The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-09-18
HER WAY OUT OF IT.

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 attached to the household of the girls family going down the steps lead ing to the basement area with tiny field mouse in it's mouth. The cat had caught the mouse in the vacant lot alongside the house.
 Dropping the tiny mouse over in 9 corner of the area, the cat proceeded to torture the little animal after the ac- cepted feline fashion.
 She would permit the mouse to run away about a 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 1t 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, nail 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 it out of the corner with her paw and step on it, her eyes blazing ecstaticalIy and her tail swsshing. Some natural historians say that there is no animal so atrociously and gloatingly cruel as the ordinary, purring, domestic cat. ,..sss* IA
 That mouse" said the young fellow to the girl to whom he was engaged, &s'is ony a youngster yet. Strikes me he ought to have a chance for his white aey" t%.~=
 "Oh, I don't know,'' said the, girl, who. with her chin in her hands, was dreamiIy and fascinatedly regarding the spectacle of the mouse being tortured by the cat. -.s.t
 Don't you think it horrible to see the poor little beggar getting the worst if it that way?" he asked the girl, with slight note of surprise in his tone. She made no reply, but, still with her chin resting in her hands, gazed colmly at the cat tossin the dininutive mouse into the air, and stepping on it, and dabbing at it with her paws, and pick | ing it up in her mouth and throwing it down again. Mice get into the house." said the | girl, after a while. l% ..
 But that kind don't,"' said the young man, a bit earnestly. That's field ! mouse, and field mice don't bother any, | body" l The mouse was sitting up in the area corner, with it's tiny forepaws folded in | front in a very pleading attitude, while | the cat gazed with expanding eyes at it | before beginning to dab at it again. "I'm going to give that mouse run | for it's Jaw marble" said the young man, getting up from the steps and starting down the area steps.
 Let the cat alone" said the girl qui- l etly, but never removing her gaze from the sight of the tortured mouse. l The young man stopped suddenly and l looked up at the girl.
 | 1T want to give the mouse chance to get away" he said. Surely you don't | find enjoyment in watching poor little beast getting handled that way?'
 "You don't have to look at 1t if you don't want to-" said the girl, with certain hardness in her tone. "Let the cat alone"
 The young fellow gazed steadily al her for half minute, but she didn't ap pear to notice this. She was too inten upon the deviltry of the cat.
 After twenty minutes of torturing it prey, in the course of which 1t broke tn mouses legs, so that the tiny roden could only hobble in it's efforts to rul away, the cat ate the mouse. The gir never took her eyes from the cat unti the cat had finished its prey. Then she gave a sort of satisfied sigh as sh emerged from her fascinated trance.
 "Well, the cat has had her supper, She said, in matter-of-fact tone, to he f1ance.
 ! Good night" he said to her. and h tipped his hrt to her and walked dow the street without looking back.
 This happened two months ago. Int young fellow hasn't called upon he since. There is going to be no mar riage.-Washington Star.