The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1904-01-28
STORY OF A CAT.
WHAT HAPPENED TO SCOTTY AFTER
DISCRETION.
From the Washington Evening Star.

DESERIlON.
From the Washington Evening Star.
The first time that l saw 'Scotty'' he
was surrounded by a group of admiring
children on the veranda of a summer
cottage in Maine. The youngsters strok-
ed his fur and pulled his tail, and ar
ranged and rearranged blue ribbon on
his neck, and the big cat evidently en-
joyed it all, for, instead of running
away, he marched about with arched
back and tail erect, rubbing his sleek
sides against the legs of his playmates.
For week or two after this | often
saw this cat, an enormous gray fellow,
with black bars, romping good-natured-
" with any member of the household
who would play with him. But one day
a telegram came for the man who lived
in the cottage, and he and his family
made Immediate preparations to leave
ment nobody thought of the cat, until
ed attention to the baby, who now ap-
peared with ''Scotty," his head clasped
tight to her bosom, and the rest of his
body trailing on the floor All the chill
dren wanted to take him, of course, but
their mother and father realizing the
difficulties in the way OF taking the cal,
decided to leave him, believing that he
was popular enough to be well looked
after by the neighbors. And in this
they We're partly right, for as soon as
the house was vacant, the big gray cat
found warm welcome at any OF the
other cottages he chose to visit But
by and by the autumn came, and, with
it, chilly days, which drove the cottag-
ers, few at a time, back to the cities.
t}n the LIST of October the last family
left the place and ''Scotty' was alone.
HAD TO WATCH CLOSE.
For a little while he got along with
out hardship. The weather was not
very cold yet, and in a barrel at the
back of one of the houses he found
scraps which lasted for several days.
After that he began to get hungry, fol
the first time in his life and he wander
ed from one deserted garden to another
hunting for something to eat. Now and
then he would leap to the window stills
of houses where he had often been fed
and meou plaintively in hopes OF gain
ing admittance.
One morning, when he had been with
out food for two days, there came a
nun VI SlOW dll(l Will ~ d HUN vi
juncos, which alighted III the YARD
was crouching close to the back steps
when they arrived, and in an instant
his whole body took on an attitude OF
attention. He was hungry and there
was breakfast close before him if he
could only catch it. Silently he pressed
his body closer to the ground, and, SLOW
ly as the hand of a clock, he moved to
ward the busy group of slate colore6
birds.
HUNGER DID IT.
In his eyes there was a look which
had never been there before, and which
became intensified as he drew nearer tt
his prey. At last he gathered his legs
well under him, and, leaning forward
lie sprang forward as though thrown
from catapult. There was a "whirr
Of small wings among the scattering
SLOW and tlickering of white tail
feathers as the juncos flew aWay-that
IS. as all but one flew away. Scotty
crouched on the spot where he landed
switching his tail angrily from side to
side and growing as well as he coul(
with his teeth buried i'll the body Of hi:
victim. IN that hour self-reliance was
WI u IL AiiiIa Nv lpliSNI Niti IlC plON
about the gardens on meou beSeeching
" on the window siils; he seemed tC
realize that he could satisfy his hun
ger only by capturing living creatures
and these he hunted from daylight unit
dark; and it did not take linn long t.
lind out that more game was to be ha(
n the woods than near the houses Sc
INTO the woods he went. aud made hi!
home IN The hollow OF a fallen tree
INTO which enough leaves lad driftet
10 make Linn a bed
HARD TIMES OF II.
Often he went desperately hungry
and once he almost starved to death
but 4 rabbit now and a squirrel then
kept the lie in his body until spring
Then the migrant birds began to re
turn and when they came in, tired an(
listleSs from their long journeys, he
found them easy prey after the wary
creatures he had hunted during the
winter; and when they began to nest
his work became easier still, and he
could either devour them in the nest OIL
fall upon them as they blundere6 about
on the ground. AS destroyer he was
worse III some respects than fox or a
skunk, for he could climb, and nothing
- AS sal 1IOili MN. IAllOllS OliltI DlIQS
he Killed pheaSants and grouse, and
during the spring, summer and autumn
he destroyed more game than any Other
creature in his territory.
The following winter was very hard
one and in spite of 'Scotty's' great
cunning and agility he often went hun
CRY for days at a time. One bitter
night, as he was stalking, half fam
Ished, over the snow, he started across
an open space in the forest. Mex
morning that open space looked like {
battle field, and indeed it was one, fol
the snow was ploughed up for many
yards around and dyed with blood
Feathers and gray fur were strewn in {
wide circle, on the outer edge of which
lay a mangled horned owl, with hi
mighty talons buried to the hilt in thu
back of gray tom cat
The Cost of the Canal