite cat is still pre-
served among the relics of that Venetian
worthy. The counterfeit presentment o!
Andrea Doria's huge spotted pet contem-
plates the Doge with mournful tender
ness on the canvas, as he was wont to do
when both were in the flesh
Sir Henry Wyat's gratitude to the fe
line friend who saved him from starving
in the Tower by bringing pigeons for hi.
sustenance caused him ever afterward to
make much of his purveyors kindred.
and we are told, you shall not find his
picture anywhere, but, like Sir Christie
pher Hatton with his dog, with cat be-
side him" Having exhausted his credit
with the candle dealers, Tasso besought
his cat to aid him with the light of her
lustrous eyes. Cowper commemorate
his sedate favorite being shut up in a
drawer; gloried in saving her becoming
the victim of her philosophical inquiry
into the nature of vi per, by decapitat-
ing the intruder with handy hoe; and
thought Lady Hesketh could not with
ta, NJ to Nd tNr
toise shell kitten given to Undesirable
gambQls, "the drollest of creatures that
ever wore a catskin, ere Time, that
spoiled all things turned her into cat.
When Horace Walpole bewaled to
Gray the loss of his handsomest cat, the
poet condolng replied: II know Zara
and Selma, or. rather, knew them both
together, for can not justly say which
was which. Then as to your handsomest
cat. I am no less at loss, as well know
ing ones handsomest cat is always the
cat one likes best; or if one be alive and
the other dead. it is usually the latter
that is handsomest Besides if the point
were never so clear, hope you do no!
think me so i'll bred as to forget my in
terest in the survivor. Oh, no! | would
rather seem to mistake, and imagine to
be sure that it must be the tabby one"
1t was the tabby one, and in the hope of
immortalizing Mile. Selma, Gray sent
Walpole an ode, recording how Selma.
tImbling from I" lofty vases side" into
a tub of goldfish:
Eight times emerging from the food
She mewed to ev'ry wat'ry god
Some speedy aid to send.
No Dolphin came, no Nereid stirred;
Nor cruel Tom nor Susan heard,
A fav'rite has no frend
Advising Miss Susannah ThraIe to read
Bickerstatfe's account of his cat, Dr.
johnson wrote: Il could tell you as
good things of Lille, the white killing,
who is now in full growth and very well
behaved"
SCOTS love Of dogs did not prevent his
dcliGhting in the company of "a convers-
able cat, like the big gray plss who was
almost rs important member of the Alb
botsford household as Mazda herself.
"Ah, said Sir Walter, these cats are
very mysterious kind of folk {: there is
always more passing in their minds than
we are aware Of. Then he told the story
of the guidman who told his guide wife
that he had met a funeral procession of
cats on his way home, whereupon the
family cat exclaimed: Then am king
of the cats!" and vanished up the Chin
ney. "Our grimalkin here, added Scott,
"remnds me of the story by the airs of
sovereignty he assumes, and am apt to
treat him with respect from the idea that
he may be great prince incog., and some
time OF other come to the throne.
Bentham did not dream of his feline
companion attaining quite so high a dig
nifty. On his first coming he had christ
ened him Lansbourne but as he devel
oped in width and wisdom the phloso.
pher dubbed him Sir John Langbourne,
and when advanced years brought in
creased gravity, indicted him into tho
church, to die in full possession of all his
faculties and be mourned as the Rev.
Sir John Langbourne d. ID.
Josh Billings resented the suggestion
that William" was too dignitied an ar
pellation for his favorite, and insisted
that such special blue blooded specimen.
of the feline critter deserved dignifeo
name, adding: Poor old man he has
had fits recently; and now call him
Fritzwilliam
When Plus TX sat down to dine his
cat came in with the soup, mounted
chair opposite him, and dumbly and de-
corousIy looked on until the pontiff had
finished his meal.
A much more pronounced cat lover
was the bha Gallant who derlarel bjs
lfeat Naples would have been unbearabIy
dull but for the companionship of his two
cats, of such value in his eyes, that losing
one through servants negligence, the
Able made clean sweep of his house.
hold, vowing he should hang himself in
despair if the lost one were not recovered,
which, fortunately, came about in time
to avert such a catastrophe Lamenting
the passing away of his friend the Arch
bishop of laramie, Sir Henry Holland
says: His cat and the archbishop sit
ting together as they generally did, made
a picture of themselves, the former look
ing the more austere theologian of the
two"
friend visiting Bishop Thirlwall in
his retirement, thinking he looked un
comfortable and weary, asked why ha
did not sit in the easy chair. Don't you
see who is there?" was the reply of the
bishop, pointing to a big cat fast asleep on
the cushion" She must not be disturbed
Mind, the Raphael of CATS" loved
cats only, and did not care how MANY he
had about him.
When an epidemic of madness, broke