The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1913-09-04

THE PERFORMANCE OF BAXTER's CAT.
heart? Did they think a cat was
easily obtainable? They should have
known, as you did, that cat belongs
invariably to high places, to fence
tops, to shed roofs, not impossIbly
10 Hagpoles, especially when you
were near.
! But a dog belonged to the good,
cool earth: be was always under
foot c% reachable. How you ached
for a dog. For a permanent one.
The transitory dog was daily oc-
currence. He adopted you on your
way home from school and came
home with you, as far as the back
door, no farther. Then you were TAX
en- to task for the happening and
were detailed forth with the dog to
lose him. Losing him generally &C.
cupled the whole Of the afternoon
If 1t were nice day.
VIII you ever forget the admir-
able dog that absolutely refused to
stay lost? that turned up at night
fall, confident Of welcome? that was
in the yard bright and early the
next morning, waggIng his tail nine
teen to the dozen in rapturous greet
Ing? the dog that adopted you so
hard and fast that mother, father,
cook aunt. uncle. all-were unable
TO dlsabuse his mind Of the legality
Of the affair? the dog that was per-
mitted perforce to remain and be-
come yours? Never. Pat is unfor-
gctable--a very Sirius in the constel-
latIons OF memory.
Pat seemed to be his name from
! the start. You never had a doubt
about It. Pat answered to Pat as
to the manner born. He seemed
moreover, emblazoned with the name
from stem TO stern. 1t was prepos-
ferrous to think that he had ever
been called anything else. He ar
rived on the highway Of your life
already named and ticketed as yours
like that forward young woman
in the mythology book who sprang
full grown and completely armed
from her fathers head or helmet, or
something. You were glad she was
armed, and you often wondered whe-
Their or not she was legged, too; but
as she got around In the upper world
considerably and performed a lot OF
deeds for you to study, she probably
was. What a relief Pat was after
myths! He was so intensely real.
But he was nothing to look at.
No, indeed. His homeliness was OF
stern and unimpeachable character.
Perhaps that is why They all hated
him so, for grown-ups are always
partial to such OF their animals as
are nice MISUNDERSTANDING their
ichfldren. A plain child has to walk
an awfully straight path. Certain
| ly Pat was no beauty. He was
dirty white from tip to tip and he
had a diabolical black smudge
around one eye. Two black eyes
might have been made Of symmetry,
therefore was Pat denied them. Ma
ture accordede to Pat no meanest
advantage. His one black eye gave
him a frightful prescribed and sinis-
ter appearance. 1t was as II some
Rend had fashioned him in a moment
of sport and then chased him from
Hades with an ink bottle.
But he was all yours-that was
his one and sufficient beauty. He
stuck to you as no shadow could
stick, independent quite Of where
the sun happened to be In the heav-
ems. A shadow is a mere fair-wea-
Their friend and fckle in comparison
with Pat. The only time he was
ever In doubt of your whereabouts
| land no wonder) was when you were
polished of and hailed to church;
and when he finally found you, after
painting search and in the middle
OF the sermon, his conversation on
the subject was poignant. The min
lister and the congregation all look.
ed at you with remonstrance-as II
you had been the barker.
IL the way OF hiding his crimes
frDm the hard-hearted others, you
performed service for Pat which you
would have hated to perform for
the Angel Gabriel. Your own clust-
cred sins were few and fairly cover
able compared with the frightful
things Pat could. and did, do.
Will you ever forget the morning
when you found him careening hap
PLY around the garden with choice
rosebush in his jaws? That beast Of
plant was a pampered thing, kind
OF family pet, and was all but
rocked 10 sleep every night; It vas
cettainly watched every minute OF
tbs day and its wretched buds count
ed every half hour. Well, Pat
showed himself connoIsseur. That
was the bush he wanted and no