Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1915-03-20

Year Dean Richmond had awakened to
find a small black kitten prowling in
quisitively about her studio home.
Good luck!" was Deans first
thought, and the kitten realizing that
she was being summoned strolled over
with bumped back to receive caress.
They were friends at once. Dean
lived alone in the Bohemian section or
the city, where the stables had been
converted into wonderful studios with
trailing vines rambling over windows
and springing up through cobblestones'
Dean was an editor Of one Of the bet
ter magazines, and left her studio each
morning sharp at $50 o'clock.
The black kitten which Dean called
First Foot was a wait of the feline
world who was willing to live wherever
she was most affectionately received.
She was black and sleek and a dainty
clean little lady kitten. 1t would not
have been difficult for her to find
lodgings in the Bohemian section where
black cats were considered the best OF
luck.
The little collar with which Dean
Immediately made hel ownership GER
tain was black leather. The name in
scribed on the tiny silver tag was
First Foot since she had been the
first little visitor to put foot over
Deans threshold in the new year
First Foot's maintenance was rather
simple. Milk was left on the floor each
morning, and the door was arranged
with a bar locking it few inches open
so that the kitten could come and go al
will. Dean had employed the slightly
open door since she had taken the po-
sition as editor and was forced to leave
her studio during the day. Her provls-
ions which she ordered as she went to
business were slipped within and her
studio was nicely aired instead OF
stuffy as was her office. Having niue
Of value in her possession Dean worried
not particle as to who might be de-
sirous of entering her studio. The Bo-
hemian settlement, If burglars were
discriminatins, was the least likely to
be troubled in any case.
First Foot completed most happy
domicile for Dean. Coming nome t1reo,
her head swimming with plots ana
stories, it was good to see the black
kitten rise, stretch, yawn and come
forward purring by way OF greeting;
The absolute la ok of intellect expected
from the companionship made 1t de-
lightful rest after days toll.
First Foot had been part of the
studio life for some five weeks before
she brought dwon the wrath OF her
mistress upon her own sleek head.
Upon picking the kitten up for her
evening nap in Deans lap the girl had
smelled tobacco. Upon examination she
made the discovery that her pet was
reeking Of the noxious fumes.
"You disgraceful little lady admon-
ished Dean while she went to the
kitchen for brush and soap and toilet
water. "You have been visiting in the
den Of some gentleman
And since First Foot continued to |
revel in brushing and fondling it was
evident that her reputation bothered
her not one jot.
That proved to be only the first of the
visits, for each night Dean found her
erstwhile perfumed pet reeklng OF 10,
bacco smoke. There was no good IN
scolding. First Foot purred happily on
during the TRADES and Dean finally ac-
cepted the tobacco as part OF her
troubles. She did, however tie a huge
pink bow on the neck Of her cat and
saturated it with Wild Rose scent.
THE guilty man may take a hint
was her inward hope.
But the guilty man did not take the
hint. Each day when the small black
cat came silently into his den he arose, |
stroked her head and felt that the day
was well begun. After that he put milk
in a saucer placed the saucer on his
writing table and wrote many stories
while First Foot lay on his table, some |
times slightly amused at the swiftly
rushing pencil and more often sleep
ing.
When John Rogers finished partic-
ularly good story and determined to
try it on the editor of the goodyear
Magazine" he talked long and earn
estly to First Foot.
eve need the money badly he SAID.
"If we are to buy our typewriter we
must sell this story. II you don't bring
me luck I will lose my faith In omens.'
It was John Rogers habit to dip First
Foot's paw into the instand and make
her imprint On his manuscript. So far
the sign seemed to have been lucky.
Rogers had sold many stories since the
advent of the cat The small black cats !
paw became rather well known In ed |,
itorial offices. "Eccentricities Of genius
was the thought it had evoked.
So that the story, having passed
through the hands of the readers and
found its way to the editor of the
Goodyear" Dean Richmond found
herself smiling at the imprint Of a
cats paw on the manuscript awaiting
her judgment.
She Immediately thought Of First
Foot, but did not connect the two cats
in her musing. The story was excellent.
The cats paw had worked the charm
and Dean put the story among accepted
ones.
In the evening she was reminded of
the peculiar sign on the manuscript she
had received and only half consciously
found herself examining First Foot's
jaw. Her amazement was very genuine
when she discovered that her pets foot
was sticky and that close scrutiny re-
vealed dried ink on the little toes.
49," unused Dean, 1.-The person who
blows tobacco smoke all over my love-
ly kitten and the author Of 'Stagnation'
are one and the same being" She fell
to specializing as to the mans person.
atty. HE assuredly is human and II
would say-rather charming" For a
long time she pondered over the strange
happenings Of the would. 1t was not es-
pecially a work Of the fiction world
this straying Of her cat to the den of
an author, but it was trifle extraord-
mary that the mans story should have
come to her hands; that her perfume
was no doubt as obnoxious to the auth
ors senses as was his tobacco to her
own. The little cats paw on the manu-
script was a link in the chain that was
to draw author and editor together,
-s~-l ,11n IaI