Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-12-09
When the Three Met Again
"a Cat Story)
BIZ MINERVA SPENCER HANDY.


On a chill, gray day in autumn a beauti-
full black kitten sat at the window of a fine
house. The maid had opened the window
to allow a breath of fresh air to enter. and
the kitten had hoped upon the window sill
to look out on the world beyond. This kitten
was the darling of the little daughter of
the house. He was petted and fed the choic-
est dainties and allowed to sleep on the
handsomest and softest of cushions. His
young mistress was only child of
wealthy banker, and there was but one law
In the house-the law of Mile. Louise" as
the servants called her. Mile. Louise was
much nicer girl than this fact would lead
you 20 expect and Jet, the kitten was think
ing oc this as he sat summing himself on the
window sill. Suddenly he heard a dismal
and pathetic ''me-i-ou.' Now Jet had heard
a great many of such sounds, even If he did
live In an aristocratic neighborhood He
knew that some fellow cat or kitten was
in distress. Again the sound reached his
ears, although this time II was more pa
thetic and hopeless than at first. Jets
bright eyes followed the sound and fell on
a miserable, sick-looking and old gray cat.
my poor friend called out Jet, you
look very much the worse for wear Won
you stop and share my dinner? 1t Is in
the area, and no one viii disturb us. 1t Is
capital dinner, can assure you, and my
mistress Louise told me that should have
g feast today of turkey and giblet gravy.
I am the darling of Louise, and allowed to
do exactly as I please. In your case, l
please to invite you to dine with me. I'll
go down in the area and me-i-ou. You
follow tho sound and you can then squeeze
through the grating. If you were a fat
and well-fed cat You would have difficulty
in getting through Looking at your sides,
1 can see that it would be pretty thin bars
that you could not get through"
The tramp car understood that he had
found a friend IN the handsome black kit
and tha nrOEnect of good dinner ~ q
at hand
Such an invitation was not to be declined
because Of a previous engagement" The
gray cat patiently sat until Jet appeared
time, for the door of the sitting room, where
we first made Jets acquaintance, had been
closed. The maid did not understand what
Jet meant when he kept up his patient
me-i-ou-ing although 1t plainly said Let
me out, please" Once out, however, he
scampered for the area, hoping that the
gray cat had not gone away tired with the
long wait. An answering me-i-ou soon re-
assured him that his fears had been ground
less on that point and few wriggles and
squirms on the part of the tramp cat and
he was behind the bars and eagerly eating
the dainties spread before him.
There was plenty for both, though Jet
wondered how his visitor was constructed
ION the inside" He must have two, three
or a whole series OF stomachs, thought Jet,
but of course. was too polite to mention his
thought to his visitor
After the last giblet had disappeared
the last bone picked until 1t was clean
enough to wish on, both cat and kitten po-
litely used their tongues to wipe away all
remnants of the repast from their whis-
kers. Mademoiselle Louise had forgotten
the finger bowls and napkins. After their
toilets were restored 10 neatness, Jet told
his friend that now was the time for after
dinner stories. (You see, Jet had lived in
the highest society and knew many things
besides food and drink
Being cats-and not knowing that it is
always bad form to talk about themselves
their stories both took a personal turn.
In fact, Jet asked the gray cat to tell him
what had brought him SO low down in the
world. ~You have the evidences of refine
ment," he said, land must have had some
great sorrow and misfortune TO be homeless
and without q friend"
The gray cat gave his whiskers an extra
when we clear our throat before we begin
our story telling.
This was the story:
81 was the favorite cat OF Pierre, the car
fortune to become the prince of the land in
which I lived He married the kings
daughter, and all his good fortune came
from pair of magic boots with which
was born and which gave me the power to
grant him anything he wished But no
sooner had he come 20 the trrcne than sle
proved ungrateful. 1 was sent into the
kitchen for my meals and treated with SO
iiluCH NlSISspccl llidl MY ueHTt was Amos.
broken. / could not live without affection
So, sad and forlorn. I took to wandering
along the palace roofs, and on one fine
moonlight night I had the good fortune to
meet a black cat with coat like simmer
ing satin and eyes like balls of fame. She
resembled you very much, but of course was
full grown and Welt [ wooed ana won
her and we were married. She followed
me into my royal abode and cheered me
with her bright smiles and contented purrs.
One fatal day she fell from the topmost
peak of the tower into the lake beneath
have never seen her since. l took to the
streets and from that time have been a
wanderer and a tramp. until 1 hare become
the notwithstanding object that you now
behold"
JET had listened to the story with glisten-
ing eyes. Finally he broke in with, ooh.
derful story My beloved mistress. Louise.
was standing by that same lake when a
black cat came tumbling into the water.
She stopped down and with her own hands
rescued her and bore her away to her home
am her own litt.a son and by that same |
sign you should be ny father. Oh, my dear
s>st~- - - h..- s-,s--a i~--s
The little black kitten rubbed himself |
against the poor old gray cat and both dis |
appeared into the beautiful house, happy in !
their reunion. The house OF Louise had !
never yet closed its doors to an animal In |
distress. The Accommodating gray cat was |
warmly welcomed and spent the rest OF his |
life at peace with the world, happy in the |
love Of his long-lost c&t-wifs and generous |
hearted kitten Jet
a heavyweight.