The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1893-02-08
A CAT PALACE.
a WEALTHY CALIFORNIA WIDOW
WHO AZORES FELINE PETS.

Mrs. ROBERT 0luSGn mas zUO Cdtoj 1VAN'
each of them has a pedigree that extends
back over many generations.
AS Mrs. Johnson has several millions
of dollars and is a widow, her patrician
cats live in a style BETTING their long
pedigrees.
They live at Buena Vista, Ms. john
sons country mansion near Senoma, Cal,
and it takes three servants to care for
the pussies. Every one of these cats is
a real Angola and the most exacting part
Of the duties of the three japanese who
look after them, says the San Francisco
Exa miner. Is to see that no wandering
nighthawk of common fence-hunting,
sIumber disturbing Tom or Tabby shall
gain entrance to this paradise. There
are fences high and tight to keep these
out and to restrain any vagrant tenden-
cies that may have descended to any OF
these petted beauties from some outcast
ancestor, for, as in most,people of gentle
blood. somewhere the far line of ances-
try runs into marauders, products per-
haps of the wild time in which they
lived.
There are about 5000 acres in the
grounds about Buena Vista, and the res
idence stands in the center of ten acres
of flower pots and lawns The house is
reached by winding avenue shaded
with ornamental trees and is seen to
stand on The crest of a slOping knoll.
Seen from the veranda the beds Of flow
ers and velvety lawns vie with Golden
Gate park on a small scale. Here and
there are built short flights of stairs
leading down to tiny lakes, on which
snowy swans and ducks disport them
selves in common tenacy with myriads
of fancy fish. Rustic bridges span many
little brooks, and inviting seats abound
beneath sturdy oaks and towering euca
lypti. There is also a pond of warm
mineral water, fringed with thicket Of
bamboo, and the fragrance from lemon
and orange trees abounds.
Such are the surroundings IL which
these beautiful cats live in luxury.
Besides the cats, Mrs. johnson has a
lot of other pets. They are parrots from
all over the world. Cockatoos, paro-
quets perch on high stands or fly about
the aviary with mad glee until the place
feathered pandem )nium. Then in
an ther huge cage are large number of
canary birds who sing to each other all
the while Outside the mansion are a
lot Of kennels in which dwell some very
we'll known prize winners among dogs
These dogs are smooth or woody, large
or tiny, and have two keepers in charge
of them.
Then there are a lot of japanese don
keys and some splendid specimens of
I'll lstein cattle and Jersey COWS, with
soft eyes. A hundred horses and mares
of Electioneer stock complete Mrs. John
sons menagerie,
1t is with the parrot tribe that the An
CORA cats maintain continual warfare.
Nothing pleases a white Angora so
much as to to jump wildly into the air
to clutch the long tail of the great white
cockatoo Samson. If the mother of this
audacious kitten is not in the room at
the movement the chances are that the
kitten will be severely punished by the
sharp claws and huge beck Of the fu
rious cockatoo. However, should it hap
pen that the kitten has good backing
there is d cat and parrot circus for the
next three minutes, which always ends
in spoiled coelzatoo,
The common green parrot however,
is generally quicker thanAjts lofty sister
with onions on its head and understands
the noble art Of selfdefense much bet
4 er. One ggeen parrot has been known
to wiring kitten neck before the sound
of its cries could reach its mother Tabby,
and when the mother Tabby arrives TO
find her offspring dead an encounter
ensued which was fierce and long and
ended in Tabby beating speedy retreat
in order to save the lives of the rest of
her offspring. The green parrots acted
with a great deal Of strategy for when
the ether three kittens tried to come to
their nlother's rescue, the parrot scat
tered them and kept the mother busy
endeayoring to save the lives of her
children, for the green parrot kept fly
5ng from one to the other with terrify-
ngshrieks and fierce tweaks until the
whole force was routed. rs a punish
ment the murderous bird was sent to San !
Francisco and sold to a deep sea captain, |