Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-09-30
This and That
By Charles E. TroceiceH.

Jack Spratts affection mounts with
the increasing cold of the season.
Our furry friend at the first touch
of cool weather develops a touching
devotion.
Hitherto he had not been very fond
of sitting on our lap, but the first day
the temperature went down to so de-
grees he warmed up.
A cats affection depends largely upon
the weather. In hot, muggy weather
the feline population feels no need for
hopping up into the laps of its friends.
A fur suit, for one thing. Is pretty
warm. Then, too, these human beings
are so easily fooled!
Why should an honest cat that makes
no pretense to hypocrisy go out Of its
way to protest its undying love?
The cat gives his friends credit for
knowing his friendship. He also knows
full we'll that his human friend will
realize that his demonstrations upon
the onset of cold weather are not in
spired so much by love as by that
desire so well understood by mankind
the need of comfort.
x X X
The house was pretty cold that morn
ing-cold in the way that houses are
at the touch of Autumn, when rooms
get damp and chilly.
A look at the thermometer hanging on
the wall shows perfect 68 degrees. One
rises to propose the question, If So
degrees is the theoretical maximum adj
vised by health authorities. why is it
that go out of 100 persons complain
bitterly when a room goes down to that
temperature?
They will say that lit is because the
room is so damp" and maybe they
are right but one has suspicion that
the real reason is that the room Is so
cold!
A cat is honest.
When a room gets uncomfortable he
seeks refuge on the knees of his human
then, that a person gets cold when a
fur-clad four-legged creature feels ex-
actly the same way about it.
Jack Spratt, he of the green eyes
and white shirt front, lost no time that
first cool morning.
The moment we entered the room
he gave us an interested look. We
were all unsuspecting, however, as he
stretched out first his fore legs, then
sunk his back, and then stretched his
hind legs.
He yawned vigorously in our direc-
ton, the universal salutation of his
tribe to the human race.
If one man yawns in the face of an
other. 1t is regarded as something of an
'Ilt. in mild way but it Is tribute,
CT ing from a cat.
~ cat never yawns in the face Of his
enemies.
He SpitS.
Jack ambled over. looked up and
gave "a leap. Then he began making
bread" with his forepaws, one of cat
dom'S curious tricks. relic, no doubt,
OF the day when it was necessary to
put bed of leaves to rights before oc-
cupying it.
There was look of real enjoyment
on Spratt's face. together with a large
drop of water on the very tip of his
white nose. This drop always shows
up during such times. We have often
wondered whether 1t is another univer-
sal thing among cats.
After working his claws in and out
for perhaps a minute, Jack sank down
and curled his tail around him. AS
far as he was concerned, he was settled
;:or the day Nothing would have
suited him better than to have re-
manned right there.
During the day he repeated this proc
ess every time We happened to sit
down. No sooner would we make our
self at ease than Jack Spratt would
hop UP and proceed to make himself
at home. Each time the same process
was gone through with, and each time
Jack settled down for the day. purring
loudly in his individual fashion
We have meyer heard another cat