Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-03-24
This and That
By Charles E. TracesceH.

Happy is the man who can hear
music when two angry tom cats ngnt
it out in the alley at am.
Instead of growing to himself an6
hunting around for shoe to throw a.
the combatants, he lies quietly In his
snug bed, really enjoying the concert.
OF course. one has to like cats TO d.
1t, otherwise the music is mere noise.
fiTst-class nuisance. deserving the
epitrets terrible" awful" or Thor
rible."
He who likes the furry fellows, how
ever. will be able to follow every sounc,
of the battle, and to enter into the fra,
if not actively, then in a passive way.
Think Of the thousands Of fretfu'
persons who ask next day, Did yoI
hear that yowling last night?"
They missed the delicate notes Of
Toms aria. Feline grand opera left
them unmoved-except to tears-rolled
of their musical backs like water off
the well known biped.
When they might have been enjoy
ing themselves, they were foaming a.
the mouth about those darn cats" as
the cats hadn't a right TO make q
little noise. when down the block Tow
ser and Fido are rasping the night ar
with ceaseless baying at the moon.
How is 1t possible for cat haters TO
complain at few soprano trills, last
ing at the most for few minutes, when
they are able to swallow q whole nigh
OF barking without single complaint?
Rightly comprehended the cats meow
Is beautiful thing. In a musical
sense IL Is at once varied, full-toned
and powerful; 1t shows that a very
large '1oudspeaker" is not necessary.
When Tom winds himself up for one
Of these long-drawn, far-reaching yowls
his adversary, standing there nose 10
nose. can hear 1t no palmer than the
listener In his bed.
1t curdles over the housetops, II may
go for blocks, creeping into houses, caus-
ing children to turn over and cry In
tneir sleep. Strong men awake with
start.
IT'S the call Of the vildl
Down in the alley Tom and Jerry
are standing by the gas lamp. THE
nickering light casts their shadows,
long and tenuouS. upon the back ward
Jerry gives q low moan, q warning
cry. q challenge. q threat.
his voice Is away down In his throat
Just where his chest begins, as IL were
He Is not wasting his breath. He has
fine bass, and uses II with discretion
His ears are fiat on his head, his ewes
gleam. his tail switches and lashes from
side to side.
Tom draws back about a quarter of
an inch. AS he does so, he opens his
mouth. and from II there ascends as
nne. as triumphant, q note as cat ever
sang.
Gathering power as ID goes along,
Toms battle cry Is cross between the
shrek OF fretful baby. the weird wall
OF the timber wolf and the NOUS
cry Of the loon.
As Toms far-nung note dies away.
old Jerry rumbles out another feline
oath In that deep tone Of his.
Again Tom splits the air with de-
hance, but this time he puts few extra
quavers In 1t.
Jerry answers.
Tom, stung to fury by such insolence.
puts on steam and prolongs his next
note twice as long as usual, with an
extra amount Of Quavering
At the very end he manages to put
drop Of an octave into his wall, and
this Is the undoing Of Jerry, who hesi-
tates, then stifiy begins to turn his
head.
Some occult influence warns him
that Tom Is master tonight. Perhaps
some other time
Jerry slowly turns away. and sneaks
on down the alley. The battle Is over
until they meet again.