The Cooperstown courier. (Cooperstown, Griggs Co., N.D.) 1902-1913, 1902-11-20
HER WAY OUT Or n.



Cat ana lassse Episode vvAieA Gave
. Girl the Cheaee She Evsaent.
" was Lseling Hest
This incident happened in Washing-
ton not very long ago, relates the
Star:
A young man was calling upon the
girl to whom he was engaged. The cou-
pie 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
leading to the basement area with
tiny field mouse in its mouth. The cat
had caught the mouse in the vacant
lot alongside 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
a mouse within miles, and then she
would jump out, nail the mouse with
her foot and toss it back to the cor
ner. %
Then she would pick the mouse upin
both of her paws, throw it intothe air.
and when it came down and started to
run, nail it again. The tiny mouse
would squeeze itself into 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 ecstatically and her
tail swishing. Some natural historians
say that there is no animal'so afro
ciously and gloatingly cruel a. the or
binary, purring, domestic cat
''That mousse said the young fellow
to the girl to whom he was engaged.
lis only youngster yet. Strikes me
he ought to have chance for his white
alley"
"Oh, don't know" said the girl, who,
4 with her chin in her hands, was dream.
lily and fascinatingly 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 diminu-
tive mouse into the air, and stepping ON
it, and dabbing at it with her paws, and
picking it up in her mouth and throw.
ing it down again.
mice get into the house," said the
girl, after awhile.
"But that kind DON'T" said the
young man, bit earnestly. That's
field mouse, and field mice don't
bother anybody"
The mouse was sitting up in the area
corner, with it's tiny forepaws folded
in front in very pleasing 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 taw marble," said the young
man, getting 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 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 it if you
don't want to-" said the girl, with
certain hardness 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 so in
tent upon the deyiltry Of the cat.
After 20 minutes of torturing it's
prey, In the course of which it broke
the mouse's legs SO that the tiny ro-
dent 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 it's prev.
Then she gave sort of satisfied sigh
as she emerged from her fascinated
i trance.
well, the cat has had her supper"
she said, in matter-of-fact tone to her
fiance.' A
Good night" he said to her, and he
tipped his hat to.her and walked down
the street without looking hack.
This. happened two months ago. The
young fellow hasn't called upon her
since. There is going to be no mar.
rage.
National Reservation for Mi..our,
-Atprojeet is on foot in Missouri for
the establishment of national reser.
walton in Camden county, in that state.
There is a rare combination in that
country of mountains, rivers. valleys.
cayesand springs, and wild amin ais are
4 still abundant. The country is ira
versed by the Usage and Niangua riy-
ers, the scenery along which is ex-
tremely beautiful. One of the caves is
1000 feet long and at one place 100 feet
wide and 60 feet high. Another extern
sive cave has width Of 200 feet.
noted spring rising at the foot of a