Industrial freedom. [volume] (Edison, Wash.) 1898-1???, 1898-08-06
DEAR CHILDREN

i ANON.
DEAR CHILDREN
Would you like to hear from Doro-
thy Whitefoot again? She has sent
a letter this week and think we will
put it right in;
Dear little human beings, and Mr..
Black Fly
1t has been ever so long, as cats
count, since | wrote, and as you, Mr..
Black Fly, have sent me a letter
through the Corner, I thought |
would answer it right away.
| have so much time to think that
ought to grow very wise, for Miss
Susie and The Mother don't approve
of my hunting, and they keep me so
well fed that | don't need to- but do
you know, that there's something in
me that makes me want dreadfully to
catch the birds that see flying about
in the yard; [ don't know what it is:
perhaps | shall get over it when |
get really big
am sure | don't want to do any
thing to make Miss Susie unhappy,
as she was one day when I caught
mouse and she found me playing with
it. | have heard her say that if peo-
pie must kill mice, it is better to do
it with a trap that kills them right
away. and not have them tossed and
tortured before they die. This made
me think very hard for | don't see
how | can ever help wanting to do
that
But I've gone into the middle of my
letter all at once. l wanted to
tell you about my. waking up that
time after had been hurt and Miss
Susie found me.
When | opened my eyes I remem-
bered at once just where | was and
how | came there. and | didn't feel Il
bit afraid when | saw The Mother
near the table where my basket was.
If it had been The Man | should have
kept very still, but now | felt very
hungry and began to ask for some
thing to eat right away.
Miss Susie heard me and came in
from another room. and took some
thing from the stove and put it down
on the floor. 1t was warm milk with
fish juice and bread crumbs in it.
had never tasted anything so good
before.
After had eaten all I wanted The
Mother said:
Its sunny and warm on the piaz-
"a: put kittie out there it will do her
good"
So Miss Susie took me out in the
basket, and saw two very nice look
ing cats sitting near by IN the sun.
and they came up to Miss Susie and
purred very loud when she spoke to
them. Then Miss Susie went away
with her hat on, and left me there.
didn't feel very well acquainted
with those other cats. who were big
ger than | was. so made believe | was
asleep, and pretty soon ! really went to
sleep again, though didn't mean to.
When [ woke up, was still in the
nice, soft basket, in the sun, but be-
gan to feel SO much better almost
frisky-that | thought I would walk
about little: the two other cats were
out of sight somewhere. So ! got out
Of my basket. and though | limped 4
little, l walked down the path quite a
long way. 1t was very pretty. with
green grass on both sides, and flow
ers, quite different from the yard at
The Mans house.
When had got where I could see
the street, | saw something that
locked like The Man coming with a
broom in his hand,
Iknew all about brooms or thought
did | thought they were on pur-
pose to scare cats with; that was all
The Man ever seemed to do with his:
since I've lived with Miss Susie and
The Mother, | have found that some
people use them for other things.
But this was either the wrong kind
of broom or the wrong kind of man.
I'm not sure which. Anyway. aS soon
as he saw me, he rushed At me with
his broom up, and said in voice that
was very terrible to me:
you gifts away We don't want no
more cats"
He was between me and the piazza.
and was SO scared / was trembling all
over, and thought he was going to
kill me: but / thought would rather
be killed than leave that place where
had found such people as Miss Susie
and The Mother, and so / lodged
around rs wcl as could. and tried to
get by him and back to the piazza:
but he kept between me and the path
and kept striking AT rae with the