Omaha daily bee., 1896-02-09
PUss TRILLY.
Poets Cat Who Was Generous nt
Some Ones Else ENpcmsc.

|
Some Ones ELSE Expense.
recent incident recalled to my mind
the fact that cats, while essentially i'm
perious. independent, shy and distrustful
creatures. are very suave and sociabe when
they have anything to gain by encouraging
friendship.
One Sunday I heard faint "mew" at
my door. which stood slightly ajar. and a
| strange tomcat thrust a paw. then his pink
nose through the aperture easily following
with his body. Ignoring the friendly ad-
| vances of every one In the room, he curled
himself comfortably in my lap, unmistal-
ably signifying his intention of remaining
| which he did for several days, eXterminating
the mice and increasing the milk bills. He
! partook OF his meals at the same time l
| ala, and seemed to consider 1t an obligation
| Of courtesy to eat of whatever formed part
| OF my repaSt, even the peclns and pickles.
| He departed in time. somewhat unwingly
! to be sure, for it is the instinct of animals
| as well human beings, to seek those who
understand" them.
He returned at intervals, paying me in
formal calls, which would last as long as
l would permit him to remain.
The particular story which these incidents
recall concerns cat in the far west, Oak
land, Cal, which reioiced in the name of
"Trilly''-not Trilby, for this was before her
day She belonged to the well known poet,
ina d. Coolbrith, whose Songs from the
Trilly has been absent at her usual break
fast hour. and when her mistress was pre-
pairing to go out for the day, the cat ap-
peared. bearing in her mouth fish dressed
for cooking, which she hurriedly deposited at
her mstress's feet, looking up proudly for
an expression OF approval. But her mistress
only stopped quickly and laid the fish on the
glowing Goals fearing that it had been pre-
pared with poison to trap unsuspect.ng kit
tens that had propensities to make free with
neighbors' larders.
Trily seemed to consider the proceeding
as lacking appreciation and courtesy. and
garden fence. .
When Miss Coolbrth returned and was
trimming her rose bushes IN the twilight
of her neighbors' called her name, and.
locking across the lot, she saw. Trilly curled
up on the neighbor's back porch, sleeping the
sleep of the contented, if not the just
"Do you know what your cat has been
dong?" she said to Miss Coobrith
Trllly's mistress could not imagine. al
though the episode of the morning flashed
across her mind, causing her grave appre-
tensions.
well, she has been carrying fish
across my lot good part Of the day"
Fish! But where could she get so
many? She didn't eat them all hope?"
"No; she brought them one by one and
stood the top of the fence mewing
loudly until she had all of your cats as
sembed beneath And all of the poets
cats meant no less than sixteen or seven
teen" s-s ~ q
'She dropped the fish one by one, until
every cat had been satisfied, then she
brought the last one over here on my porch
and ate it herself. carefully washing her
paws when she had finished, and laying
down to sleep. She has not stirred since"
Miss Coobrith FASTENED to where Trllby
was lying, and picking up the cat to as
certain If it we're still sound in body, was
greeted with a lazy ''mew!' smile crept
over her features as she wondered what
ny bhOr'c nr1n ho1 emf nrnH md
thought she understood a new species Of
generosity.