The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-02-08
in TIE LITERARY FIELD
A WRITER WHO FINDS THE CAT A
PLEASING LITERARY COMPANION.
Theory as to the Great Output of Fic-
tiOn-Portraits in NOvels-POets'
Features.

"No sir" says Edwin L. Sabin, in the
Boston Transcript, II tell you, dog Is
faithful, devoted and an excellent COM
panion and cooperate out of doors; but as
deskmate he cannot be depended upon
He is apt to let his zeal to be agreeable
overinhuence him.
But the cat-the cat is different. He does
not live so much on the surface as does
dog. He is a library in himself. is the cat:
and as with a volume, by looking at his
backSyou may not judge of all that he con-
tains; only with patience and care may you
get acquainted with a cat and, like
good book he is exhaustless.
What contrast to my spaniers entry Is
the entry Of Thomas into my workroom.
He glides in sedately, unobtrusively, with
out remark or apology, and after sitting
moment in silent meditation hops upon the
foot of the couch, turns around three times.
and there he is, comfortably curled for
sleep AS a girl with a sofa pillow, so. he
seems to strike exactly the satisfactory po-
siton, all at the first essay.
He does not wriggle and experiment with
various attitudes and various spots. Conse-
quently he does not disturb the atmosphere.
About him there is nothing strained. arti-
fetal; the dog half civilized, If half human
is also but half canine and likely to be
self-conscious. The cat however. is still all
| feline. He is himself.
At once, with no ado. he is sound asleep,
and in perfect harmony, he upon the couch
| and upon my chair, we pursue the bust
ness of the day.
| L should like to emphasize how restful Is
the presence of a cat to a literary worker.
The dog is pleasant, and jolly. and CHEEKY,
but he never disconnects himself from
yourself. Whenever you change from pencil
| to typewriter, or otherwise alter your pro-
| gramme, he gruntS, or stretches, or bangs
| with his tail, and makes you irksomely
aware that he is keeping his eye on you.
| He fairly makes you nervous.
| On the contrary, the cat, with fine powers
| of introspection, ignores you. All that ne
1 asks is the foot of the coucfE and TO be let
alone; and you may rattle the keys, or re-
peat the alphabet for rhyme, mails may
| come and mails may go, and he moves not
| a muscle, but snoozes and sheds an air OF
| serenity throughout the chamber.
| In the spring, of course, he sheds hair,
| too, but so does the dog.
| The cats influence is all for the good. He
is methodical-and the most successful OF
| writer's are methodical. My Thomas has
| habits that rarely are modified. He chooses
| one particular spot upon which to sleep,
and there he always goes for slumber. He
| sleeps, he arises, and eats upon news
| paper spread in the corner, he washes his
| face. seven swipes Of his paw down his
| right chops. and seven down his left chops.
| he Squats and celebrates under the easy
| chair and after due time he deScendS the
stairs and departs for the alley.
| Yes, he is the embodiment of method, OF
routine-and routine Is what counts, not
| laps milk he laps according to system
five laps, and slight pause; then five laps
a Mihin ana stated TIME he a the
same, day after day. And, as 1 have said
above. he is a model of introspection. My
| Themes perches from until H. each morn
ing upon the rounded back of the easy
chair under which he subsequently squats
| Gas, also. said above) and with feet and
tail tucked beneath him dozes and blinks
at Martin Chuzzlewit" upon the shelf i'm
mediately in front of his nose.
| For three months, two hours day, he
has devoted to this absorption in Martin
ChuZZlewit'-to the name, only, mark you,
| upon the baNk. By repeating his sacred
word thousands upon thousands of times
| the Hindu claims to derive infinite bliss and
in Martin Chuzzlewit' combinations and
| beauties Of which / never have in the re-
hottest dreamed.
| Chuzzlewit' hold material-could l but
| think it out-for stories, essays and verse
| enough to give me a good income all the
rest of my life. 1t is the writer who thus Sc
| lects some inoffensive theme and relent-
! lessly goes through it with a fine-toothed
| comb that makes the money and browbeats
the public; and Spurred onward to emulate
| my meditative cat / may yet achieve a
/ competence via Martin Chuzzlewit"
Already l have sold at high price a sonnet
| entitled mystically: ITO NJ c. and by
turning it upside down and calling it ITO
/ G. NJ" i shall double its earning power
| Under the tutelage of Thomas. out OF Mar
| tin Chuzzlewit,' / may drag two or three
| popular" novels which will even sell, ac-
| cording TO the mode, better before they are
| printed than after
My Thomas, as does any other eat,
teaches a single mndedness of purpose.