Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1909-05-06
Ole Bachelor
and the Cat.
By STUART B. STONE.
BY STUART B. STONE
Copyrighted. 1909, by Associated
Literary Press.

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The fluffy haired, hazel eyed young
lady was speaking of the play at the
Belleville Opera House.
1T is the prettiest. bit of sentiment.
There's the quaintest pair of lovers,
and they go through fire, water, perse-
cution and plague. but it works out
beautifully in the end"
Thereupon bashful Captain Grant,
at the head of the table, shifted polite
disapproval.
The CHEEKY young bank clerk who
sat next to the hazel eyed girl told Of
the ''best selling" romance he was
reading. 1t was 'sThe Loves of Lady
Perilla," and Captain Grant frowned
at the title.
Then the young man leaned over
and talked in low tones to the fluffy
haired girl The girl co1ored in deli
cious bewilderment The young mans
merry eyes sobered, and Mrs. Ogden
Carter winked at Mrs. Newman APP
pleby across the table. Captain Grant
saw the byplay Of hearts and growled
into his plate of Boston beans. After
that, in faint sweet cloud Of hello
trope, the lilac lady entered.
She was in the early thirties, rather
tall and thin, with wreath of glossy
black hair and big, gray eyes. scatter
ing sympathy. Touches Of lilac here
and there relieved the black.
The boaSders "sized up" the new
cornerstone with a tfnge of envy of
the splendid, shining hair, others with
listless conjecture as to whether she
came from Cape Cod or from Kokomo.
But Captain Grant looked covertly at
the lady and sighed so manifestly
from the heart that little ripple of
amused wonder went around the ta-
bles. Blushing wildly, the captain
arose and strutted hurriedly out.
The captain held little part in the
babble of the table, but next day he
spoke to Miss Inola Marshall, the new
boarder, regarding the probability of
rain. The lilac lady smiled charming
ly, admitting the shrewdness of the
forecast. From one labored confidence
In day this man, who had shifted at
the prospect of young hearts confding.
attained to a running comment of an
ecdote and observation.
Miss Inola was gracious; SO, after a
bit noticing the captain and the lady
deep in discussion, Mrs. Carter smiled
at Mrs. Appleby, and the young clerk
had his hazel eyed girl to himself,
with no one to snort because they
talked in the low, earnest tones of
lovers.
Things went thus beautifully until
the coming Of Zenobia Zenobia was
plump and sleek and sandy and white
streaked, like a faded tigress She
was endowed with a cavernous yawn
and a lulling, musical pur, and she
had way Of curling up on the pre-
cious skirts Of women to dream fitful
things of the chase of the hard pressed
mouse.
The giantess of a cat was as pic
ture of gold to Miss Inola, but the cap
tain detested all of her kind. When
Zenobia crept softly to the dining
room and some unseeing barbarian
stepped on her ringed tail, so that she
squalled In despair, it was a question
whether the captain did not chuckle
grimly.
Miss Inola, loving Zenobia dearly.
could not help but Hold it against him
in her heart. Finally Zenobia, signing
for sympathy, thrust her plump sides
against the trousers leg of the captain,
leaving soft, yellow hairs for remem-
brance. 1t affected him like the clam
my contact of serpent.
"What do you see in that cat?" he
demanded
"More than see in you," Miss 1nola
fiared back.
That settled it. The captain retired
to his den and tried vainly to interest
himself in three volumes of the his
tory Of the Sudan, and Miss Inola,
petting and pampering the giantess
Zenobia, almost wished that she might
die. For a month Mrs. Carter and
Mrs. Appleby had only the young bank
clerk and the hazel eyed girl for wink
ing and smiling exchange.
The last night in the month the cap
tain lounged disconsolately in his
smoking gown, dividing his time be-
tween a dissertation on Moroccan
bandits and the perversities of women
in lilac.
1.-THE Moorish bandit is gruff, grim
and Injured to hardship" read the cap
tain and nodded. knowing they were
miles and miles away.
"She is the only woman could ever
care a straw for" murmured the cap
tain, alert and signing, for Madam of
the Lilacs was only across the narrow
hall.
A full fed, lazy cat purred in the
corridor, descended the steps and
yowled for companionship in the yard
below. The captain shut his mouth
tight and went back to learn of the
banditti. The Dutch windmill Of q
clock chimed 9. The cry was repeated