Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1902-06-11
BROTHER ABNER'S AWFUL CAT.

| Surely curious collection of things I
be taken to farming district, as the
teiIhed the settlement-such quantitie
Of fruit and vegetables! When Klor
dixie had finished putting up a larg
box of condensed milk and cream
olives curiosity oVercame her dii
fidence.
Are there no COWS in Little Medi
cine?" she asked.
"Yes'm," answered Klondike, re
spcctfully, as he fitted a lid on the box
there's slobs and gobs of cows, bu
we amt much struck on roundin' zen
UP nights"
The sisters, not understanding Klon
dike's phraseology, looked at eacl
other in silent perplexity and in som
dismay. But when they were once ou
on the vast praries their spirits rose
Looking back they fancied the crest O
white on Elk mountain resembled {
stately marble palace, with .turrets
towers and corinthian pillars.
They saw herds of antelopes feeding
and then, whisk! puff! the creatures
vanished in the open like a whiff OF
smoke. At intervals they came upon
bleached skulls, the only reminders OF
the vast herds of buffalo that once fed
on the table-lands; or the desiccated
carcascs of sheep, which had pcrished
miserably in the storms Of winter.
Looking backward, Klondike, with
his whip, pointed out some of the sur
rounding towns, marked by puffs Of
blush vapor lowering in the clear,
dazzling atmosphere. The column of
black at the right was Carbon, that
next to it was Hanna, while far down
at the left the tiny ring of smoke, like
that from mans pipe was Larimie.
Before them the wonderful prospec-
tive held still greater surprises A
small white sunbonnet outlined against
the blue became gradually transformed
into sheep wagon; in the remote dis
tance they deserted wasp and two
black ants, which on nearer acquaint-
ance proved to be man on horseback
and two dogs.
WELL" sighed Elizabeth, at last,
with a tone of one who admits a
damaging truth, there's more sky in
than there is in Connecti-
cut"
'"And more land" added Olive. 81
believe we shall always go on like this
and never get anywhere. 1t is an un-
changing earth and an unchanging
sky" she continued, in an awed voice,
and feel like little worthless atom
'andwiched between the two
There is certainly something in
his country calculated to take the
,onceit out Of one" said her sister.
Olive, overcome with drowsiness in
,idental to the high altitude, finally
,rept into the back of the wagon,
where she slept with her head on a
ack of dried apples. When she awoke,
he was sure they had stopped all the
ime to rest the horses, for nothing
Eas at all changed The mountains, 4
oained the same, while the gray bron=
os pushed forward trelessly on their
Iuick, round ,trot.
1t was between six and seven o'clock
n the evening when the two women
.rrived before the door of Abner's two
oomed log cabin. Elizabeth knocl;ed.
rs there was no reply, she ventured to
lift the latch.
"Ab can't be very far off, for the
loor's unlocked" said Olive, as Kon-
like drove away.
Hes probably working in the-in
he fields" remarked Elizabeth,
loubtfully, glancing vaguely over the
,xpanse of sage brush. There
doesn't seem to be any garden" she
added gravely, nor a sign OF anything
planted. l hope Abner isn't getting
shiftless."
"We'll have supper ready, anyway
said Olive, I'm simply famished.
Soon they built a fire, and set the
table with fried bacon, tea, and baked
dish known in New England vernacu-
lar as "johnny-cake." Not knowing
when their brother would arrive, they
decided to sit down at once, and we're
about to do so when they were fright
ened almost to fainting. Tom leaped
through the open window.
They had seen wildcats in cages and
in pictures. This one. bore in his hor-
rid mouth struggling mountain-rat.
Elizabeth screamed, but Olive scram-
bled I'D a. short ladder leading to the
loft, where Abner kept his shotguns,
ammunition and fshing-tackel. She
was speedily folo1-ed by her sister,
and together they drew up the ladder.
Tom, meanwhile, sat down and
watched the erratic movements OF his
visitors w;tncnt apparent emotion. he
had probably planned to worry the rat
for a while on the cabin floor before
killing it; but on scenting the tried
bacon and seeing that a feast was al
ready spread, he abandoned his lnten-
ton, and by dextrious shake broke
the neck of his little victim.
or what followed, the Ragner SIS
ters could speak afterwards only with
hated breath. The animal acted like
one Of the bewitched creatures of the
old story-books that tell Of men turn
ed into cats by enchantment. Tom
seated himself at the table, helped him
self to bacon, sopped his bread in the
gravy and ate it, piece by piece from
the end of a claw.
Gradually a sensible idea; stole lntc
olives mind. "He ACTS. like per
forming animal at a show" she whisp
cred.
"Hush!" quavered Elizabeth, tremb
ling.
Tom, having finished his supper
went back to his dead rat. Iakins
up in his teeth, he approached zoos
board in the floor, clawed it up and de
posited his quarry underneath VIII