The San Francisco call., 1910-12-18
HIs nOOM sMAIED

HIS DOOM SEALED
There was no help for It. we decided;
Peter had to be shot. But who woulu
shoot him? There was the rub.
ueighbor who was handy with a gun
agreed to do the deed Although ] rec
ognized the painful necessity of 1t,
hated him for the readiness with which
he complied with my request to come
over and put, Peter to death
The hour for the execution drew
near Peter was the only one of the
family that seemed unconcerned. lie
alone ate luncheon that day with rel
ish The neighbor with the gun waited
for him to be brought out of doors.
Meanwhile Peter washed his face.
tucked his paws under his body. made
a square cat of himself and went con
fidently to sleep.
How innocent he looks! SAID one
member of the family.
How cute he was when he used to
do skirt dances up and down the
porchg exclaimed another reminis-
Gently.
And how he wouldn't let Janet STU
art go to bed when she stayed all
night, and she had to sleep in big
chairy another gggled, Historically
And how he saved all our lives!
peter; you sha'n't be shot; we will
give you another chance for your life,
we decided
Whether Peter knew that his life
hung by a thread and was fearful;
whether he appreciated our clemency,
or whether the beatings and confine-
ments had taken effect, whatever the
cause, he gave over killing our chick
ems.
But we were seized with another sus-
picion. Every day after absenting
himself for a considerable time he
would return with a snug, We'll fed air
and would sleep heavily without ask
ing for a potato or for any other food.
'.He is getting chickens away from
home" I confessed to myself, and
feared that they were the chickens be-
longing to my neighhor who had been
willing to infiict the death penalty
upon Peter,
One day heard that neighbor shoot
once, then three times in quick success
sion. "Its the end of Peter" | sighed,
one-third relieved and IT, o-thirds sor-
rowful
That evening Peter did not come
home, nor the next nor the next. nor
ever after
How / did miss that cat The neigh
Dor was justified. l assured myself, and
it was better that chicken eating Peter
should have been put out of the way
in spite of me than that / should have
had to be a party to the miserable
business. and yet to have Peter back
I'd willingly give all the chickens |
had to replace those that Peter had
killed. / could have better spared
better cat.
A month later the wife of the neigh
Dor at whose door / laid Peters death
said, apropos of nothing: Wilbur says
he never saw Peter. He doesn't think
he ever came over to our house after
chickens"
Why, 1 never accused'-I stopped
HIS MYSTERY SOLVED
well. l know that you thought that
he shot Peter, and did, too. l never
dared to ask him. but today he told
me that he didn't know that Peter was
dead"
was glad to know that Wilbur Short
had not shot Peter | felt glow of
friendliness for him such as had not
experienced since Peter left us.
But where was Peter? If Wilbur
Short had not shot him, why hadn't he
come home? Peter was attached to-
his home and would never have stayed
away voluntarily all that time
Some one had shot Peter or some
other i'll had befalien him. / walked
over to call on the neighbor who lived
on the other side of me from Wilbur
Short. He had a fine lot OF chickens,
but he told me that he would have had
more had 1t not been for tramp cat.
What kind of a cat?" l asked, but
l knew before lie replied:
"Oh. 1T was white cat that I had
seen prowling around here before
guess he came up from the village He
won't eat any more chickens"
The neighbor chuckled. He did not
know it was my eat. and he was un-
acquainted with Peter, but | thought
him brute.
"He got about forty of my costly
Houdans before | caught him." he
added.
ibid hep" I smiled, HE was a
mighty hunter"
Peter left SON. The wisdom OF his
sire does not CLEAN from Juniors eyes,
He is not such a dominating character.
But / should not be surprised il he
inherited the chicken eating tendency
nf his fathar l am IhAre fore oiNinn. n m