Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1903-09-05
SEE-SAW, MARGERY DAW.

| In the first place it bad beautiful
garden, and in the second. the neighhor-
hood seemed fairly free from cats. My
| hobby is horticulture. Indeed. | contrive
| to make very comfortable income out
of my garden, for | specialize in roses
and have had the honor of introducing
several new varieties.
Cats | always hated. They are such
an unmitigated nuisance to gardener
One goes to infinite trouble in sowing
and watering. Then comes a time Of
watching and waiting while the spring.
ing seedlings grow into thriving plants
At last just as one Is expecting a re-
ward for ones toll in the form of Il dis
| play of bright blossoms, half dozen
| beastly eats come over the wall at mid
night and hold a concert right iii the
center of the cherished bed. OF course
everything is completely spoiled.
AS was saying. | look this particular
house down at Demford because the
| district seemed comparatively free from
these Objectionable quadrupeds. | began
| work iii great hope, and for Il time my
| dream OF freedom was unbroken. The
early summer saw my garden gay with Il
| grand display of many colored blossoms,
| and my heart rejoiced. | was PARTICULAR
| ~, proud of bed of prize pansles, with
which | had taken great pains. Pan
sizes are quaint, pretty flowers and | had
| brought together In that particular patch
| blooms OF almost every known color and
combination
One morning | strolled into my gar
! den to take the air before breakfast.
was not thinking of ANYTHING in partic-
ular. and | gazed upward into the clear
blue of the summer sky. Suddenly a
| slight sound drew my glance to earth.
| My eye fell upon my panSy bed-tht,
pride of my heart. Right III the very
center of 1t. surrounded by broken plants
and crushed flowers two black Persian
kittens were having boxing match.
while close by, in the middle of Il great
tuft of blue lobelias, sat the sedate old
mother eat applauding the antics of her
progeny.
Fortunately. the beasts had not yet he
| come aware of my presence. With the
stealth of Il red Indian. / crept back into
| the house, and Went round to the little
| conservatory. where | keep my big gar
| den syringe. | returned quickly and ST
| lently, with the instrument charged to it's
| fullest capacity with the special blight
killing preparation | use for my roses.
| Creeping down behind the yew hedge. /
! got as close to the pansy bed as posi-
bic. Then | took deliberate aim and
fired. The kittens We're almost drowned.
and the old mother car came III for n
very superior kind of ducking. 1t took
| the beasts n second or two to realize
what had happened. Then they all went
headlong over my neighbours wall. fol-
lowed by two good-sized tiints that /
had managed to kick our of the gravel.
The rout was satisfactory so far as ii
went. But the enemy was only driven
| on and might return ut any time.
decided that some more decisive step
must be taken. asked my housekeeper
Mt breakfast who occupied the next door
| house. | was informed that the individ-
uals name was Miss Daw-Miss Mar
gerry Daw. | pondered the matter all
that morning. and 10y noon ! had worked
myself into a rage. Why should my
gardening operations be brought TO
naught, just because sour old SpinSter
INDUCED an inordinatc taste for heastly,
black pussy eats? | asked myself this
question Il score of times, and | told my
self that the thing was preposterous-aa-
| Solutely monstrouS.
So Immediately after lunch | changed
my garden coat. took my hat, and went
round to call on Miss Daw. The maid
| toldrme that the old dame was lin the
| garden. and led me across the lawn to
u shady corner, where a hammock was
slung among the trees. In the ham
mock reclined a lady whom | presumed
| was the redoubtable Miss Daw. | adj
vanced with determined look on my
face strong in the belief that | was II
match for any number of old maids when
| it came to n pinch.
Miss Daw put down her book and
| turned to look at me. | verify believe
that gasped. am quite sure that my
jaw dropped, and that | looked silly.
| For Miss Daw was not an old maid ar
| ALL hut a very young and very pretty
maid. She had soft golden hair, and
the loyeliest violet eyes had ever seen.
| How do you do. Mr.. Crawford" she
asked. holding out her hand; Il am sure
il is very kind Of you TO call. You will
excuse me rising. won't YOU? 1t is SO
hot. and-wel, hammocks are rather
| awkward things. Do sit down..
| murmured some commonplace, but
! | was too much overcome by surprise to
collect fully my scattered thoughts. 1
collapsed into the chair Miss Daw indi-
Gated, and gazed helplesSly ut that young
lady'S trim little figure rs it swung slow
! ly to and fro in the hammock. Miss
Margery evidently noticed my embnr-
rasSment. BY way, | suppose, of start
| ing a conversation, she asked:
| Excuse me, Mr.. Crawford, but do
YOU happen to know of good soap for
washing cats?"
| must have bluShed to the roots ot
my hair. for She FASTENED to correct
herself.
Il only mean that I want to get lot
of horrid. oily stuff off my two little
kittens Rub and Dub. They are the
prettiest little things in the world-or
rather. they were. But this morning
when came down TO breakfaSt-oh.
you cant think what a sight they were
all covered in disgusting slime. Fanny
that's my maid-and have been wash
| ing them all day. hut we can't get the
| stuif off anyhow. thought perhaps
YOU might be able to recommend some
! thing
1t was at this moment that Dawson
GENE down the garden. He is clerk
M the local hank. l had met him on
several previous occasions in the billiard
room at the Bear Inn. He smiled at
Miss Daw in n diSguStingly familiar man.
ner, aud then nodded to me as though
/ l were quite out Of it. | remembered
| that | had often seen him entering my
neighbours house, but il had never Oc-
| Cured IL me 20 seek a reason for his
| visits. Now | knew why he had called
! 81 often.
He did not seem at all well pleased nj
my presence. noticed he kept scowl-