The French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1896-1912, 1906-12-20

Tom on the block. Nor did he forget
the trick. Finally thesfamily discov
cred him at It and neighbors came to
see his cleverness. If this caused him
any pride, however, he V showed
II. Cats are not afflicted with swelled
head, even though they have 10 ethics.
worth mentioning.
When the family whom Mieawher
had honored with his presence moved
away to a distant .citygit was with
sincere regret that they were forced
to leave him behind. AS the.house stood
vacant for a time he again hecameaS
wanderer on. the face Of the earth, a
tramp stray, a vagabends So onee
more he began caroqsing and disturb.
ing the ne~ighborhood. He had aeperSt
ennial appetite that never was appeas-
ed. a craving that never was filed.
Micawber was d handsome cal, and.
valiant withal, and among the noRde-
script felines Of all colors and no. color.
J to speak OF he shone Respondent ina
tabby, coat, striped like a tiger. He.had
now reached an age when any well
regulated cat should have settled down
and become a respected citizen Per-
haps it was a sense Of his unregenerate
condition that caused him to cast about
for another home. During his wander
Ings he stopped at a barn and a farmer
gave him milk fresh from the COW.
There were three dogs On the place,
and Micawber did not stay.
One winters day he especially felt
the need Of a new life. Perhaps 1t was
L AA4nvrcn ho -0oId . o1Ca hr1n 0Pu II
| seemed to him that he was always hun
CRY. He was a bundle Of appetite, an
animated void, an incarnate longing.
This particular day, which was to
proye-a red letter one In his career, he
wandered far from his usual haunts.
Finally espying a slightly open door,
his old domestic habits got the best of
him, and he ventured In. It was Christ
mas, but he knew nothing Of that, be-
ing a pagan and heather by nature.
Perhaps in some Subconscious way he
was sent as a Christmas gift to the lit
tie folks there, but of that he also was
In ignorance.
When once inside, the house, seemed
deserted, but it was warm. That was
the main thing. No, not quite the main
thing, for the inward gnawing contin-
ued. The carnal nature of a cat is as
strong as that of some people. The
only object IN the universe now worth
seeking was a dinner. Suddenly he
caught an unmistakable scent that
made his nerves Jingle and his mouth
water. Surely that was milk! Mfcaw-
ber's unerring instinct located it on a
nearby table, and with a single spring
he was there. But the best laid plans
not only Of mice and men, but also Of
cats, go oft astray. There was certain
ly milk here, but in such peculiar guise
that his feline brain could not make
1t out. The nursing bottle was a new
thing in his experience. He gave it up.
Next he espted another cat, one that
looked like a very small edition of
himself. 1t reminded him of his own
days of ~kittenhood, when he had played
with a ball and romped his way into
the hearts of the children. He was not
without sentiment, and, hungry as he
was, he would stop to make friends.
Leaping on to the table where the
small cat was seated, he proceeded to
make advances But never a word
L SdIu U4G OIuGI@Cdl ~ dutdAC6u C1OS-
er, but the kitten did not even deign
to notice him. This was rank discour.
tesy, and he went away In disgust
Stuffed cats were also a new thing to
Micawber.
Venturing on his hunger driven way,
he suddenly became rigid In every
limb. He knew that odor. What cal
does not? It was a mouse. But
wherei
Again his instinct directed him to
the spot. It was on a table In the
kitchen, and with a bound be was
there. Yes, here was the hole-two OF
them, in fact Placing his nose down
In cat fashion, he discovered which
hole the mouse used. Knowing moth.
ing of the mysteries of traps and that
this particular one had caught a small
rodent only the night before, he sal
down patiently to wait for that mouse
to come forth. There the mistress
found him when she returned from g
hurried call to borrow some extra
spoons for the Christmas dinner. Oui
of her large heart she took pity on the
wandering feline, and he was reward
ed with a liberal Christmas helping OF
his own. He was forthwith adopted
and settled down to an old and re
spected cathood.
Only he was not called Mieawber
: but by the more appropriate. If more
commonplace, name of Tabby. OF bill
former w~anderings and adventures h
: told me himself as he purred out hi
content and gratitude at his newsfoun(
. home.