The Aberdeen Democrat. (Aberdeen, South Dakota) 1???-1909, 1904-01-01
MAN O N OF CATS.
u He Hasn't Got a Pretty Wife and
a Fat Baby Some One Has
Made q Mistake.

La .TGH. -- aSHNEE ar-
THAT young man whom Ethel has
promised to love, honor and obey will
make her a good husband" said the girl
in the plaid skirt decisively to the little
group who were talking over the we'd
ding and the new brides future in the
dreamy manner girls have anent such
events, relates the New York Times.
I'm sorry to say that l haven't had the
pleasure of knowing him a long time, but
l am just a. sure as If / had been inti-
mately acquainted with him since child
hood. He will wear well, and be asgood
a husband ten years hence as he will be
during the first blissful year. A1ittle In
cident noticed a short time ago made
me certain of what l say.
Zone evening Ethel brought him over
to call at our house. He seated himself
on n end of our big sofa. A few min
utes later the family cat entered the
room. She looked gravely up at Ethel's
fiance and then, as if satisfied with her
inspection, jumped up on the sofa beside
him. Some men wouldn't have paid any
attention to Mistress Puss; others would
have patted her in arperfunctory man
ner out of regard to me. He did neither
way.
"First he moved along a bit on the
o so as to make room for the cat,
helped her dispose herself in a comforta-
bic. manner, stroked her a few times
and scratched her head softly, and in a
minute had puss purring as c~ontentedly
as if they had been lifelong friends. And
it was plain from the manner he did it
all that he wasn't paying the cat atten-
ton simply because it was my cat. No,
it was on the cats account; he wanted
Mistress Puss to feel comfortable and in
a purring frame Of mind.
EVERY home should have a cat he
said, half apologetically. "A fat cat, a
cat with well-stroked fur, and one that
is accustomed to purring.'
"Now," continued the girl in the plaid
skirt in tones of calm wisdom, "a man
who likes to see the cat comfortable and
warm and in a purring condition will
feel the same toward his wife and ba-
bies. He will look out for the little de-
tails which make such a difference in a
persons comfort. He will see that his
wife has a fur coat-if he can possibly
afford it; that she has all the little lux
uries which cost more in thoughtfulness
than they do in effort or money. He
will want a plump, chubby baby, a baby
that smiles and gurgles on small provo
cation, and he will do his best to pro-
vide the little things needed to keep
a baby in that mental and physical con-
dition. A man who wants a purring
cat about him when he is a bachelor
will try for a purring wife and baby
after he is married."
And the girl with the plaid skirt nod
ded her head decisively, as one who
has laid down an infallible rule for the
testing of all fiances.
But sometimes confirmed old bach
elors, who never think of marrying, are
fond of CATS" objected the girl with the
brown eyes.
"It doesn't make any difference" in
sisted the girl with the plaid skirt, my
rule holds good. And when you see a
bachelor who is fond Of fat. purring cats
you can be sure, my dear, that some
where, some time, somehow, some one
made a bad mistake. Such a man was
never meant to waste his purr-encour
aging qualities on cats. They were in
ended for a pretty wife and a fat baby
but something went wrong"