The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1912-03-12

KITTY
She Is the Cause of
Young Mans Sud-
den Change of Mind
BY cLARIssA MAcKIE

"Confound the woman" calculated
Bob Folsom as he slammed the door
I'D like to get hold Of that cat. If
did it would never get out alive again
He stalked moodily to the window and
listened, as if fascinated by the low
pitched voice Of the woman calling
insistently in the yard below.
Here. kitty, kitty, kit. sMsittyl' she
called.
She's been doing that every might
for a week." grumbled Bob, leaving
away in a murmur of endearments
eff I had only known there was a cal
loving spinster in the house l would
have stayed on the outside No cats
for me-not on your life!''
Bob looked around at the well fur.
nished room containing furniture OF
his own. The low bookshclves were
filed with his books. Everything In
the two large apartments was his own
He resolved to remain there until that
remote time when he would fall In love
and marry "rhat may be-never,' .
he always told himself cynically.
At breakfast he approached his
boarding mistress concerning cats.
"Ah, Mrs. Porter, didn't hear cat
in the hall just now?' he inquired as
he slipped his coffee.
Mrs Porter smiled impersonally
Probably you have heard a cat, Mr.
Folsom There are three in this
house."
''Threer' Bob was aghast "And
are they all lost at night and do their
mistresses have to call them home at
precisely p. M, and
Dear me, no! They are very quiet
stay at home cats-that is, all except
Miss Lanes SNOWFALL He's an An
CORA and quite valuable, / believe. He
has been a runaway lately and does
not come home until poor Miss Lane
has become hoarse with calling him
She has touch Of asthma, you know
81 hope Snowfall gets over his wan
derlust before long," remarked Bob as
he pushed his chair away from the ia
| BILE.
Mrs. Porter looked panied. 81 am
very sorry if it annoys you" she said
rather stiffiy, "but Miss Lane is my
best boarder, and she happens to own
this house, and Snowfall is the apple
| of her eye. Perhaps he will stay in
now"
"Oh, it doesn't matter" Bob hasten
ed to say, already feeling somewhat
ashamed at his complaint against
Snowbalrs asthmatic mistress. Il only
happened to hear her calling every
night and l wondered-you know" his
voice trailed into embarrassed silence
as he escaped into the hall and took his
hat from the rack.
| As he walked toward the front door,
Struggling into his overcoat as he went.
| he observed a handsome white Angora
cat sitting on the newell post. "Snow-
ball, I'll be boundT' he said to himself,
lifting his hand to pat the beautiful
creature. But SnowbalPs white paw
shot out and his claws dug deep, leav-
ing long ugly scratch on the back OF
Bob's hand
Here, kitty, kitty, kitty, kitty!" call
ed a voice from the floor above.
Come, Snowballw
| Snowfall mewed delightedly in re-
turn and darted, flying streak of
white, up the stairs.
Bob sent one upward glance to where
face leaned over the banister Of the
second story. A stiff1y brushed POM
padour of gray hair above a high fore
head and pair Of gold spectacles glis-
tened down at him He turned away
impatiently. Snowball's mistress was
all that his imagination had painted
| her.
| AS he went down the street he men
tally cursed the cat that had admins
tered the ugly scratch, and he was fill
ed with unreasonable wrath at Miss
Lane for harboring the vicious beast.
THAT'S the main trouble with board
| ing houses he said to himself "They
are filed up with old maids and cats
and parrots. l don't believe there is
any hope of my finding a home any
| W hSAS uhiSoS L SCb AA4cA AACN- WACAC
is the right girl7'
Where was she? Up to this time she
had never existed for Bob Folsom He
had his ideal, and he was especially
convinced that she could not have red
hair and be loved by him. Neither
could her eyes be green. Her hair must
be soft dusky black and her eyes
that rare hazel He reached his office
at this juncture and was compelled to
drop day dreams in the face of dry re-
| alities
That evening as he sat before the
coy hearth fire he heard the voice In
the yard calling the recalcitrant Snow
| ball
Here, kitty, kitty, kitty There
were the same deep lower notes lifting
upward to the last piercing, and to
Bob Folsom's nervously sensitive hear
ing, irritating kitty"
For an hour the calling continued
at frequent intervals and then sudden
ly ceased, much to Bob's relief. era
cious," he muttered to himself as he
prepared for bed, "Tm getting to be as
old maidish as Miss Lane can posi-
bly, be-bet dollar her name is Jemi-
| mar
| 1t must have been after midnight
when Bob was awakened by a hideous
yowling under his window. Then he
realized that it must have been fol
lowing him through his dreams, for
he had been dreaming of the irascible
SNOWFALL
"Huh-guess he stayed out tonight
and is Just getting In! I'll soon put a
stop to you, SON."
| Bob looked around the room for some
missile to toss down upon the indig-
nant Snowfall, who obstinately voiced
| his complaints beneath Bob Folsom S
I window Bob knew that all the other
| bedrooms in the house faced upon the
front and sides, and it was doubtful
II any one else in the house could be
disturbed by the cat cries.
He decided that paper weight was
too heavy, a sofa pillow too soft, his
boots quite out of the question. Snow
ball must be broken of this midnight
serenading under his window. He
whooped softly as happy thought
struck him. On his washstand was
an unopened package Of an especial
talcum powder that he used when shaw
ing himself. A quantity Of this white
powder sitting down from nowhere In
particular upon the upturned face of
Snowfall would effectually put that fe-
line nuisance to rout.
AS Bob opened the half pound pack
age of talcum powder he chuckled soft
ly to himself, not hearing footballs on
the carpeted hall nor the careful open
ing of the rear basement door, His
own window was wide open, and be