The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1908-06-24
Grandmother said she had read in

Grandmother said she had read in
the newspapers that the society used
gas in an air-tight chamber, but, any
how. 1t was humane. Uncle Nat said
he never saw so many cats in his life,
and that he was always stepping on
one whenever he put his foot down.
Aunt Caroline said she hated cats;
but one could get used to anything,
even cats. Susan, the colored cook,
said she was going to leave If some
of those cats didn't; that there never
was crumb of anything to eat in
the house after those hollow cats had
been filled up; and why didn't they
hunt their living like other cats?
Then one day mother asked Uncle
Nat to get bottle of chloroform at
the druggists, which she left on the
mantel-shelf ip plain sight.
Father asked where the bottle OF
chloroform came from, and what il
was for? Grandmother said it was
very careless of some one to leave a
where any one could get 1t.
Aunt Caroline asked who was 60
ing to use the chloroform.
Uncle Nat said he was willing to
buy it, and had done his part, and II
any one thought he was going to kill
cats with it he was mistaken.
The day was Thursday, Susans day
out. The family had gone for a drive,
all except mother, who had a motive
In remaining at home. 1t was now
or never. With the light of resolu-
tion in her eye and her lips pressed
firmly together, with a bottle and
sponge in one hand and cats in her
apron, she started for the barn.
Pursing her lips more tightly still,
she gathered up more cats as she
went. Then she shut all she had in
an empty box, which was to serve as
an execution chamber, and went in
search of more cats. Two more were
added; none was spared. The sponge
was saturated and thrust into the
box, and the executioner fled to the
house without once looking back.
When father came home and found
what had been done he was amazed.
He wouldn't have lost the cat named
Punch for anything, ard he had al
ways regarded Punch as his own cat,
and Punch was a first-class ratter.
Grandmother also evinced surprise
at what had happened, and said she
should always mourn the cat named
Judy, for Judy was such a ladylike
cat, and could always have a corner
in her room to sleep in, for Judy was
never in the way nor the least bit OBJ
jectionable.
Uncle Nat said he wouldn't have
taken any money for Topsy, as he
regarded Topsy as his especial prop
erty, and the likeliest cat in the
bunch.
Aunt Caroline said it wcs bad luck
to kill black cats, and she couldn't
think of anything she was so super
stitious about as black cats.
Susan said she wouldn't have killed
even one black cat for all the money
on earth, and that she should be
afraid to stay now, anyway, and
couldn't wait till her month was up,
either.
Mother hadn't a word to say for
herself. That night black cats stared
at her out of the darkness, and once
she awoke from a nightmare of pur.
suing cats, an army of them, and
thought she heard them wailing-the
spirits of the cats she had chloro.
formed!
At daybreak she rose from her bed
dressed herself, and descended to
the kitchen-and there on the back
doorstep, peering through the screen
door as usual, unhurried and ex.
pectant, were the six black cats,
waiting for their breakfast. 't
"I'm SO glad l didn't put a rock on
the top of that box!" said mother
She gathered them in as if they had
been prodigals, and all six of them
had the breakfast of their nine OF
more lives.