Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1900-12-21
Blackness shook with silent

Finally he got sick of it and sneak
ed out as still as he could and have
not seen him since. Now" he CON
cluded, pompously, perhaps you be-
gin to understand why 1 am of value
to this family"
But" interrupted the kitten, "you
are thief Misses said So"
Blackness tossed his head disdain-
fully. mo doubt she did" he replied
| lightly; 1--WE swiped a lot of her
victuals, and she knows it. But" i'm
pressively, even that goes, all right,
If done artistically. Guess you didn't
see me take her cake the other day,
did your" he queried, TRANQUILITY. "She
stood back and watched me. l heard
| her tell the woman next door, after
wards, that l was so awfully cute
about 1t that she hadn't the heart to
punish me-" He grinned derlsively,
with sly, half-open eyes. "You see,
nipped it firmly by the edge, and with
head and tail we'll up and a slow and
stately tread carried it daintily out.
knew l could get under the summer
kitchen with it If she chased me but
she didn't. Now if you undertook to
steal cake, you would rush out, wild
eyed and panic-stricken, your tail be-
tween your legs and the cake dragging
in the dirt. She'd chase you and
throw things at you and you'd lose
the cake and be afraid to go into the
house again for week. What's that?
You wouldn't steal. for anything?
Think it's wrong? HIM! Very lucky
for you. Stealing requires ability.
Now the point of all this is that I,
having done things to make myself
valuable, have a position here that
new kittens can't disturb; while you,
having never done anything, are al
ways worrying for fear some ones 60
ing to crawl in and shoe you out. Why
on earth don't you brace up and be
somebody?
The kitten rose and stood dropping
miserably. 81 - catch - beetles and
dragon flies-big ones, too" she fall
tered, land once caught a field
mouse. Misses seemed real pleased, ="
she added, modestly. "She said was
| just beautiful"
Blackness rose abruptly, as one who
can endure no more. His eyes were
two big wells of yellow scorn. az can
tell you one thing straight" he said,
with bitter emphasis, you neverll
make a woman like you by bringing
her bugs and mice. Women hate such
things-they're 'fraid of 'em. You
got no tact at all. Maybe misses did
| speak soft to you, but l bet all the
time she was wishing you a thou
sand miles away"
The kitten sighed and turned defect
eddy toward the house.
Pm afraid there isn't anything at
all l can do. Blackness," she said,
family; I'm not clever, like you;
but l love my misses" And she
choked a little as she went sadly up
the path.
| Blackness was asleep when, an hour
later, something soft and light sprang
suddenly upon him, rolled him deity
over in the dry soil of the onion-bed,
and was gone before he had fairly
| opened his eyes.
| Bewildered, but deeply indignant,
he arose and shook the dust from his
ebon coat. Over in the path, curving
and quivering with mischief and
mirth, he saw the kitten.
Hello, Blackness!" she called, teas
ingly. Been taking dust-bath? Say
you did look funny"
Feel better'n you did, don't your"
he snarled, fiercely. Little while
ago you was way down't the mouth"
ly, "but that's all right, now. Our
folks don't want any more cats.
| Misses said so. The gray-and-white
belongs next door and little mis- 'ess
Just had it in visiting. It's gone
home, now. Come on, Blackness,"
she cried, gaily, with a glad little
| frisk "Pll race you down to the fence
and back"
But Blackness sat stolidly down
and regarded her with grim disfavor.
81 got no time to fritter away with
YOU" he growled, shortly. Then he
stalked with great dignity back into
the onion-bed to finish his nap.
But the joy of the kitten could not
thus be dispelled. All through the
cool. sweet summer twilight, she frol-
licked happily with the fitting crea-
lures of the air; racing fleetly after
moth and dragon-hy and leaping, with
gay confidence at the unattainable in
the form of far-away bird or insect.
Her little heart beat fast with deep
gladness which clever, cynical old
Blackness could never fathom.
For that afternoon she had lain in
the lap of the mistress she dearly
loved and had been fondled by soft
and gentle hands. And she had heard
mistress say to little mis'ess:"
az love this kitten. Now do you
know why? No; it isn't because she's
pretty or bright, although she is both
It is isn't because she loves me, either,
although / know that she does. I'll
tell you why, grille. It's because
can trust her. Blackness is a very
odd cat and he amuses us, but he is
thoroughly unprincipled. This good
little thing is worth a dozen like
him."
oh. Blackness! Shrewd, scheming,
old Blackness, asleep in the onion-bed!
Where now is your boasted philoso-
ply? - Adelaide Davis Reynolds
Portland Transcript.