Evening star., 1926-04-18
This and That
By Charles Z. TrdcetCeH.

Tumblebug. a black feline with
vivid yellow eyes. is better known to
readers of these cat tales a Cato.
Tumblebug came into possession cf
his insect name by reason Of his re-
markable habit of twisting to and fro
on his back.
The name Cato. while good one,
always sounded bit forced. Others
suggested for this black fellow were
Blackie. Edgar Allan Poe and the
Raven.
No sooner had he been seen, how
ever, in his rolling act. than the name
OF Tumbiebug was seen to At him to
a T. so TumblebuE he has been ever
since.
Maybe some unknown master
taught him the trick. probably he
simply picked it up himself. II con-
sists of lying on his back in the dirt.
twisting himself first onto his right
side, then onto his left.
There Is no rest in the hoppinss-
no sooner is he on one side. than he
tumbles himself back TO the other.
He seems to enjoy doing II. and eepe-
cially in having human beings watch
him.
While he is indulging in this feline
setting-up exercise. Tumblebug purrs
necessarily through his black whisS-
ers, while his yellow eyes gleam like
gas lamps in the dark.
The only one who does not enjoy
watching Tumblebug is our old friend,
Jack Spratt, tiger cat.
Jack positively cannot see anything
funny about il.
Jack declared tas plainly as a cat
CAM that the creature termed Tum-
blebug is tramp. hobo. a wanderer
of the alleys, cat that lives upon the
scraps left over from his, Jack
Spratt's. table.
When Jack. with disdain. turns M
his white nose at veal outlet good
enough to grace any home, Tumble
bug falls heir to it.
With this knowledge. Spratt tries to
eat it all up. but often fails. where
upon Tumblebug gets it.
The latter is never bit fnicky.
He eats anything. Mix. cream.
meat. custard potatoes-all food
stuffs look alike to Tumblebug.
Invariably he preludes his meal
side. purring like steam engine the
while.
with this expression. physical and
vocal Of his appreciation. the black
cat falls to with Eusto. making
snatches at his meat. as II afraid
some one would take II away from
him.
The sad fact is that old Jack spratt
would do that very thing If he got
the opportunity.
Tumblebug, while eating. casts
wary glances. now and then. at the
back of the house. TO be on guard
against the issuing forth Of the war
like tiger cat, fury In his eyes.
Jack, in the phra aseology Of the
alley. has Tumblebug's goat"
No sooner does the latter see the
former coming than he runs OF as
fast as his legs will carry him.
Jack. satisfied with running the in
vader out of his yard, never pursues
him.
One morning Tumblebug, braver
than usual, ventured to seat himself
on Spratt's back porch early in the
morning, waiting for the kitchen door
to open. There would he good things
to eat. Tumblebug knew.
Sure enough, about o'clock the
door did open-and out poured Jack
Spratt. tail swelled with righteous
anger, the fur all over his body ptffed
out. so that he looked twice as big
as usual.
With one wild spring jack Jumped
forward. "
Tumblebug hent his legs until he
almost grszed the porch. and quicker
than a wink slid down the steps,
barely missing the sharp claws that
raked at his flank.
Tumblebug was over the back fence
before his pursuer was half way down
the path.
Satisfied. Jack Spratt sat down In
the sunshine. and proceeded to wash
the inside of his right ear.