The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1919-11-11
THE DAILY
SHORT STORY
A Feline Episode.
BY WILL. y. AmEs.


M AIDA couldn't at all understand
mi what the young man could be
W. doing tsere, shot gun in hand
and obviously hiding behind the bole
Of the sugar maple Mazda wasn't SO
very sporting person; that is to
say she wasn't one Of those social
headlights who are portrayed in the
Sunday papers as riding steeplechas-
IS, navigating aeroplanes and stalk
ing moose good deal more skill full
ly than their brothers or their in
sstructors; but she knew enough about
ouch things to be aware that in June
Ehere was no such thing as game to
be legitimately hunted Besides, the
young man wasn't gotten UP like z
hunter He looked as though he had
just stepped out OF u couch hammock.
He was bareheaded and wore neither
4 coat nor waistcoat, He carried Meth
or game nor bag OF any sort OF recep-
tacle for cartridges. Moreover, I'M
less Mazda was much mistaken, the
young man was on the grounds of the
Halliday place, the country's show es-
tate, Of which she had heard enough
and to spare during her three days in
these parts; and the Halliday place
was not at all the kind of place for
hunting, but an deliberately cared TO:
pretentious, intensiyely groomed area
OF lawns, SNUG groves and oyercultl-
waited watercourses.
The young man, intently watching
in the opposite direction. did not hear
Miss iCbrtelyous footballs on the gras
sy path. His back was toward the
road. But his attitude was one of in
tense expectancy and he held the gun
lightly in both hands ready to throw
to the shoulder Mazda Cortelyou
stopped. She wanted to see what was
on foot.
Just beyond where the young man
stood there was clearing, three or
fo;lr NCds across, beyond that a prim
little thicket OF rhododendron full OF
blooms. Toward this the young man
was gazing. Just as Mazda halted,
there was flash of gray and white
out Of the long grass, a scommotion
emong the foliage and a riot OF flut-
terings and frightened cries of birds.
The gun went up and nitrate shell
went off simultaneously. On the
ground at the roots Of the rhododen-
drons something was splitting and
snarling.
"Damn!' calculated the young man
as he jumped from cover and hurried
toward the laurels. Ten feet away he
stopped, aimed hastily towas III tho
ground and fired another barrel. The
spiEfng and snarling stopped. The
gunner stopped, lifted the quarry by
the tail and turned around just in
time to catch sight of Mazda as she
stood at the side of the road, hun
dred feet away, observing him.
MAZDA wasn't the kind Of girl that
any man ignores when she manifests
the slightest interest in him or his
works. So when Miss Cortelyou step
ped up to the Spindling iron fence
that for quarter Of a mile lined the
road, the young man just naturally
approached that barrier from his side
of it, still carrying the victim OF his
two smokeless shells.
May see what you shot?' asked
Mazda when the gunner had drawn
sufficiently near,
Certainly That holding up the
creature.
Just what / thought; but could
NOT be sure at that distance A cat!
a poor, harmless baby cat! Well, Of
all the-say!" demanded Mazda sud
denly, hasn't that cat a thin chain
collar on? l think know it."
The young man gingerly pushed
back the fur from the neck of the dead
animal. "Yes," he admitted; there
does appear to be chain. 1t isn't
yours hope
mo, it isn't mine. 1t belongs to
Mrs. Wetherell, who lives mile or
so UP the road and with whom | am
boarding during my vacation. l shall
tell her She seems to be mild old
soul SO l suppose you will hear moth
ing from her. But for fear that Meth
CT she nor any Of these other people
around here may ever tell you their
opinion of you Ill tell you mine. I
think you're cad, mean, cowardly
cad, who ought to be horsewhipped.
/ thing any man is that who wantonly
kills or mistreats dumb animals, par
ticularly other peoples pets
Having delivered which verdict
Mazda Cortelyou with a delightfully."-
heightened color, turned her back Oh
the young man and started off down
the road.
For an instant the young man
stood watching her. Then he dropped
the dead cat, setting his gun against
a tree and yaulted the iron fence, He
caught up with MAZDA before she had
taken ten steps.
ut isn't civilized to condemn any
accused without a hearing" he de-
claredi as he caught up with the girl.
You are highly civilized. VIII you
give me two minutes?"
'iHow long did you give the cat?"
eFour years"
What do you mean?"
II mean I've been engaged in re-
search work for the state bureau Of
ofnithology, all directed to the subject
Of cats and the operations, for that
length of time That's what | want
toatalk about for two minutes"
He was not such an ill-lookIng crea
tdFe after all MAZDA thought-rather
fine as TO the eyes lnded, Very well"
she cpndesc ended"
There are 25,OO000 cats in Amer
lea" declared the young man. Halt
OF them live in the country. Country
cats kin an average of fifty birds a
year, each, that's more than half a
million birds. Most Of the birds are
insect and weed eaters, The birds OF