The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1898-01-12
A Cat and Doq Life for Tuo.

persons. The idea had occurred to me
even while Aunt Maria Markham was
alive. After her death 1 ~as convinced
Of it.
so was poor, dear Julia, though cir"
cumatances thanks to Aunt Markham
withheld her from informing me of the
fact.
BY Aunt Maria's will 1 was to have
the brute of bulldog and Julia the
cat The conditions were that with
each qua9ruped the legatee was to re-
ceive $500 per annum. This sum to
be paid as long as the cat and dog re-
spectively enjoyed life in this terres-
trial sphere, and afterwards also for
our respective lives (Julia's and mine)
il the said quadrupeds eventually died
natural deaths.
1t was simply iniquitous-for sew
eral reasons.
To begin with, Strong, MS the bull
dog was called, had frightful teeth AND
yet more frightfnI temper. Ishould
think aunt had paid hundreds of dol
lars in iush-money to folks whose
flesh and blood the brute had tasted
to say nothing OF trousers, dress skirts
and hose.
Sweet, IA the cat was named, was
an enormous object, with enormous
claws. Its temper was really not bad.
But once aroused, Sweet was demon I;
nothing less. In aunt's time / had
seen this great tiger of cat stroll care
lessly into the yard where Strong was
chained and there lay itself down to
rest just three feet from the limit of
Strong's tether. The sight of the dog
when it happened was pathetic. But
it didn't trouble Sweet. The cat lay
half curled, with it's green eyes on
Strong, and would not have put odds
on the bulldog if they could have had
n a-straight set-to without any favor.
Visitors loathed Sweet She pos
sessed lazy, cool way of clawing up
fellows legs and yawning while she
hung on to the skin. And no lady
was safe from her Be tho dress ma
terial what it might-from cambric to
satin-Sweet was bound to assault it
on the sly.
But all this was comparatively moth
ing to the great hardship of all.
In jest had more than once told
Julia that had told Aunt Maria that
she (Julia) was the only person tit to
take charge of such dear treasure as
Sweet in case of sad happenings
Really, I had done no such thing, but
Julia now disbeleved my solemn as
severations.
''I wilr accept Aunt Markham's g
charge" she said, "but we must never
see each other again, you and l.
We were cousins, you know, and
rather better than engaged, imagined:
1 could (previous to aunt's demise)
have conceived the collapse of the
heavens, but not Julia's reputation
of our joint future.
And so she fetched Sweet aud in
stalled the slick demon in her dear
studio, and was left to console my
self with that more than demon, Strong,
the bulldog.
1t was under stress OF this treatment
by Julia that did thing that now
seems to me superhuman.
''Please, SIR" said my aunt's house
keeper, when contemplated the dog
that was mine, 81 don't know how
you'll get him to your rooms, nor
what you'll do with him when you
get him there. Since the poor missus'
death he has been something awful. -
ooh, he has, has he?" said I,staring
like one fascinated at his awkward,
broad chest.
walked off there and then-driven
by rage and the thought OF Julia-and
came to an old curiosity shop. Here
there was complete suit of rusty ar
NOR, not too heavy for an athlete of
my build. arranged to borrow that
armor, put it on in aunt's own parlor
and then with my rhinoceros hide stick
walked up to the lair OF the dog.
Mean it may have been. / care not.
For 20 minutes smote Strong
until there was no bite left in him.
He bestowed many tooth marks and
scratches on the armor, but that didn't
hurt me. And when the 20 minutes
were past he rolled over on his ugly,
great back and wagged his short fail.
Then did slip or my armor and GO
boldly up to the dog. 1t licked my
hands. / had conquered, and 1 knew
that Strong would thenceforward
II need wee, die for me. But ]
hated it more than ever, for never
more than at this moment did fee
like wanting q smile from my deal
Julia.
Thus began the miserable three
months OF our eat anyenent.
Julia was madly devoted to art. Shc
wore "ney" garments and "new'
modes OF hair; but they oil be, anne
her. though hideo1s on any other girl.
With aunt's 800 q year, she had money
to scrape along on. Literature wa
my rope Of fortune. l had enough
to keep mys,lf in bread and chee ,e
and tue dog in bones.
| But fell'w re nj es other thin u
than mere necessa les. yearned TO.
julia. Three made an effort To sos