Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-11-10
Eureka's Good Luck.
By RUTH REIss.

Grandfather came back from town early
one afternoon. and while he warmed his
hands before the great open fireAn the din
ing room, he said to grandmother. who was
knitting nfttens for some children / know:
You know. grandmother. that I have
never hurt an animal In my life-I couldn't
drown those kittens any more than you
could. But they must co.
Yes, said grandmother there's no two
ways about it. Eureka isn't worth her SALT
She hasn't caught mouse for a year And
now, instead of teaching these kittens to be
mousers, she Is teaching them to be thieves
they must 60"
A curiey head bobbed up from the corner
OF the Old lounge. and two big eyes gazsd
at grandmother. 1t was Constance. and she
looked very much disturbed.
But, grandmother" she said, "they are
so dear notwithstanding"
They are dear" replied grandfather.
leaning over and smoothing Constance's
curls. livery dear-why only this morning
Eureka Fagin and her four little helpers
carried off whole steak that had bought
for dinner
why do you call her Fagin?' asked
Constance. Her name is Eureka Patches
when you read oliver Twist by Charles
Dickens you will know said grandfather.
Fagin was wicked man in the sorry who
taught boys to Steal
'But I don't believe she means to steal"
declared Constance
Every animal on this farm must earn its
living" said grandfather. sterniy. THE
other cats earn theirs and Eureka should
earn hers. You heard what grandmother
said about it. have found place to leave
the old cat, and some children down in the
village want the kittens, and tomorrow L
shall have to take them away
Grandfather said this last very gently,
but II he had seen into Constance's heart
ne would nave seen very sore spot in
deed. for she loved those kittens cearly.
and old Eureka. too. The tears We're too
near the surface to talk about it further, 50
Constance dropped her book and slipped
out of the room
AS she passed through the kitchen she
noticed the pantry door was open, and pok-
ing her inqu,sitive little eyes and nose
through the opening she saw siglt that
naade her cry and laugh in the same breath
What she saw was Eureka Patches calmly
sitting on the dresser and actually per-
suading those kittens to jump up TWO or
three times when the little things refused
to try again she jumped down and box.
their ears. Constance. stood there fs sci
mated by the s.ght-tt was SO funny-and
then she sobbed as she thought how very
far from funny it was that her darling Eu-
reka Patches should actually teach her
kittens such bad tricks, that tomorrow they
were to be taken away forever
If she could only devise some way to
save Them OF course they belonged to
gra ndfather. and she was only a visitor
SO she could not claim them as hers Oh
for some happy though. that would keep
them from the ungentle hands of the viii
lage children. She scolded Eureka and
reasoned with her, land she lectured the
Kittens separately and together and
kissed each one of their little shub noses
until you would think they couldn't help
but reform. And that night she went to
bed with a very heavy heart, and a pic
ture of lonely life on the farm without
the kittens to play with.
Eureka Patches, intelligent cat that she
was. had apparently understood that a
dreadful something was to happen on the
morrow to her and her Tamily for after
dark she sailed forth to find nice re-
spectacle place to which she could move
her family. The only one she could find
was the hay NOW in the big barn, but
there was no nice warm fire or conven-
lent food Still, something must be done
Late that night she went back to the
house to move her family. Through a
broken pane of glass rhe entered the
kitchen, and, calling - ittens. carried
them, large as they " = out into the
cold.
Two she left half way to the barn. near
the chicken house. and as she brought
out the third she saw that the chicken
house door was ajar. This was a place
more convenient than the barn and nearer
food supply, SO she went in to investigate.
Finding a nice warm .nest-in the. ouIer
and they were Immediately cuddled to-
gether and went Ito sleep. Then Eureka
went back for. Mopsy. the latest and
most frolicsome of the lot. Mopsy was
not bit sleepy, and he led his mother
quite chase when she let the nape Of
his neck out of her mouth for minute
His ears had to be cuffed. and by the time
the chicken house was reached they were
having quite a tussle. Mopsy wouldn't
go in; he heard noise of chickens stir