Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-09-06
HER WAY OUT OF IT

This incident occurred in Washington not
very long ago:
A young man was calling upon the girl
to whom he was engaged. The couple were
sitting on the front steps of the girls
home, an hour or so before the fall OF
darkness, when they noticed the cat at
tached to the household of the girls family
going down down the steps leading to the
basement area with tiny field mouse In
its mouth. The cat bad caught the mouse
in the vacant lot alo1ltside the house.
Dropping the tiny mouse over in corner
of the area. the cat proceeded to torture the
little animal after the accepted feline
fashion.
She would permit the mouse to run away
about yard or SO, pretending that she
didn't know that there was mouse within
miles, and then she would jump out nail
the mouse with her foot and toss it back
to the corner.
Then she would pick the mouse up In
both of her paws. throw it into the air, and
when it came down and started to run, nall
it again. The tiny mouse would squeeze
itself into a corner and sit up and look at
the cat pitifully, and then the cat would
swipe 1t out Of the corner with her paw
and step on it, her eyes blazing ecstatically
and her tail swishing. Some natural his
torians say that there is animal SC
atrocious1y and gloatngly cruel as the ordi-
nary. purrng. domesticated cat.
That mousse said the young fellow to
the girl to whom he was engaged, "is only
a youngster yet Strikes me he ought to
have chance for his white alley
.'Oh, 1 don't know said the girl, who,
with her chin in her hands, was dreamily
and fascinatedly regarding the spectacle of
the mouse being tortured by the cat.
Don't you think it horrible to see the
poor little beggar getting the worst Of it
that way?' he asked the girl, with a slight
note of surprise in his tone.
She made no reply. but, still with her
chin resting in her hands, gazed calmly at
the cat tossing the diminutive mouse into
the air, and stepping on it. and dabbing at
it with her paws. and picking it up in her
mouth and throwing it down again.
after a while.
But that kind don't" said the young
man, a bit earnestly. That's a field mouse,
and field mice don't bother anybody
The mouse was sitting up in the area cor
ner, with its tiny forepaws folded in front
in very pleading attitude, while the cat
gazed with expanding eyes at 1t before be-
ginning to dab at it again.
I'm going to give that mouse a run for
its taw marble said the young man, get
ting up from the steps and starting down
the area steps.
Let the cat alone, said the girl. quietly,
but never removing her gaze from the
sight of the tortured mouse.
The young man stopped suddenly and
looked up at the girl.
II want to give the mouse a chance to get
away he said Surely you don't find en-
joyment in watching a poor little beast
getting handled that way?"
You don't have to look a it if you dom
want to-: said the girl, with certain hard
ness in her tone. Let the cat alone"
The young fellow gazed steadily at her
for half a minute. but she didn't appear to
notice this. She was too intent upon the
deviltry of the cat.
After twenty minutes of torturing its
prey, in the course of which it broke the
mouses legs so that the tiny rodent could
only hobble in it's efforts to run away, the
cat ate the mouse The girl never took her
eyes from the cat until the cat had finished
its prey. Then she gave a sort of satisfied
sigh as she emerged from her fascinated
trance.
We'll. the cat has had her supper" she
said. in matter-of-fact tone to her fance
"Good-night,' he said to her, and he
tipped his hat to her and walked down the
street without looking back.
This happened two months ago The
young fellow hasn't called upon her since.
There is going to he no marriage