The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-12-08

and blue flor he was but baby then. was Tom) he wondered what he should do for breakfast, for he was very hungry indeed. Then as he became colder and colder. and with hunger raging in his lit- tie stomach. he crept from the old box and went forth into the world on his own account. Nor did he ever return to that box which now held only heart-breaking evidence of his loneliness-his great be- reavement. He left the dear mother-body to Natures care, as is the wont of such as Tom
 The first thing Tom did after leaving the old box was to hunt for morsel to eat. This he luckily found in a nearby back yard. A kitchen maid ran into the alley with some bits of cold food which she threw towards an old bnrrei-but which went far astray, going on the wlnd-swept ground lnstead-just at the moment when Tom came along. Toms little quivering nose caught the smell of meat. Waiting till the hurrying maid had returned into the house he went eagerly to the cast-off scraps of food and began to eat ravenously. It was the first time he had ever used his little teeth, but they stood him in good stead while devouring the bits of meat that were too big to go down his throat without first being sever ed into fragments.
 After having finished his breakfast Tom felt that he had come on victorious in the nrst battle of his life, and though he was but a tiny, ill-kept kitten, he knew that many more and fercer battles were in store for him. How he knew this we can not tell, for the intuitive instinct in animal is most astounding, and human mind cannot fathom it.
 After his breakfast Tom ran down the alley till he came to a barn, a southern window of which was slightly ajar. Through this window Tom smelt warm atmosphere. He followed impulse and sprang to the window ledge. Looking cautiously within he assured himself that the place was Just what he was wanting big, comfortable room, with warm hay strewn about the floor was most inviting to freezing kittens eyes. So down Tom jumped. into the barn. Hardly had he done so, however, when strange and formidable noise came to his ears. The sound was suddenly followed by the ob- Ject that had made it, great dog of enormous build. He had been stretched in the manager, mapping softly in the hay, when Tom had made his entrance But upon seeing Tom he had slowly raised himself, glared at the tiny intruder, and had then given vent to the strange sound just mentioned above This sound was what Is commonly known as bark.
 Tom, never having heard dog bark before, was very much startled. Then. when he beheld the great monster, risen before him, Ire was so frightened that his hair stood on end and his pretty soft tail bristled up like the back Of a porcupine. He stood his ground, how ever splitting and glarlng back. Strange to say, this show of bravery on Toms part seemed to surprise the great dog, for instead of advancing towards the lit tic fellow he retired into the hay again. lying down so low in the manager that Tom could see but the tip of his muzzle pointed at him like gun-and his round eyes glaring at him in a question ing manner, but looking less bold than they had done atfew moments before.
 And again that morning Tom felt that