Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1906-10-03
The Cat that
Killed Care
81 cAanoLl wArsox aAsr1s.

Killed Care 8
III BY CARROLL wArsoN RANKIN.
observation-disclosures
The most characteristic feature Of
Mrs. Roswell's countenance was the
deep, bow-shaped line that indented
her forehead just above the bridge Of
her mot at all remarkable nose.
Her. maiden sister, Georgiana
I Keith, bore the same distinguishing
mark, and 1t was likewise reproduc.
led. In slighter degree. on the youth
ful brows Of Mrs Roswell's two
daughters, Elizabeth and Dorothea.
All four were what Mr. Roswell call
cd born workers." and Mr.. Ros.
wells name for the bow-shaped mark
was Mother Keith's anxious puck
or. !" because his mother-in-law pos.
sessed the deepest anxious pucker"
OF All, since hers was the monument
OF seventy years OF unmitigated wor-
fying.
Yet at the. time of this tale Mrs.
Roswell was certainly the most ac.
tive worrier of the entire quintet. 1t
was that little woman's habit to wor-
nv for three months about the spring
housecleaning, and actually to ac-
! complish the dreaded task in less
than three weeks. She worried for
two nights and day over the con-
cocting Of cake that really required
less than half an hour for the bak-
ing. She worried for weeks over dis
charging q cook. va m the actual
deed could be accomplished In rather
less than two minutes. Il, ~
Now, Mary" Mr.. Roswell said on
one occasion, when his wife confess
ed that she had worried all night
over the problem of using up an oy-
enlarge roast OF beef, you've been
in bigger stew for twenty-four
hours than you can ever hope to
make Of that meat. II you can't get it
on your mind any other way, you'd
better; go downstairs at once and put
1t on the stove-or In 1t. You do
enough worrying over managing this
one small household to run all the
affairs Of this country, and Russia be-
Sides
4 know It's foolish" Mrs. Roswell
had replied, "and don't mean to
worry, but can't help doing IT,"
Why certain lean, homeless, ne
elected half-grown cat with tremen-
dous craving for human sympathy
should have selected the Roswell cot.
tage for permanent home is one Of
the things that are past finding out,
Mrs. Roswell, her mother, her sister
Georgiana and her two daughters had
always felt that they had enough to
worry about without acquiring cat.
But the Roswells had nothing to
say about It. The cat claimed them
as his own, and refused to give them
up. He was not prepossessfng pus-
BY. His fur was dingy and matted.
his paws were stained with mud, and
his long, extremely slender tall. had
curiols spiral twist some inches
from the tapering end.
But never was there more loving.
more demonstratiye cat. Henry, as
they finally called him, cuddled in all
the Roswell laps, leaped to all the,
Roswell shoulders. twined himself
tenderly about all the Roswell ankles.
The affection, however, was all on
4 Henry's side. No neat and tidy Ros-
well could bring either himself or
herself to the caressing OF such a
decidedly rmkempt creature.
Dear me-" said Mrs. Roswell,
s"that cat is SO dreedfully grimy that
( It isn't possible to tell what color he
is. He must have lived in somebody's
coal-bin before he came to u.s."
'He has licked one leg quite Clean"
said Elizabeth, dislodging Henry from
her lap. '.He seems to be yellow,
with pinkish cast, like Aunt Geor-
gianna's changeable silk waist"
s.He's lust the shade of maple
frappe.n observed Doiothea. hastily
tucktng her ankles under her to save
them from the sinuous caresses of
demonstrative Henry. Gust think Of
owning maple frappe cat!n
aI,ye been Worrying for. five DAYS /"
said Mrs Roswell, about that ami.