Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1901-12-25

them; no one could prevent him, and
the cats themselves were helpless.
Helpless? Yes, indeed, poor little
things! And they were so soft and
downy. Felicia had caught glimpse
OF them IS she went down the hall. It
may be necessary to science that some
creatures should suffer, but surely it
was cruel to sacrifice this whole family
OF six Angoras-the devoted mother
and her five worshiped, nesting ba bies.
The Professor was out. Felicia halt
opened the door of his room and peeped
in. The alluring picture Of domestic
felicity that met her eyes decided her.
Madam, the Angora mother, lay pur-
ling, sleepily on a soft rug before the
hearth, while five little bundles of soft
down snufflad and wriggled against
her maternal side. In moment Fe-
licia was on the rug beside them, her
dark locks mingling with the white
tnr, five pink noses rubbing in search
ing, puzzled way over her smooth
cheek. For five minutes she gave her.
self up to this quiet ecstasy; then puss,
rssenting this prolonged interruption
CT her family privacy, gently but firm
~ showed her disapproval.
Felicia sat up and pushed back the
run1pled hair from her face; then she
looked around her at Prof. Max Eger's
apartments. just what professors
rooms should be, she thought-books,
books with atrocious titles every
where, along with profusion of very
ancient-looking curios. This next was
his sleeping room, and beyond, Felicia
saw with a shudder, was the labora-
tory. What horrible collection of
skulls, bottles, test-tubes, alcoholic
specimens and Internal machines it
was! And tomorrow these little dar-
1ings might repose on that shelf in bot
ties marked 'Felis domestica," and
that inhuman wretch would smile
with satisfaction at his CHASTITY work,
and feel no more conjunction than
# he had taken worthless watch to
pieces to find out how it worked.
Could she stand by and countenance
this slaughter of the innocents? Her
whole soul reyolted against it. Her
mind pictured the terrible process.
lie would do the cowardly deed to-mor-
row. It was Christmas, holiday he
might find a bore unless occupied in
Che pursuit of his favorite science. Oh,
abe would stay here until he returned,
and dare him to touch hair of their
innocent heads! Then he would calm
" look at her through those formidsl-
bic glasses-not at her, but at the wall
back Of her head-in way she had
seen him do, and inquire how long
since she had acquired the right to
enter his rooms. If he should ever
look IT. her like that she felt she would
sink through the floor. No, she would
not defy, she would beg, entreat. There
was still the intrusion.
Sh9 heard the landlady putting up
the atairs; she might be discovered
at any minute. One momentof hesita-
ton, and then the six cats were bum
died, wriggling heap, into her skirt,
and Felicia was flying up the hall to
her room. Once. there she threw her:
self flushed and breathless, on the
bed. while the mother cat, with little
soi:itous cries, licked and fondled her
jostled children. Now, Felicia was no
. coward; three years of journalism
had thoroughly trained her woman's
heritage of nerves, but at every step
that passed her door the color that
never failed her even during interviews
deserted lips and cheeks until they
were as white as the kittens she ca
ressed. For Felicia was afraid of the
professor; afraid of his voice, wheth-
e., harsh or tender, afraid of the dark
gray eyes that could be both cold and
commanding. When she finally had
to leave the kittens she slowed them
away in the depths Of her laundry
basket, losked her door, and went away
feeling as 1f she had left behind her
some dark and terrible secret. 4,
Christmas eve in . newspapers office
y is Ike any other evening in the year,
except that there is twice as much
work on hand. II was past midnight,
when Felicia went up the stepssof her