The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-06-09
OLD JOE'S VI'LET.

it's wunnerful good cat, and turr' BILE
| fierce after rats and nice"
| 1t is to be feared that he drew upon
| his imagination fer the rats, but as
| CARDS mice he was perfectly in order
| But for her fever heat of business Mrs
] Foot, kind-hearted woman, might easily
| have been touched into aacq1iescence by
his pleading face, quite working with
anxiety Unfortunately, too, the foolish
! little cat was making a, perfect exhibition
! of herself under the stimulus of dog
| barking outsde-he knew better than to
| come in, with that apotheosis of indigna-
| ton, evolved out of a mere cat, ready to
| hurl itself in his direction To coax her
| into a more seemly den1eanor Joe took
her up, and she quieted at once, feeling
! so secure in her masters arms.
She's so knoy4edgable," he pleaded
timidly as his eyes wandered nneasily to
the troop of children, as though he feared
| the mother might accuse him of waiting
to take the bread cut of their mouths,
land not a bit coHetous or greedy; she
do with anything just a few oddsies; and
! IL she may bide long of YOU There's two
-dree faggots in the back house that
| youm kindly welcome to.
His. voice trailed off into hopelessness
as Mrs Foot eyed him and Vflet as
! though she preferred their room to taeir
company, and enunciated verdict wnich
entirely conceded with Liza Legg's that
children was plague enough, and she
| couldn't be moidered with no cats
He saw it was hopeless, so he laid his
Bible on the mantelshelf, saying he
would return for it g"d'reckly minute
/ and sailed forth with old ferret bag
in one hand and Vi'let held close with
| the other.
AS he made his forlorn way down to
the river the cats fur was dabbled with
the old mans bitter tears. To have to
serve his faithful little friend this last
shabby trick-to have with his own hands
to put to silence the living, loving thing
which had comforted his loneliness a
! thousand times made his soul rise up in
anguish and rebellion. Had he lived SO
! honestly and worked so hard to come
! to this? Why not have tithed at least
| a part of his masters belongings which
| had passed so constantly through ms
| hands and so known better times2 he
had known many less particular than
| himself, and they still had roofs of the-r
| own to cover themselves without trou-
| bling the parish. For once dark thoughts
possessed his patient soul-dark thoughts
| of life. of death and even of God in HIS
| heaven But these could not abide with
him long, for suddenly he seemed to see
his wife's last living look, with its calm
| beatitude of perfect trust, reproachinS
! him for his bitterness and want of faith.
| Such a remembrance had power TO brush
aside the clouds Of his momentary un-
belief, and he was only heartbroken as
he reached the sandy marg'n of the river
| in which he had bathed as a happy, care
less lad. Putting down VTlet-for he had
no fear that she would stray from him
| he had to bend his stiff old back pain
| fully to grope for stones. He had lit
| orally 10 feel for them, for the tears were
raining down his face. If only he could
| have told her he was dong it for the
| nd nJff Of for foo
! things might befall her, and to prevent
her slowly pining to death!
He was pottering slowly about his
| hpoelcss task when fisherman. who had
been an amazed onlooker from the shad-
ow of tree overhanging the water ac-
| costed him.
you seem in trouble; can help your"
| Joe Strengthened himself slowly with
! groan, and his Questioner never forgot
the tragedy on the patient uplifted face
| Seeing he was addressed by "better-
most person, he took off his cap, holding
it nervously with both hands, while his
| thin gray hairs fluttered in the breeze
Il be in sort trouble, sir. I've worked.
man and buoy, sixty year for the squire
| It old squire and his father avore ZEE
land now J be come to this. They won't
let me bide outside t house no longer
! Tor Nllet. so I'm drowning of her-the
falthfullest critter that ever lived
Y
! cate the cat, who was ubEng against
the strangers legs as though to intro
! duce herself and impiore his aid for her
master. The stranger stopped to caress
! It, for in truth the sight of old Thorne's
distress was almost more than he could
stand.
she is such a pretty cat; is there no
| help for it?'
Joe shook his head. eve arst,a many,
but none amt wiIlen; they've either got
cats or fierce girt dougs that Vilet can't
abear. Like me, she's gett:n uplong; but
1T do zim hard all the same
He bent to pick up the last stone ana
his hands treribled so that he could hard
ly find the mouth of the ferret bag,
You say you have worked on the
Manor estate all your working fe Do
you know the present sqUire-or, what Is
more to the purpose. does he know your
Il mind him, o. course but since he
come of age he's been home so little
Almost like a foreigner In the place
HE'LL not know I for zartain.'
A few more questions were asked and
answered, and then Joe looked anxinrsSIv
round for the sun was WeSting fast and
he had to be in the house before it sank
Taking Vilet in his arms, he held her
gently moment. and then tried to put
her into the weighted bag; but the task
was quite beyond him. and he feIease1
her to hide his face and try to stife the
sobs that were shaking his withere1
body from head to foot.
81 can't do it!' he sobbed wildly Il
can't do it,"
The fisherman took the bag from him
and wasted Il few moments
''Ill do it," he said kindly. leave