The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1902-05-07
BROTHER ABNER'S AWFUL CAT.

desolate region of southern Wyoming.
| 80 miles nom the railroad. captured a
little fat, furry. downy ball of pale yell
low and white, not unlike lions
whelp. IT'S eyes were Just open; 1t was
| too young to lap from saucer at first,
but after few weeks II learned to lap
milk, on which diet IL grew up to be a
| docile and obedient cat much beloved
| by all who knew It,
Tor. as he was called. was of about
the h ght of an English setter, but
With shorter. thicker body. covered
| with silky fur of bright amber on the
back and sides; underneath and on his
paws mis- coat was pure white. decorat-
| ed with rings of black. He had an in
/ tellgent pretty cat face lighted by big
amber eyes. whose pupils. mere slits
of black down the center. would widen
and narrow according to his emotions,
| just like those of any other cat.
Abner never taught Tom any
tricks" except that of jumping over
a broom handle. but the cat was very
initiative, and tried to do many things
| that he saw his master do. Thus he
| he often tried to drink from a dipper
| He would sit up, take the dipper In his
fore paws, and carry it toward his
mouth, but he never succeeded in
drinking the water. always spilling II
on his front, whereupon he would fling
| dipper and all over his head.
He slept like Christian, for he
would get into bed with Abner, put his
head on the pillow, straighten out, and
pull the covers up to his chin. But he
purred so loud with satisfaction all the
time he was awake in bed that Abner
could not go to sleep until Toms pur-
ring ceased in slumber
At the first streak of daylight he
would throw off the covers, spring into
the air nearly to the ceiling and come
down on Abner, II the man did not
move out of the way or else get up.
A great practical joker was Tom.
All the dogs in the neighborhood were
afraid of him. with good reason. and
he knew it. How to get them to at
tack him was his problem. Sometimes
he succeeded by pretending to be Grip
pied. and limped along to catch the
dogs attention. Thinking their time
for revenge had come, they would rush
at him. Then he would suddenly sit
up ard knock them down with single
blow of his paw as fast as they came at
him, even If there were eight or 10 of
them.
Tom sat at the table with Abner dur
inc tnaul tinnc aud atp From, pIata
catching up bits of food and conveying
them TO his mouth on one claw in
manner considered very conventional.
Abner had lived alone so many years
that he had become somewhat free in
his table manners, and was accustomed
to sop his bread in the gravy dish.
Tom, the mimic, followed his masters
example in this particular, and was
very expert H. it, sinking his claws in
a biscuit or a piece of bread. sopping 1t
soberly in the dish, returning it to his
plate.
Abner was of New England stock.
He had come west from a small town
in Connecticut. where his two sisters
Elizabeth and Olive, or "Ollie." had re-
mained for many years after he had
migrated.
When Miss Elizabeth was 35 and Oh
i've about 20 he began to insist that
they should pay him a visit. He hoped
they would like Wyoming and stay
with him.
The II years since they had seen Ab-
ner seemed much larger to them, be-
cause he was such an indiffrent letter
writer. There was plenty to write
about, hut he thought the little hap
penings of his life would not interest
his correspondents, and SO he had
never mentioned Tom.
what would they care about a wild
cat?" he reasoned. But now and then
he made his letter more interesting by
enclosing a money order or a check.
with the request that they buy some
little presents for themselves to re-
member him by; for Abner had big,
generous heart, and he had prospered
exceedingly in cattle.
One day it occurred to him to go over
and spend the night with Silas Hope. a
ranchman who lived five miles away.
Accordingly he saddled Mike. his fav-
orite horse, opened a window in the
cabin so that Tom could come and go
at his pleasure, and put things to right
little. in case some wayfarer should
come in while he was gone.
IL never occurred to him to lock the
door. If any man in that locality had
locked his door, 1t would have been
considered an insult to all the other in
habitants of the place. Indeed, there
was not a lock bar or bolt on any door
in all the settlement.
Abner Ragner supposed that his
cabin would be tenantless that night,
but two unexpected visitors had for
some days been on their way to make
him visit. After many talks. con-
sultations and hesitations his two sis
ters in Connecticut had made up their
minds to go out and see him. Olive