The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1904-01-08
THE STORY OF A CAT


The first time that L saw "Seetty' he
was surrounded by a group or admiring
children on the veranda of a summer cot
tage in Maine. The youngsters strcked
his fur and pulled his tail, and arranged
and rearranged a blue ribbon on his neck,
and the big cat evidently enjoyed 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-na tuTedly with
any member of the housenod who would
play with him. But one cay a telegram
/ Same for the man who lived in tine cot
tage, and he and his family made imme-
date preparations TOT leave for the wes.
In the general excitement nobody thought
Of the cat, until the question, is pussy
goin too called attention 10 the baby.
who now appeared with "Seetty' his
head clasped tight to her beso,n, and the
rest of his body trailing OH the floor All
the children wanted to take him, OF
course. but their mother and father, real
lizing the difficulties in the way of taking
the cat. decided to leave him, beleveiag
that he was popular enough to be well
looked after by his netghbors. And in
this they were partly right, tor as soon
as the house was vacant the big gray eat
found aw arm welcome at any Of the
iother cottages he chose TO visit. But by
and by the autumn came, and with it,
chilly days, which drove the cottagefs, a
few at a time, back to the cites. On the
LIST of october the last family left the
place. and 'Scotty' was alone.
For little while ne got along without
hardship. The weather WIS not very ccld
yet and in barrel at the back Of one of
the houses he found scraps which lasted
Tor several days. After that he began to
get hungry. for the first time in his life,
and he wandered from one deserted gar
den to another hunting for some. hing to
eat. Now and then he would Lap TO the
window siils of houses where he had
often fed, and meou plaintivcly in hopes
of gaining admittance.
One morning when he had been without
food for two days. there came furry of
snow. and with it flock of juncos, which
alishted in abe yard where the scraps had
been. "Scotty'' was crouching close to the
back steps when they arrived, and in an
instant his whole body took on an atti-
tude of attention. He was hungry, and
there was a breakfast close before him |
il he could only catch it,
Silently, he pressed his body closer to
the ground, and slowly as the hand of a
clock, he moved towards the busy group
of elate-colored birds. In his eyes there
there before. and which became intensi-
fled as he Grew nearer TO his prey. At last
he gathered his legs well under him, and.
leaning forward, he sprang forward as
though thrown from a catapuit. There
was a ''whirr'' Oh small wings among the
scattering snow, and a pickering of white
IS the juncos flew away
that is, all but one flew away; ''Scotty'
crouched on the spot where he landed.
switching his tail angrily from side to
side. and growing as wei as he could
with his teeth buried in the body Of his
victim. In that hour self-rel;ance was |
born In him. No longer did he prowl /
about the gardens meou beseechingly (
on the window-sills he seemed to realize /
that he could satisfy his hunger only by
capturing living creatures, and these he /
hunted from daylight to dark And it
did not take him long to find out that
more game was to be had in the woods
than near the houses, 50 into the woods {
he went and made his home in the hollow
OF fsilen tree into which enough leaves /
had drifted to make him a bed Often he |
went desperately hungry. and once he al
most starved to death. but a rabbit now (
and squirrel then kept the life in his /
body until spring. Then the migrant birds |
began TO return and when they came in. /
tired and listless from their long jour
neys, 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 st;ll ana he could I
either devour them in the nest or fail /
upon them as they Numbered about on
the ground. AS a destroyer he was worse /
in some respects than fox or a skunk. 4
for he could climb. and nothing was safe
from him. Among other birds he killed
and grouse and during tn (
more game than any other creature t1,his /
territory
The following winter was a very hard |
one and In spite Of -Scotty's3 great.cun-
ming and agility he often went hunSry
for days at time Cne bitter night. as
he was stalking half-famished over tho
snow, he started across an open space in /
the forest. Next morning that open space +
looked Ike battlefield, and indeed it was
one, for the snow was ploughed up for
many yards. and dye with blood Feathers
and gray fur were strewn in a wide cir
Gle. ON the outer edge of which lay
mangled horned owl with his mightv !
talons burisd TO the hilt in the back of A
gray tom cat-Ernest Harold Baynes in
New York Evening Post