The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-04-03
THE D|zHoIN cat !:
sY GEORGE n. SINS.
A<uu Today" Lights Lon
Drama. g:
pr george r. sIns.
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ticaisy starved himseif for sweaty yesssw
ana now ssat he had fa1en among hoe-
pssabie. wssI-sG-do people IL was TOO data
Tor him to repair the ravages OF the psss.
ons winters evening. after hard days
work preparing for the distribution Of
the christmas charities. in which he had
Dssr largely assisted by Deborah and Jane
enocnnifhs the Rev. Ar. Jones. who had
called AZ he was passing By and had lad
large glass of the delightful eldeFb<rry
H-ns specially muIiec for him on the par
l0r fire. found himself 50 comfortable In
the easy chair and felt his nerves %
soothed By the amiabie chatter Of the old
ladies' that he yfsided to their pressing So
Acfsations and stayed to supper.
The temptation on this occasion was
great. for Miss Deborah had informed him
that she was then baking In the oven for
their evenin. meal some Spanish onions.
and IL there was one thing that the Rev.
Mr. Jones had special weakness for il
was a baked spanish onion. There are
very few people who know how to pre-
pare a EpanAh onion, which. when pre-
fectiy cooked. q dsiicacy for a monarch
To boil a Spanish onion h an atrocity
The proper WY II to put II In the oven
and lst IL bake slowly for some hours and
when IL Is cooked to take IL out all hot
and fragrant and prepare IL with butter
and pepper and salt, ard then | know
nothing that bounteous nature has given
10 man for food that can compare with
n. Even AZ ! write there comes back to
me the memory Of 6panish onion q dear
old lady cooked for me over twenty years
ago In an old farmhouse In Northumber-
land. ] have never tasted anything like Il
since. / have In wild moments Of despair
ordered Spanish onions a. big hotels n
various parts OF England and endeavored
TO impress upon the waiter the necessity
Of slow and careful baking. but the re-
suit has always been q bitter ,disappoint-
ment. The Spanish onion Of the old
Northumberland farm attn stands out n
my memory thing distinct. unappr5ach-
ed. and alas. & seems 70 me now, unap-
proachab.e.
The Rev. Mr. Jones found not only the
baked Spanish onion excellent. but the
cold beef delicious and the horseradish
sauce. specially prepared with cream by
Miss Jane. almost sinful by reason OF the
intense qualification II afforded his PAL
ate
And after the xupper the good old ladies
begged him TO smoke thu pipe which they
knew he carried in his pocket, aad he sat
back sasisned and slightly sleepy in the
easy chair and pulled his evening cloud.
and felt he WAS beginning TO enjoy life
for The first time.
He was sitting with half-cIosed eyes.
listening dreamily 20 the soothing chatter
Of the old maids and replying In convent
emit monesyilabies~ when he felt something
warm snddsrIy, deposising itself upon his
knees. and opening his eyes he found that
A large black cat had confdingiy curied
itself up In his apology for a lap.
''Oh. Peter, how dare your exclaimed
Miss Deborah. and she came across to re-
move the intruder.
But tbs Rev. Mr. Jones smiled and held
UP his hand depreeatingly.
1T doesn't incommode me in the slight
est he said: in fact rather like it,
Then he began 10 stroke the black cat
gently. and the black cat began TO purr
and to go through a procsss which the
children call sometimes 'kneading dough"
and sometimes spinning money" but
when a eat spins money it spreads Its
paws out Nat. and digs its claws into any
thing that may be handy. In the process.
oh. I'm sure Peter will worry you
please let me take him." said Miss De-
borah
Not at aii--not AT ALL" replied the Rev.
Mr.. Jones. I'm used to cats-i'm very
fond OF them. But 1 don't think I've ever
seer this one here before. have I. What a
beautiful jet-hiack lt Is
eft only came into the house yesterday"
IDENTIFY, buf we coulan'; turn II out because.
you knew. a black cat coming into the
house f. 50 lucky. and II you send 1t away
you send your good luck away with IT."
. The Rev Mr. jones srns!ed.
MY dear Miss shoosmith." he said "you
really must not talk like that I cannot
imagine that you really believe that what
ycu call Tuck r. dependent upon the COM
Ing or going OF an animal
''oh. but indeed II Is" answered aiss
''Our mother had a black eat
we have called this one Peter after it-and
II came into the house the very day before
oar dear father received the largest order
ne ever had in his life. and the day after
Il disappeared mamma was coming heme
from town IN n hired hrourham late AZ
night. and wanting 20 tell the coachman
not 20 whip his horse so cruelty. she went
70 put her head out of the window. not
knowing that the window was up. and cut
her face d-eadfuify''
The Rev. Mr.. Jones lifted his hands In
holy hSrror.
My dear ladies'" he exclaimed "this IL
very dreadful Such superstit.ons as these
belong 20 the dark ageS~.hey belong TO
psganSsn rather than Christianity You
viii ten me presently thar black cats are
the fsmiiiarS % witches-pcrhans tina,
they G~e witches or demons themselves
who have assumed the shape Of animals"
Miss Jane she0k hcr head ~ won't saw
I quite believe that" she said, but have
heard car dear amnt tell story 81 a
black cat who vss found ia a cottage where
Il witch had lived and the old woman was
never seen seaia. and s. was always said
in the Village thar the witch had assumed
that shape "
"sfy dear ladies' exclaimed the reverend
gentleman, am 7 sitting In che parlar nf
two 81 msy mas, devoted Christian workers
and IS this the nineteenth century, BLACK
eats sire like ordinary csts~~they possess 20
extraordinary powVrs''
"Oh. bur they do urged NsS Deborah
~ black cat Is always strange In its WAYS
and habiss-spsFkS come pas u lis hack
sometimes. and II understands everything
that is said 90 e.
Nonsense, 10 you mean 20 saw .ha; II
I said 70 Peter. Peter. s,aad on your head
ne would"
The reverend gentleman suddenly STAN
ped, and case . great gasp. ard the Misses
Shoasrn5th srssng hack and hucgef each
other trembling n corner
Peter, the black Gas, rad suddenly ieaut
frnrn the clergyman knees on 20 the table
ass6 3zs standing on his head.
THE reverend gen;iemAn stared II horror
az he animal who had oleeyei his h.ene~t