New-York tribune., 1897-08-15
CAT LEAST A MARTYR.'

She had kissing crust complc Xion, and kind
Of apologetic scramble of a walk. Her eyes We're
beddy. and her voice unpie asant to the ear:
her wrists were fiat and had little bones like
knitting needles in them. and her big head
continually trembed, but kindness spread
around about ner ungainly little body, and low
Ing kindness wrapped her like garment Her
kind heartedncss was like wcli-regulated car
riage lamp-however much v as spent there was
always more pressing on behind.
But yet they called her ugly names-the little
boys in the streets, and the gossiping servants
and even the ladies who W,nt and drank tea
and conversed with her of Shakespeare and the
musical glasses; and especially the butcher. for
she would not much as look upon piece OF
meat and used to 60 and harangue nm IN ms
husinest moments on his hdeCus crime of taking
the lives of his eliCw-crcatures When she met
him driving the fated sheep to the shamhles she
became breathless with Indignation and horror
So that he always escaped a lecture t1en
In her calmer moments she used 10 say: My
dear perhaps it's silly of me 10 be more greved
about one than another but do feel sorriest FOR
the lambs. You see the sheep nave hau d H''ie
time to enjoy themselves"
Her furniture was all moth eaten; nice pa.
raded themselves in the daytime, and she had
dsmi sed more than one maid FOR suddenly ana
siauCh;erously des cending at dead or night 10
pour boiling water on foorful OF black beetles
She said to once: Children and cats and
dogs and rabbits and canares have plenty or
people to love them. so try to put the balance
right by loving those things that other people
despise and Kill and call unclean. why my
dear | do believe the very worms IN my garden
know me- and last year | had a dear rat that
foilovcd me about and begged like dog"
Wasn't that the historic rat. father OF thc
family that deVoured Farmer GoodSons corn h!
asked in the hardness Of my heart
She looked a little Disconnected and took up
her kntt;n.,.
"Wcll nv dear perhaps it was" she owned.
enough il may just well have been an!
other and it's rather unfair - condemn thlng
unheard right off like that. But IL was a Ner!
good year" she added triumrhantIy next MN
ute and he could easily spare it! Think how
they enjoyed it And one reason why ioVe al
these becalled creatures is that 1t must be so
nice for them to feel that one person out of the
great contcmptuOus human race doesn't desplse
them"
But they can't know it," objected. for did
not know her very well then.
Don't you think so?" she asked deep down in
her queer cultural way; don't you think se?"
I had stated my case. 50 l only shook my
head.
She had apparently also stated hers, for she
"Oh yes" she said. with far-away look in
the beads people stand up on platforms and
scream ont that woman wants this and woman
wants that. | tell you. my dear. that all a
woman wants is something to love"
They sometimes called her l-tcH-Eou-ihY
"0h. YES" she went on again, they call it
crauks and call il fads, and old maids whlnS
to love ANYTHING but husbands and babies and
things one hasn't got but tell You' my lear
Il saves q WOman'S soul alive.
And thcreupon she scrambled across the room
and fetched and opened The Contemporary at
- ,,,erl,nd mass. @. in an article on the Armen-
ians ard read aloud 10 me with inc,fable scorn:
"Firs; their movable wealth was S"izeu 'neil
their landed property was con!soaled, next the
absolute nDcessari-s of life We're wrcfted from
tIern and finally honor. liberty and he were
tak.n with as little ado as if these Chiisti4h
,,pn and women We're Wdsps or mosquitoeS'
,.>.oy my dear" she said, pushing htr spec
tacics no her forehead and looking plercingy at
mo II say the day Will come when tie hohor
ond liberty of life Of WaSpS and mosquitoes VIII
nn mo more infringed than those Of the so-callcG
Christians who now destroy them without q
thought , -,
Sh@ clasped her hands together. and gazed
,,tn ernc, in an ecstasy. while THE Contem-
,,"r,rv" sidlcd to the floor and burst it's back
! could have kissed her. she was so dear and
,,ad And vet when that same day heard
conchody call her the mad old maid turned on
him in a rage OF Indignation
Sbo wa. terribly hurt and shocked when the
curate and | combined to prevent her getting
M n 700 Depopuating Society. She had cal
cI'r d that for 1900 all the animals could be
saf y rnturned to their native countries. She
caid ., rim that she wondered especially at him.
.I,n .Tnnn.t Won remember" she asked him, how
,I. Master said Other sheep j have? How
-, ,.o,, know il wasn't the dear patient animals
w w ,bis nlanct? And how you. and men like
, On ,,,bo nrofess to serve that Master can face
!'u, Hn,oafter,'-- Her emotion was too much
har Che ended in gesture language.
GO mat | was quite used to startling IDEAS
.o bnr But one day in one brief instant she
took all nv breath away and caused me 10 sit
,,ntbinkipgly down upon basket or deserted
,'nung bats that she was bringing up on d dra"-
ing-roOm chair 49,, l.. 49,,
my dear" she said. will you join the Society
tor 'be Prevention Of Cruelty to Germs?'
I merely gasped. and she laid down the orange