Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1911-12-07

"You may know mint" she admit
ted crisply. 1--WE not the slightest
doubt that you could tell it in tall
glass mile away, but let me inform
you that when 1t comes to catnip
you've nothing on me. Why, I was
brought up on catnip-almost!
Haven't I gathered it by the bushel
for the cats and kittens we always
had at home? L"
Fine aroma" interrupted Ampley,
twisting the sprig he held beneath his
nose with the maddening air of con-
noisseur. II don't know when I've
stumbled on a finer bed of mint,
really"
You'd infuriate me if you weren't
so silly" remarked his wife. "And
you are so absurdly stubborn"
"What're you doing?" demanded
Ampley with curiosity as she began
picking handfuls of the herb and
stuffed them into her sweater peck
etc.
Mrs. Ampley regarded him coldly.
81 am picking catnip," she informed
him, "to take home to the cats next
door-and I intended to incidentally
prove to you that / am in the right"
"Any sane cat" scoffed her hus-
band, would be insulted II handed a
bunch of that stuff! It %ouid collect
all its intimate friends and sit out on
the back fence and yowl at you IN
disgust"
His wife shifted. "Any cat would
be my friend for life" she contradict
ed. 1.-The poor thing would be hys.
terical with joy! Did you ever see a
cat playing with catnip?"
mo, but l am curious to observe
one having a jag of joy on plain
MINT" said her husband. ut will be
novel,"
"Shoo!" said Mrs. Ampley six times
to the golf club cat, which seemed de-
termined to tag them into the station
bus.
What ails the animal?" asked Am
pley.
"Catnip!" explained Mrs. Ampley,
sweetly.
"Umph!" commented Ampley. Walk.
ing up the avenue to their home in
the dusk Ampley fell over some ami
NAL twice. What the" he began.
Il think" said his wife casually,
"that it must be that big black cat
I've seen in this block SO much. 1t
probably has shifted the catnip in my
pockets"
ooh, fudge!" growled Ampley.
Just as they sat down to dinner
there was new from the front
porch. 1t was an insistent call and
Mrs. Ampley beamed.
"The dear thing!" she murmured.
"Cats are SO intelligent! l dropped a
leaf OF the stuff on purpose as | came
in and it's calling for more! Listen
there are two of them now!"
Ampley got to his feet violently.
"Rave we got to endure this serenade
all through dinner?" he inquired with
awful sarcasm. "Just because some
fool cats can't tell mint when they
see it,"
He opened the front door to scare
away the invaders, but they vanished
suddenly. For a moment he thought
he saw shadowy forms fit by him, but
when he glanced back into the hall
nothing was to be seen.
at is really remarkable" unused
Mrs. Ampley, chow cleverly cats will
discover catnip and search it out!
See how those two on the porch"
THAT was mere coincidence" Am
pley insisted "a cat wouldn't walk
foot to smell of mint! And I'm tell
ing you that it was mint you picked.'
"Catnip." said Mrs. Ampley serene.
".
Ampley went upstairs to bed lit
tie later, murmuring contradictory
things under his breath about the
green leaves plucked by his wife q
few hours before out at the club.
Then presently he yelled. So weird
and alarmed was his cry that Mrs.
Ampley came running to his assist
ance.
When she got the room light turned
en- she discovered Ampley crcuchlng
with blanched face near the BED. on
which he evidently had placed his
hand. And he had thrust it into the
midst of a bunch of warm, furry, live
things-four cats ensconsed upon
Mrs. Ampley's carelessly bestowed
sweater, the pockets OF which they
had been contentedly rifling. One cat
was chewing a leaf and it winked at
Ampley joyously. All of them were
purring in dissipated fashion.
Turning, Ampley met his wife's tri'
,umphant eye, ''We-e-ell, he: said
weakly, !'maybesit is catnip." : So.
Eampageous.