Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-03-06
This and That
By Charles f. TracetUeH.

Jack Spratt once more is monarch
Of all he surveys.
Nipper is gone. After abiding a
month in Jacks house. the visiting
kitten was transferred to neighbor,
much to spratts relief.
During the entire time old Jack had
protested the residence of Nipper in
every legitimate cat way. First. he
refused to look at his old friends.
Then he refrained from playing or
purring.
These subterfuEes still not moving
Nipper out of the house. Jack de-
cided TO take vengeance upon the
tiger kitten itself.
He made several bodily assaults
upon Nipper, finally soaring the small
chap so that he, too, refused to play.
At this time II vas thought best
to get rid of Mi =. the decision
not being arrived without much
misgiing. however.
Nip is such an entertaining little
cuss that 1t was hard TO give him
up. In addition. we had taken care
of him from the day we discovered
him with crippled leg.
Evidently some one had kicked him.
Looking back. we recall now that
on the night before we found Nipper
we heard some one in the distance
cry Scat" Then had come the
meow Of a cat.
1t being a bitter cold night, we
had refrained from busying ourselves
about the matter. II was the next
day we found Nipper, sitting on the
bank. unable to rise. Had he been
attacked by dog he would have
lost his life then and there.
Nfpper's most charming accomplish
ment Is his peculiar meow.
II one greets him in the morning
oy saying, How are you Nipper?" the
little cat replies for all the world,
"All right"
1t really takes no particular stretch
or the imagination to read those very
words into his cry. Perhaps II would
be better to write II. Jaw rirhtr'
Upon occasion he even declares.
I'm all right"
These words-they really seem that
are delivered with peculiar bobbing
motion Of the head. Nipper has
perfectly expressionless face. a sort
of cat mask. The only expression
he has Is secured by flattening his
ears upon his head.
During the last few days Of Mn.
pers residence. he became very head.
strong. refusing to sit on ones Ian
as OF old. He was being Spoiled. j..
as the saying is.
Decidedly, he wanted to do what he
wanted to do. This is a cat trait, of
course; those who like them will NOT
blame them for IT.
Nor can we blame them for what
seems ingratitude They know no
better. Nipper visited us the next
day and acted as IL he had never
seen us before. He is 1ust as much
at home in his new house as in his
old.
Jack spratt was terribly disguised.
i thought I was rid of that shrirnn
Tor good" his gooseberry green eyes
seemed to say.
&4&
Now old Jack Spratt has his house
all to himself and Nipper has a
house Of his own.
Every morning when we go 10 work
we see Nip sitting on a windowsill.
looking out solemnly over the world.
We call to him, with the old crv
known to all cats. Kitty. KITTY.
ktttyF but he doesn't pay much at.
tention to us.
So we return to our best old frfand,
Jack Spratt. whose expressive face
says as plainly as words could.
Mister, I had to put up with A lot
to be hospitable to that Ntppsr why
he was just as much at home a. / 3
was, II not moro so.
Now see how he treats you. You
picked him up, and cared for him.
and fed him with my food, and now
look at him--he doesn't even recoc.
nize you! A most ungra.sful little
beast, that Nipper!"