Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1901-08-23

TINE FOR GRAND RECONCILIATION.
mother country is that of the affection
ate liberation one feels for the short
comings one sees in the members of
ones own family circle.
Johnny Bull recognized and accepted
his name with an encouraging intelli-
gence and soon learned to adapt him
self to the cooked food which he at
first found to be so puzzling. Catsie's
scorn of him went to the extreme Of
refusing to recognize Decide when he
was with her. l found it was neces-
sary to feed her separately as she
would not touch even the most tempt
ing food if she found that Johnny Bull
was to share it. He hung around with
guilty air watching his chance to
make friendly overtureS to me when
Catsies back was turned, and soon
showed he understood that my good
will to him depended on his keeping to
the rule we made that he was to kill
no more birds. This is always the first
thing our cats are taught and they are
fed with such unfailing regularity that
temptation is reduced to a minimum.
So matters stood when Decides four
kits appeared on the scene.
Now" said l, lis the time for
grand reconciliationw
But instead of welcoming the little
grandbaby kits Catsies bristles all
turned the wrong way and she spat at
them in a manner that left not a
shadow of doubt as to her feelings on
the subject.
Her meals had to be served to her on
another porch.
Decide was very happy with her
young family. The only fly in the ONT
ment was her mothers disapproval. l
often reasoned with Catsie about it, and
she showed that she felt herself to be
in the wrong. She tried TO overcome
her dislike for the little creatures, 60
ing tentatively TO look at them from
time to time; but as soon as they would
begin to sQuirm or TO stretch their little
mouths open, her distaste for them
would conquer. Then splitting at them
in disgust and shaking a disdainful
paw away she would fly!
! knew she vas surprised and dis
mind One often hears masculine
statements as TO the puzzles of the
feminine heart. The simple truth Is
that the reason no man can understand
woman is because she does not under
stand herself. She is constantly sur
prising uneXplored corners in her own
nature which cause her TO stand aghast,
exclaiming with the old woman in
Mother Goose's Melodies
"Lawk a-massy, my soul, this is none Of Il"
Poor Catsie was passing through one
of these spiritual crises, and she made
it plain 10 me that she knew / under
stood and synpathized with the diff
culties of her position.
Decides happiness in her little fam
lily was of short duration. Three of her
kits fell asleep and refused to be awak-
ened. The fourth was found on exam
inatiOn to be reduced from his original
rolly poly shape TO a mere skeleton.
; iivined that there was something
wrong with the food furnished by ma
ture and took the little fellow in hand
myself. He soon showed that my dag
nosis Of his case had been correct, and
responded to an unlimited diet of cows
milk by resuming his round shape.
In the meantime John Bull, neglected
by Decide and utterly scorned by Cat
sic, had found himself to be so unmis-
takably in the way that he had disap-
peared; his absence, together with Dee
dies bereavements brought about the
longed for reconciliation.
One morning l came down stairs ear
lier than usual, and there was Catsie
sleeping in the nursery box with Dee
die, the grandbaby kit cuddled up be-
tween them, all three purring happily
together just as we used to find Catsie,
Roi and Decide in the happy days gone
by.-Byrd Spllman Dewey in Vogue.