Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-02-13
This and That
By Charles E. TrncesreH.

Our old friend, Jack Spratt, and
that interloper, Little Nipper, furnish
an admirable contrast in cats.
Jack, who is going on 4 years old,
must weigh about Is pounds, whereas
Nipper. perhaps 4 months old, is a
mere handful in comparison.
Jack is a glossy. sleek fellow. Nip
per. on the other hand, is woolly
Perhaps there is some Persian In his
ancestry. His fur. especially under
the chin and the back of his head, 10 as
soft as down and rufies I'D like
feathers.
Jack Spratt's coat CLEANS as II oiled
while Nipper's IL dull; Jacks white
shirt front and paws are snow white,
whereas Nipper's white portions are
sort of gray looking. The fact that
this small waif is sorely in need of a
bath may have something to do with
1t, too.
Nipper has been picking up habits
of cleanliness from Grandfather
Spratt, the "washingest', cat in the
world. Jack spends whole hours every
Gay lolling out his pink tongue, polish
Ing his face. shirt front, turning his,
ears inside out and in other ways
making the mysterious cat toilet.
Small Nipper, who Is conficentiAlly
believed to be Jacks great-greap-erand.
child. initiates everything he, sees Jack
40. and In nothing with better susaess
than this same cat bath. His whcs
portions are becoming whittier day ON
DAY. 1T is extremely doubtful, how.
ever. if he will ever be the cat that
his grandpapa is. in this regard.
4
Jack and Nipper are far apsrt. too.
in the matter of facial expression.
Miss Repplier's classic name for the
cat, The Fireside Sphinx" was never
intended for Jack Spratt. His face is
as expressive as that of a human be-
ing. cha nging from hour to hour and
from emotion to emotion. Most cats
including Nipper-have a set. myste-
rious look. which Is changed only by
anger and such elemental emotions.
But Spratt looks different upon every
occasion, every change, mental or
physical, being registered in his face.
we believe this Is due, partly. to the
fact that his 'muzzle" is pure white.
and therefore his face more nearly re-
sembles that of a human being than
most cats.
Certainly no one could have written
jealousy more largely across their
race than Jack Spratt during the first
10 days we had Nipper, while the
iatter's leg was healing.
And IL Jack were possessed Of the
keenest human brain. he could not
have hit upon any more effective
scheme than the one he pursued, to
wit: .
Instead of taking IL out on Nip
per, the interloper. he took 1t out on
his best old friend. We were the VIC
tim. Jack spat at us, not at the kitten,
and growled-at us-every time we
started to pet him Jack. II we picked
Spratt up. he would growl and meow
until we released him. never once look
ing at us save sideways. Not a purrf
could we get out of him. "Get rid of
this shrimp, Mister. II you want me
to. purr." Jacks green eyes seemed
to say.
Upon the tenth day, however. of
Nipper's occupancy of basement quar-
ters, Jack forgave us all, and became
again the old Jack Spratt we have
always known. He sits upon our lap,
and purrs. and looks MS frankly In
the face as of old. Many high old
time, he and Nipper have playing hide
and-seek 1t is eomical to see the
kitten sneak up on the big cat. eau
tiously poking one bright eye and one
large ear around a portiere, Arm IN
the belief that Jack does not see him.
The big ones eyes gleam green. the
little ones eyes shine yellow. Jack
Spratt 10 our best old friend the Kit.
ten Is iust--a nice little fellow.