The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1909-09-17
The Story
Of
e Ginger

8 Y
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Aunt Priscilla came tripping over
to our house one morning, and as
she came in she called out:
Have you seen Ginger?"
Mother and answered both togeth-
er in breath, mo. Why?"
because he's been out all night
and hasn't come back yet, and he's
never done such a thing before since
he was born. And don't know
where he can be-
"Oh, wouldn't worry" said moth
er. Hell come back all right before
long. Ginger has found something
very exciting to detain him, you may
be sure-squirrels or mice or birds
or something. But Ginger knows
more than some people; he'd ind
his way home from-anywhere!
'sWell, / shall advertise, and send
someone out to hunt for him.. said
annty.
Ginger was splendid. big black
cat not a white hair or him-ail
black from the tip of his nose to the
end OF his tail.
The next day when aunty came
in she had a newspaper in her hand,
which was shaking with excitement
ssGladys!" she called. GLADYS,
dear. l know where Ginger is! P.
4. Barnum has him, and he's going
round the country in circus show!"
we looked at aunty as II we
thought she had lost her wits. Look
1t that" she said, and thrust the
waper into mothers hand. Il was
looking over some old papers before
throwing them away" she went on,
sswhen / happened to see it."
Mother looked at the spot aunty
pointed out, and saw in big letters:
WANTED. For Barnum's Circus. A
big black cat without a white hair
ON him. Will pay good price.
'sThat's where he isl" walled
aunty, the tears running down her
dear cheeks. Someone sto,e him to
sell to the circus. and | don't know
whore the circus is. It left Eere soma
time ago, and, oh, what will they do
with poor Ginger, all shut up with
HONS and tigers and yaks and gnus
and things! He'll be killed and eaten
alive!"
Poor mother did not know what to
say.
.sWell, aunty," said, he'll be
taken good care of so as to look
--pV A. 4r,o ~houy VIZ. nau faIo Soma
comfort in that"
But she only shuddere'l, and ,e-
piled:
ssThey'Il make him jump through
q paper hoop; they'll whip him till
he does; they'll put him with the
tigers; they'll be brutal to him and
destroy his mind and his manners,
That's what they'll CO."
The days went on, and Ginger did
not come back. Poor aunty was
quite changed.
One evening we lad been invited
over to her house to dine. and there
was no place / liked to go better,
because the more you see Of Aunt
Priscilla the more you love her. She
always had the most wonderful thin
old china and silver on the table,
and gave me the loveliest things to
eat, different from anybody else's,
and always something new to look at
or to play with. Well, we were
sitting in the drawing-room, waiting
for dinner to be served, when the
paper boy came along and threw the
paper on the steps. heard him, and
ran out to bring it in. There on
the front page, in great black let
tiers, the first thing l saw was.
Great Fire in Bridgton. Barnums
big buildings, where his animals are
housed for the Winter. burned to the
ground!
4 don't know how I ever dared
give the paper to Aunt Priscilla,
was so frightened. But | had to
do 1t, and then we listened while
annty read the account in trembling
voice.
"Ginger's deadl" she declared,
when she had finished reading. "He's
come to horrible end!" And that
night she laid awake all night.
She came over the next morning to
say that she was going to take the
train for Bridgton and find out. She
could not stand the suspense another
minute. and she would rather know
the worst at once.
'Why. my dear, he may never have