Evening star., 1909-08-21

could make hlfn. ana ne h"H " 49,
ings and brushings every day and every
day. Sometimes Robert wondered IL ms
beautiful fur would not all be brushed
of. he was brushed and brushed so much
But Robert did not hate being brushed
half so much as he hated being Kissed
ahd caressed by the old lady who owned
him. Had his mistress been little giri
or even a boy, and BAD boy at that
he could have endured life as he hVed
IT Gin a fashionable house, with less Of
WEAKNESS and discomfort than he do
But each day brought new cause for dis
content to Robert, for with each day cat
nature developed amazingly, and the old
lady became more and more Objectionable
to him. Sometimes he scratched her. for
which behavior she would give him gen
tie slaps. slaps that only irritated him
more and more.
one day Robert lay on the green grass
III the yard back of the fine big house
where he lived. For some reason un-
known to him the old lady had allowed
him ont of her sight longer than usual
this morning. She may have had callers.
or she may have been out shopping. But
she was not out riding in her basket
phaeton, for when she went driving poor
Robert was taken along, being held IN
The old lady's fat arms or stuffy lap.
But on this morning Robert was alone.
And the feeling was so sweet that he lay
and purred gently to himself. Then some
thing happened that changed the whole
plan of his life. A great green grasshop-
per hoped lis way. Cat instinct tod
Robert TO catch the hopper. He leaped
about trying to lay paws on the active
insect but the little sprightiy hopper was
too watchful for Robert, and led him
merry chase. At last it hoped right
into the thick hedge which bordered the
grounds of Roberts mistress home Theh
il hopped into the sunny open space be
yond the hedge. Robert was all excite
ment from the chase-the first time he
had ever gone after prey!-and he de-
Cided to follow. if following were pos
sible. So he hunted about for an open
ing in the hedge that would admit of
his going through. Pretty soon he found
il. and into the yard of another house
he went. still pursuing the green grass
hopper.
The erasshopper seemed never to tire,
and also appeared to be fond of leading
Robert into places hitherto unknown to
him. for since his earliest kittenhood he
had been kept very close in the fine big
house belonging to the old lady. But
now he was having some. pleaSuce In
life He was a real cat, huatirg! Fild
things-or thing-for he still ran and
jumped after the grasshopper
Thus an hour went by Nafds Robert
found himself in wild wood where birds
filled the trees and where squirrels ran
hither and hither. Now he was in his
glory and forgot the grasshopper that had
led him TO this lonely and delightful
place. He did not know that he had left
fhe town and entered the woods that
hordered great river and beyond which
lay long chain of high hills, wild and
fulI of small animals. And over this
river stretched a bridge approached by
Il country road.
Robert wandered about in the woods
most Of the afternoon, and getting hun
cry. fell to catching occasional grass
hoppers and wood crckets. And he en-
ioyed this sort of diet more than he did
the bits of white fish flesh, raw eggs and