The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1912-04-26
Way
of Proof

HisHiy pitylHk LOOK men reserve LOT
erring and weak minded members of
their families. Geraldine. he said
In panied tone, do you suppose I've
lived all these years and escaped an
intimate acquaintance with mint In
its various forms? 1t is Just as easy
to tel; mint whels you see it as it is
to recognize a potato, This is mint"
Mrs Ampley dropped her golf clubs
and sat down plump in the middle Of
the disputed green stuff. At the eight
zenith hole they had wandered or the
course into the inviting autumn woods
bordering the links. Her cap was one
sided and her face was flushed
You may know mint" she admit.
ted crisply. I've not the slightest
doubt that you could tell it in a tall
glass mile away. but let me inform
you that when it comes to catnip
| you've nothing on me- Why, ! was
brought up on catnip-almost!
Haven't l 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. Il don't know when I've
stumbled on 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
Il am picking catnip," she informed
him, ito take home to the cats next
door-and | intended to incidentally
prove to you that l am in the right"
ANY sane cat" scoffed her hus-
band, would be insulted If handed
bunch Of that stuff! 1t would collect
all Its intimate friends and SIT out on
the back fence and yowl at you Ill
disgust
His wife shifted ANY cat would
be my friend for life" she contradict
ed. The poor thing would be hys-
terical with joy! Did you ever see
cat playing with catnip?"
mo, but l am curious to observe
one having a jag of JOY on plain
mint said her husband. 1T will be
novel"
Shoot" 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
pockets"
"Oh, fudge!" growled Ampley.
Just. as they sat down to dinner
there was a new from the front
porch. 1t was an insistent call and
Mrs. Ampley beamed.
The dear thing!" she murmured.
Cats are SO intelligent! I 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.
Have 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 moment he thought
he saw shadowy forms fit by him. bu:
when he glanced back into the hall
nothing was to be seen.
1T is really remarkable" unused
Mrs. Ampley, how cleverly cats will
discover catnip and search /, out!
That was mere coincidence" Am.
pley insisted. "A cat wouldn't walk
a foot to smell of mint And I'm tell
ing you that it was mint you picked"
"Catnip!" said Mrs. Ampley serene
ly
Ampley went upstairs to bed a lit
tie later, murmuring contradictory
things under his breath about the
green leaves plucked by his wife
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
on she discovered Ampley crouching
with blanched face near the bed, on
which he evidently had placed his
hand. And he had thrust 1t into the
midst of bunch of warm, furry, live
things-four cats ensconsed upon
Mrs. Ampley's carelessly bestowed
/ sweater the poCketc of which fbav