The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1916-09-22
HCAT-FEAR' VICTIM
HERE is INDIVIDUAL WITH REAL,
TALE OF WOE.
Many Who Have Suffered Under Like
Circumstances viii Extend Sym
psthy, Since "Honey Boys"
Are Quite Numerous.


Can anyone tell me It what age one,
Is likely to become subject to cat
fear? / wasn't born with it, for I
have vivid recollections of being fool
ishiy fond of a Aomely, spotted old
cat, bearing the musical name of
Molly Oottontail, asserts writer in
the Indianapolis News. Maybe eat
fear, like honors, comes to the mdi-
vidual In various ways. If this should
prove to be true, then I'm under the
impression that it was thrust on me-
Strange to say, all cats do not affect
me unfavorably. can even see a
scrawny black cat shoot across my
path without feeling quaim, and I've
been known to warm a saucer of milk
to cheer some stray cat on its back
alley pilgrimage. If there's any hard
er lot than that of stray cats ! don't
want to hear about it, and I'm glad
I've helped some of them bit.
It's the fine, family pet that brings
en- my attacks. Two people In the
upper fiat haze an Angora, an i'm
mense black and clay-colored chump
that gets on my nerves. 1t seems that
this upper fat was rented primarily
for Honey Boy. The two people oc-
cupy any chair, couch or bed that his
majesty is not using. If he kept
strictly to his own rented apartment
it wouldn't be so hard, but he takes
privileges with the whole building and
surrounding grounds. He is partial TO,
the downstairs front porch, and
sprawling his long-haired self out GA
one of the posts at the side of the
every passer-by to exclaim over his
catship. And a lot of them do it-more's
the pity! He also has his fayorite
lounging places in the downstairs n
brary, one of them being the top OF
the book shelves, near q much-prized
vase, but he has his uneasy moments
when fix my eye ON him and mutter
through clenched teeth: "You old
lowbrow!@ He knows it has a diff
ferent ring compared with the pet
names he gets upstairs. The two peO-
pie up there call him Honey Boy, and
Boo'ful Sing, and Child!
He presumes that the back yard be-
longs exclusively to the upper fiat, 80
he takes his morning airings down
there. and one walsens to musical
sounds like this: Honey Boy
Honey Boy Oh. 90 boo'ful sing! Is
you VIOLIN in de gwass? Des
VIOLIN in de gwass des a VIOLIN in
de gwass!" Wouldn't that be enough
to counterfeit the effect of even good
nights rest?
At noon gentle voice calls down
the back stairway: "Honey Boy. come
wight upstairs and Diet some ice cold
milk for 200 lunch" He seems to
have a laundering after iced drinks,
for once when had placed pitcher
Of ice water on the table for my own
especial enjoyment during the after
noon, Honey Boy sprang up lightly
and Tapped his I'LL out of it. The
members Of my family told me after
ward that they feared was going to
have apopaexy OF hydrophobia, but it
was really an attack of my cat-fear.
Sometimes the gentle voice calls per-
suasively: Come upstairs this min
ate, Honey Boy, to 90 mother" Gee!
before I'd call myself mother to dis
reputable bunch like that I'd make the
rounds of all the orphan asylums In
the city.
But going back to my cat-fear-it's
different from any I've ever heard of.
I'm trying hard to keep it well under
control, but every day the fear grows
stronger, that some time Til mistake
Boo'ful Sing for the splotchy mop he
resembles, and with tense nerves and
set teeth either mop up the front
porch or the back yard with him. That
would hurt his pampered feeIin's and
worse sim. it would hurt the feelin's of
his mistress-and there'd he strained
relations. between the upper and low
er flatters. No. Pm not afraid of the
upper fiatters reading this outburst Of
suppressed cat-fear. They don't find
any time to read-they're too busy
caring for Honey Boy.