The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1910-07-06
Fluffy

soft, downy fur failed to conceal the
gauntness of her lank sides.
After a moment Fluffy dropped
lightly to the top of the shanty and
then paused daintily. The odor of
the garbage cans was overpowering,
and the boards we're wet with dew.
She raised one little pink paw and
then the other, to stand on three feet
and consider the situation.
There was the Montgomery's back
yard, six houses down the avenue, but
that meant passing where that awful
dog lived Yet there were lovely, hun
CRY smells from that direction. And
Fluffy felt perfectly sure that If she
only dared venture down the dark
areaway and across the avenue itself
| there would be something good to eat
there. Perhaps even some of the
sweet cream in a really clean saucer
that once-oh, such long time ago!
used to be Fluffy's whenever she
wanted It.
But an empty stomach is it's own
sauce, and at last Fluffy slipped to
the ground and proceeded to dine
from the things maids and caretakers
had thrown away. For Fluffy was hun
| CRY. She had tasted for two days be-
cause someone had been careful
enough the night before to put the
covers on the cans.
1t was not at all an appetizing feast,
and it was not long before Fluffy had
enough and was back on the fence.
Through the whole of her dainty, dirt
hating, notwithstanding disposition
| Fluffy longed to sit right down then
and there and perform her toilet. but
that would not be safe, so she trotted
along the fence top to the corner, and
| then to the bulkhead. The last few
feet were a dash in a frenzy of fear,
just as a child will walk slowly
through a dark room and then run
desperately when near the door.
Through the tiny hole Fluffy slip
! ped, into the little hollow next the
damp earth, where she had made her
home for, oh, such a long, weary
time!
There was one pleasure left in life.
Fluffy could dream Of those happy
days as she sat with half-closed eyes
and delicately washed her face and
combed her fur. 1t used to be such fun
to do this, more like play than duty;
but now Fluffy had to pause every few
! minutes to rest.
That was partly because of the lit
tie silver collar of which Fluffy was
once SO proud. On it was engraved
ITO FLUFFY from Alice" Alice was
Fluffy's mistress. 1t seemed such a
running around, putting things in
boxes and trunks, and then Fluffy had
been put out of doors and everyone
had gone away.
1t must be mistake somehow. Per
haps Fluffy was only dreaming, and
soon she would wake and find herself
in Mistress Alice's lap. But just then
Fluffy did wake, and she was on the
damp ground. There were some aw-
full rumbles and crashes over her
head, and in an agony of fear Fluffy
! dashed out through the little hole and
tore away. 1t was bright day out.
side, and some men in a team were
putting big black rocks into a long
thing, down which they rumbled and
clattered into the basement of the
house.
FLUFFY didn't stop to watch. With
her tail standing up straight and every
bit of the soft fluffy fur for which she
was named, ruffled, she raced down
the walk to the avenue. Not until she
was in the middle of the avenue itself
did Fluffy pause, and then it was the
hoarse bark of an automobile horn
that made her crouch down, too para
lyzed by fear to move.
The brakes ground onto the axles,
but 1t was too late; at last Fluffy had
found peace.
In another moment the only occu.
pant of the heavy touring car, clean
cut level-eyed young man, had sprung
out and ran back to the pitiful little
huddle In the roadway.
Poor little pussy" he said. and
then when he saw the soft fur and
gaunt sides he muttered: 81 don't
know, though; guess it's lucky pus-
sy. The old story, pampered pet
through the winter and then its mis-
tress gone away to enjoy the summer
and leaves the erstwhile pet TO starve.
Hang I'll a girl like that is not fit for
any mans wife"
Then he gave an exclamation OF
surprise as he noticed the little silver
collar. In another instant the man
IN the roadway had caught up the
broken. pititully thin little body and
read. ITO Fluffy from Alice"
'-F1uffyi Alioe!" he gasped. Alice
like thatI"
Then his face hardened. well, I'm
glad knew in time" he said and with
suddeR impulse tenderly laid the lit
tie body ON the cushioned seat IN the
tonneau and covered II gently with
the dust robe.
Fluffy shall be properly buried,
anyway" he said as he climbed into
his seat and released the brake and
threw in the clutch.
But first he slowly drew letter,
stamped and ready for the post. from
his pocket tore It up and dropped the
pieces IN the dust.-MABEL READ