Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1907-08-01
Love and
A Cat
BY Arthur Chamberlain
Cc0pyrlght. By Joseph B. BowIes.l


ments with sigh of satisfaction; 1t
had been a hard day at the Office and
he was particularly glad to get away
by himself He turned on the electric
light, hung up his overcoat and hat,
while visions of his cushioned easy
chair beckoned him delightfully."-.
There 1t stood, wooing him to its
arms, and in it--Pickham's expression
change; there, on its sacred cushion,
lay huge Maltese catl
Pickham disliked cats. "Scatl" he
said, sharply, with fierce gesture.
The cat opened its sleepy eyes and
stared at him, rolled over on it's back
and, after apparently trying to stand
on its head, went to sleep again.
It was simple enough to call the
janitor, but Pickham felt that it would
be a little absurd. Surely, he ought
to be able to drive a cat out of his
room without calling for help! He
went softly up to the chair and reach
ing down took a gingerly hold on two
corners of the loose cushion seat,
raised the corners and slid the cat
to the floor "Scat!" he said again.
The cat deigned one glance at Pick
ham, stood up on all fours, gave a
tremendous bunch to its back and
such cape that Pickham shivered.
and stretched itself full length on its
side on the big Turkish rug, while the
end of its tail tapped lazily for few
seconds before it dropped fiat The
cat was asleep.
Pickham rammed his hands into his
pockets and glared down at the cat
Regarded simply as a cat, the animal
was not Objectionable. It's fur was
smooth and silky; it had plump,
well-fed prosperous air; moreover; in
it's present position PicBham calculat-
ed that it was over a yard long He
would rather have taken up a baby
than the cat-and he was not partial
to babies.
He turned the chair-cushion over,
to avoid possible hairs, and sat dswR.
The cat was doing no harm, at least;
and the simplest solution of the prob
lem seemed to be to wait for the cat
to wake up, when it might be lured
into the corridor. Pickham gazed
down at the cat-it was a magnificent
specimen-and something seemed to
stir within him at the suggestion of
| companionship.
Pickham was in his thirties, and
had spent the last Is years in build
ing up a profitable business; it had
been an absorbing occupation, and
neither cats nor women had taken his
| attention from It, Now, as he looked
at the contented cat, stretched out
| upon the rug, he suddenly began to
feel domestic.
nice girl on the other side OF
the rug, with the cat between them
it really might be worth while. Pick
ham felt a sudden pang of loneliness.
He glanced about his comfortable
bachelor quarters, and they struck
him for the first time as rather
dreary. The furniture seemed angular
and heavy the effect was akin to an
interior decorators exhibit ia a shop
window. He wondered how it would
seem to have a workbasket on the
severe library table, or a wonan's
cloak that hung on peg in the din
ing-room where he took his meals
Just back of it's owner, who sat op-
posite to him He remembered tsAek
one rainy day he had come upon the
owner hurrying along without al Wa-
brella and had escorted her under his
to the dining-room. He flushed lit
tie, thinking how he had taken it all
as a matter of course. Since then she
had never slipped into her seat at
breakfast without little blush and
a shy good morning" PiokA&1a SSa-
denly reflected that he would Mess
that good morning.
Just here something rubbed against
PickhaM's trousers-leg. HS stsassd
down. The cat had walked up at last,
and was evidently trying to attract
his attention.
Pickham's feeling toward the cat
being u good deal softened, he said.
Poor pussy!" and hopefully opened
the hall door The cat did not bulge;
it merely lay back its head and cried
Newt" with a somewhat strenuous
pitch Pickham left the door open
and walked slowly back to the cat,
who sat down, curved its tail around
it's forepaws and gazed steadily aRd
expectancy at Pickham. 1t had all
the repose and dignity of an assured
social position, and Pickham almost
blushed to think that he should have
said "Scat!" to such gentlemanly
animal. Nevertheless it was plain
that the cat was not to be trifled with,
and as Pickham gazed down at it ir-
resolutely, the cat stood up, gave
Pickham severe glance, and again
| cried New! this time with sharp
imperiousness; and not dSignia :
further remarks walked over W hs
closet door.
A light dawned upon Pickham; he
opened the closet and took a ipr Of
milk from the little refrigerator, and