The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-07-08

now of his own catching. 1t fell out one
spring, just as dogwoods We're IN nos
som, when, as all the world knows, is
the witching time for fishing, that the
little fellow hurt his foot, and was kept
a prisoner in his chair through fort
night. One day the gray cat leaped
through the window, and laid a fish, half
eaten, at his feet, looking up at him the
while with anxious eyes and waving an
inquiTing tail.
This is the feline way of asking ques-
lions, especially about its own conduct
waving the tail from side to side. A
very big black puss loved to fight and
catch rats as well as any terrier. She was
afraid Of no rat that ever had a hole, and
gave her days and nights to battling with
them. But she never so much as gnaWed
one of her captiVes. She killed scientific
caIly, by a quick crunch al the back CT
the neck Her faVorite hunting ground
was round about the corn cribs, where
rats were very plentiful and very fat. 1t
was no uncommon thing for her to finish
seven big fellows in a night. When they
were dead she lugged them all carefully
to a house, distance of -290 yards, laid
E them upon the back steps and set up a
Inewing that would not be qileteds until
her master came out, counted the dead
rats, praised and petted- her for her good
nights work. Then, and then only, her
tail ceased from waving, she pushed the
Vermin diSdainfully aside with a forefoot
and went in to doze on the rug to wa t
+ for breakfast.
Another plantation cat was deprived
of all her kittens but one in the morning.
In the afternoon her young master
brought in three very young squirrels,
captured out in the clearing. He laid the
little animals down on the rug in front of
the fire, saying something about being
sorry the nest had been disturbed The
words were still in his mouth when the
| bereft cat caught up one of the squirrels
and darted off with it to the box that
held her remaining kitten. In a minute
she came back for the second and then
{ n ha
! box she remained invisible until morn
| ing. Her owners thought she had Supped
on tender squirrels. Thew found out that,
| instead. she had adopted the orphans. In
a week the little woodlanders were frisk-
| ing about the floor. tanner than the kit
| ten. and much more active. Trouble and
fun began when they were big enough to
go out doors. The yard was full Of very
| tall trees. oaks and hickories. up and
down which the foundings scampered in
the widest glee. 1t was both odd and
pitiful to see the anxious eat running
about on the ground looking up at them,
and mewin~ pfteous recalls, which did no
| good at all Once or twice she resorted
to heroic measures, ran up the trees her
self and soundly cuffed the truants. Put
though she could climb as well as any
squirrel of them all, she did not like
the exercise. so after a while let the in
crates go their own way. When thny
were on the ground she tried very hard
to make kittens of them-to teach them
to eat mice. to catch them. to wash their
faces properly, and sleep on their heads.
But when she discovered them eating
nuts and bird eggs, she washed her paws
of them-possibly wishing that In the
beginning she herself had eaten them
Negroes believe firmly that cats can
see the souls of dead people pass from the
1o1ies Tie belief is possibly grounded
on the fact that cats are stirred to IN
usual excitement by the presence of a
corpse. 1t happens sometimes in country
houses which have been catless for
months that as soon as death takes place
inside through windows ten feet from
the ground, watch for the opening of
doors. ana dart through them like a
fash, Once, inside. they go straight to
stand at the door of it bristing and
| mewing Until driven away.