The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1901-10-24
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rian family preferred"
This advertisement caught my eye
and haunted my imagination. We
were a quiet family of vegetarian ten
dencies, and moreover, we were in
need of little more help in the house
keeping department. So it was that
we answered the advertisement. The
arrangements were quickly made, and
Miss Mullen and her cat came.
We had decided that she would be
slight, delicate little lady. and that
she would bring the cat in a large COW
cred basket When she came she
proved TO be just what we had i'm
agined her.
She put the basket on chair. and
then fastened to unfasten the cover
She raised it cautiously. and there ap-
peared over the edge of the basket n
cats head. He was large black and
white cat. entirely commonplace save
for one thing. His face was mostly
white, but on his under lip was a tiny
black spot. This little imperial gave
him sort of distinction. He looked
calmly about the room, the settled
back in his place and closed his eyes.
"Therew said Miss Mullen trium-
phantly. "You see what a vegetable
diet does for cat. 1t he had been
fed on flesh he would have been tear
ing all around the room'
She stood regarding the cat fondly.
won't you take off your things?" 1
suggested.
"Oh, yes She recollected herself
suddenly and unfastened her coat /
showed her to her room and left her
there.
Presently she returned to the sitting
room. She tiptoed to the basket and
looked in, then came and sat near me.
George is still asleep" she said
"GeorgeW l said. "Oh. the cat.
What On odd name for n cat"
She, eolored the least bit possible
II named him for somebody used to
know" she said with dignity.
did l understand you to say that
he is a vegetarian cat?"
Eyes. | never could see why il
should not be as good for cats as for
humans, and l think that George is
proof that my theory is correct You
see how steady his nerves are. He
never has had a morsel of flesh to eat
in his life. / have Kept the closest
watch on his diet. He is old enough
now so that think his habits are
pretty well formed, and I doubt if he
would touch meat if 1t were put before
him. 1t is partly on his account that
l wanted a home in a vegetarian fam
lily"
She had been rocking gently back
and forth, but now she suddenly sat
bolt upright and listened, a quite fierce
expression on her face.
do l hear English sparrows?" she
demanded
II shouldn't wonder" said. "There
are some around here"
"Oh, dear" she cried in a tone of
great concern. I'll don't believe
can stay, then, and l am so sorry, for
everything else is just what l wanted.
Why didn't | remember to put it in
my advertisement that it must be an
English-sparrow-lcss place."
4
to stay with us for a little while.
though she was stlll very doubtful and
wished she had worded her advertise
ment differently.
Thus in our first interview l came
upon her two ruling pasions-her love
for her eat and her hatred of English
sparrows. In the weeks that followed
we all got TO be very fond Of her. She
was CHEEKY and helpful and seemed
contented. She had the gentlest dis
position and there was but one sub
ject on which she ever showed temper.
That was the English sparrow. Some
times | would pretend to champion
the much-abused birds. and then her
indignation knew no bounds. She was
fercely sarcastic, vindictive and re-
vengeful. 1t was very amusing to hear
her express such bloodthirsty senti-
4cent.
III you think the English sparrow
such a fine thing she said one day,
Just read that.' and she laid a book
before me. 1t was United States
agricultural report, and 1t was about
the English sparrow-Passer Domesti.
cus-and IL contained some 400 pages
of statistics. | did not read 1t all, but
looked it through, and in one place
found an old tintype. which had prob
ably been put in for n book-mark. l
glanced at 1t and saw that it was a
picture of q young man. | was about
TO replace IL when / noticed that he
wore a small black imperial. "That
must be George" said to myself. and
l smiled at the resemblance, as George
the cat walked In Just then.
Most cats have marked characters
ties, but George seemed TO be a sort OF
nonentity. / am not saying that his
vegetable diet had anything to do with
1t. merely state the fact He slept
most Of the time, and his eyes had a
dull, stupid expression. He struck
me as being cynical and without any
particular interest In life. About two
months after George and his mistress
came to live with US a change came
over the cat. His manner grew moro
lively and animated and he slept much
less, Mics Mullep noticed this, too,
and remarked that she guessed the
change OF air had done him good. 1t
WAS week later that discovered
what was going OIL.
Our next neIehbor each morning