The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1899-01-27
Poor Little Kittr.a

Not one child III d dozen ID fit to 10 in,
. trusted with the care of d pet. It IL r.
narkable what indif Terence parents show
10 the small cruelties inflicted upon dumb
sanlmais sby teasing inmates Of the nurs.
3, Once u A while you find i child who
animals, says Dorothy MADDOX in the
I eiphia Inquirer Such child NAV
& safeiy be given the ownership 81 q num-
{ Der of pets, and not abuse the privilege.
q buI ~ q sad fate that befalls any do
nestle animal drifting into the hands
1 81 as child who sees In this new pOsses-
I SION merely q living toy, some hing that
/ Se ssNa lake the place of battered cOllec-
{ tlon OF inanimate playthings.
asa Almost every yOungster Graves the pos-
session Of q pet, but few sc them are hu-
man enough to bestow decent treatment
upon their charges. Cats particularly are
7 lne Agreaaest sufferers from childish sspet-
/ ting The usual nursery represents a
small % inquisition chamber to HELPLESS
B Kitten, and rare is the nursery where
J sooner q later q kitten is not introduced.
a mite Of a3 child who has Whac kel
and banged her rag doll into state Of
inuthatl0n looks about for substitute.
{ Her fancy lights upon kitten. and
mamma, s. anxious to crafty this taste.
proeures q tiny ball OF fluff and passes Il
3-year-old. ''Ss'
After that, beyond an occasional re-
8 hinder 4 to feed it, the mother ignores
kittens existence. That its days are = .
continuation OF rag-d0ll buffetings she
knows Y. not or needs not. II she notices
at all that the animal is dragged nj and
znagged aat from morning till night. she
STILES an inclination to remonstrafe
with the refiec tion that cats are ALWAYS
.fond Ct children and are too tough to
~ have visited at houses where IS wa ],
positive torture to Sit in the room = WITH = FL
g cnlid and kitten. The child, with an
inclination Y to "show of, = has; ma uled
the animal about until it would seem as
e the poor things internal organs mnsf
re tnumped and battened into wretch
It has been dangled by the tail, tossed
from place to place, flung to The floor
with e thud that made my nerves tingle.
and though all the Juggling and saueez,
ing mas been accompanied by the piteous
chorus OF feeble news, the mother IF tha
tormentor has chatted breezily on with
only an occasionally mild reDroof such
as Sweetheart, don't Y hurt pussie =
6 Dearie, you must be gentle with your
KITTY, reproofs as futile as the kittens
Ae5O, SOu ITOnC
porch, saw my neighbor, d lover and
protector Of animals, cross her lawn To
the next house, where a curly headed spirl
was harassing a wee bit Of a kitten Ike
young barbarian. The child's mother
sat near, but was beautifully obliyious
TO what was going on under her very
nose. 81 s. -
Ny neighbor, who had gone to cham
pion skitty's cause, told me afterward she
!. fairly shuddered at having to appear 80
ofhcious, but she courteonsly drew the
mothers attention to her little girls ac-
tions and made q, few tactful apologies
for interfering. &. 70 . =
81. Dear me, murmured the mother.
how rude Of you, N ellie. If you bother
Your kitten so, Nellie, win take It
away" ,. -: y S. -.
Then with a suaye, smile to her caller.
But do YOU know [ really don't believe
kittens mind that sort Of thing. They
seem made for children; sort of hurt,
proof as ittwere. 1T lis really wonderful
what they will take from child y. sS
Ny neighbor is now cherishing the hui
name but impracHcable desire that the
IS. q. e. makes canvass Of every
house where there are children and clear
the nurseries of pets. =