Evening star., 1925-10-11
This and That
BY Charles E. TrdcetceH.

Jack Spratt the cat. whom we left
last sunday ut the foot of the mantel,
sat toying with his ratnip mouse in
the room Whence all but he had fled.
His eyes :" on the mantel
Tho chance PIarInc of a small table
near one end gave Spratt the oppor.
tunity he had been waiting for. Now
or never.
Before this he had hardly dared
to make the leap. Now all was easy.
A quic;: spring TO the table, and
the mantel was his
All. that mantel,
Only cat could appreciate the
hidden mantel-land. What was lp
there, out of sight? Perhaps beef
steak-who could saw
Jack lazily stuck out his deft right
paw, impaling the much-worn mouse.
but all the time he was planning
the ascent. He gave himself few
Hicks with his tongue His mind.
however, was up on the mantel.
AT the left there stood a large vase
of English manufacture: in the cen
ter, leaning against the wall was d
large framed picture. glass covered.
TO the right, yet in front of the pic
ture, was a smaller vase. filled with
asters; at the right end of the man
tel. a small statue OF d lady with
less clothes on than the law allows
Settling down on his launches.
Jack gathered himself for the spring.
then lea ned upward. landing on the
.ttle table with the grace of his
tribe, whether you find them in the
house or in the jungle.
once there, the cat stood on his
hlnd legs, peering up on the mantel
his cleaning. eyes on Il level with this
plane. the onlv place in the house
ne had not explored.
Curiosity cat is a term. that LONG
ago took its place in our language.
Usually ii is applied by some elder
to some child with an investigatine
turn of mind.
Certainly the ordinary house cat
Is one of the most curious creatures
in the world. He pokes his nosa
into everything, and never rests sat
isfied until he has discovered foi
himself what is on the other sidA
of the Door
Closet doors, in particular. arouse
his InquisitiveneSS. A cat will spend
minutes at time attempting to in
sert his paw between the frame and
the door.
Unlike the baby, he cannot say.
"Open-door, Open-door"'
The cat must depend upon his own
paws, or opportunity. If the door
is ever left much as quarter
of aninch open he will discover it.
Then he Will push in u claw, widen
the breech, insert his paw and pull
the door open. Friends of cats who
have witnessed this procedure will
testify to its deftness.
The cat sighs for new worlds to
conquer. Once having mounted to
the top Of the kitchen cabinet, he
no longer has any particular desire
to get up there but looks around
for some new high place.
1t was so with Jack Spratt
Softly he lifted his Is pounds to
the mantel. lie brushed against the
big vase. causing it to teeter a bit.
but ii finally riShted itself.
Jack shifted first at a small dog
in green glass, with bright, clear
glass eyes, that sat in front Of the
big picture.
Cooking his head on one side, his
ears pricked up, Jack Spratt inserted
paw behind the leaning picture.
Maybe there was Il mouse back
there
Crash,
Over topped the picture, carrying
with il the small glass dog, and the
vase filed with asters in water. The
glass Oh tll- Iicture smashed into
1000 pieces at least, but the vase
containing the flowers was unlR.
jured.
AS for the Lttle glass dog, it lay
unhurt in q poe. OF water, its bright
eyes cleaning at Jack Spratt, who
crouched under the davenport. where
he had fled.