Vernon Parish Democrat. (Leesville, La.) 1917-193?, 1920-12-23

catch crabs and eat them roasted"
Just then they heard sound near
at hand
''MeW-meW-mewr"
"DO you hear that cat?" said Sister.
cit sounded like a cat, but it can't
be. No cat could live out here"
Goodness mel my scissors ~
shrieked the little girl, for she felt
something soft brush against her
ankles. She jumped away-and there
was a cat.
1t bounded up on the rock just out
of reach. Sister recovered her breath,
and began to call it.
kitty, kitty, kittyl Come, kitti-
kittikittikittikitty
But the cat would not come. It
bounded farther away and mewed
again.
IT think 1t wants us to follow" said
Sister.
"Well, that's easy enough" said
Brother. Lead ahead, htty-cat, If
you've got anything to show us. We
are shipwrecked sailors, and we're out
for lark"
So they followed the cat
She proceeded slowly up the rock
to the very top, looking back and
mewing, When she got there she dis
appeared-seemed to drop right into
the ground.
The children clambered up, and
you can believe me or nOt-but there
was a flight of rude steps leading
right down into the earthl
They could see Htty's eyes down in
there and hear her mewilg again. So
down they went.
The gallery in the rock went down
about twenty or thirty feet, and then
ran along level for about thirty feet
more. They felt their way along and
seemed to come into a room. AS they
looked around they saw three more
pairs of cats eyes.
Brother felt in his pocket and got
his match box. He lighted a match
and saw that they were in beautiful
little cave.
"You will fild a lantern there at
your left" said a squeaky little voice.
Brother dropped the match. "Don't
be afraid" said the squeaky voice. an
not hurt you"
The little boy lighted another match
and saw a big brass lantern, such as
are used on ships. He lighted it, and
looked around. There were four cats
in the room. One was standing up on
it's hind legs.
81 am the cat that was talking,
said the Upright Cat. 81 am the only
one that can talk But we are all very
happy to see you"
"HOw are you able to talk, kitty2'
said Sister.
"That is quite story to TELL" said
the Upright Cat. "First you must
have some supper. We have almost
anything you want to eat, only we
can't cook. How would you like some
canned salmon and pilot bread
Canned salmon Is our favorite food
You see there are a great many
wrecks here, and that is where we get
our food. 1t washes up on the rock
and we roll It down here. But we
have an awful time opening the cans
That is the worst trouble''
How did you come to be here
kitty" asked Sister.
"Why we were wrecked here our
selves. We four cats were four kit.
tens that belonged to the captains
little girl" the Upright Cat explained
what becomes of all the sailors
that are wrecked here?"
"They are all drowned, of course" "
The children ought to have shiv.
cred when they heard this, but they
didn't. Somehow the whole thing
seemed like dream to them.
The cats showed Brother great
heap of tins full of things to eat, and
he selected a can of salmon and
opened it. The cats had rugged up a
can-Opening machine, because they
could not hold the can opener in their
paws. In this machine the knife stood
still and the cats pushed the can
around till the tin was cut. 1t was
very ingenious machine-juSt a car
opener fastened in the rock.
After supper Brother went out and
gathered enough dry seaweed to make
fine bed for Sister and himself
Three cats had their own beds OF
seaweed, but the fourth slept on a
carpet.
"What a pretty carpet" said Sister
"It is big enough for all four of you
1t is big enough for ten cats"
"That is quite true" said the Up
right Cat, for the carpet was four feet
square. "But the magician said that
only was to sleep on it, Would you
like to look at it?''
The children picked up the carpet
1t was soft as silk, and you could roll
1t up small enough to put into a music
roll. 1t had beautiful, strange figures
on it.
81 never was able to talk till slept
on the carpet" said the Upright Cat
~ could talk the very first morning
after slept on It, Only / never have
any one to talk to. have tried to
teach the others, but they won't learn
am SURPRISED nj them for nv sisters