Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-06-02
This and That
BY Charles E. TrdcetceH.

One by one the kittens are driftin.
away from the old soap box home.
The pure maltese, absurdly named b!
us Porthos. since the name did not fl
the cat nor the cat the name, was thu
first to 60.
He won for himself fine home ii
Chevy Chase, Md, and went there jus
before Memorial day in q cardboard box
bored with breathing holes.
1t was a nice box; the only trouble
with it was that the holes were TOT
large.
Almost the entire kitten could projec
through.
The spectacle of a solemn gentleman
carrying that animated box on q
crowded street car must have been worth
travelling to see.
No doubt Porthos made life interest.
ing for other passengers as he pokec
his paws through the holes and ther
stuck his benign countenance there.
after.
The maltese is just at that stage. be.
ing weeks old. when he feels 1t in.
cumbent upon himself to slap at every
thing in sight.
His special prey is trouser cuffs
IldIlCS, 1ccL, COlOo, opOOAcp boASs GU
With these he will play all day long In
the typical kitten manner.
The mother cat, Mrs Blackie, Ole
Blackie, Big Blackie, or what you will
did not seem to miss her kitten.
Nor could it be said, we discovered
through telephone inquiry, that the
little maltese missed its mother.
AS for the brothers and sisters, they
did not know that one OF their num-
Der was missing.
How could they?
Cats cannot count; they are pure
animal automatons, hearing. seeing
feeling: but one is inclined to wonder
If somehow they do not understand
absence.
Mrs. Blackie (who is still nursing
her BROOD undoubtedly knows that she
has a family, and will meow II barred
from its members.
%& y
When the ceremony of putting the
maltese into its box was In progress
the other four kittens paid not the
slightest bit of attention.
Alexandra Dumas. with an indescrib-
ably impudent look upon his white and
black face, proceeded to stage a wres-
thing bout with Little Nipper, while Miss
~ ATtHRndIl anu blIJlC oldChAC
ed in a four-legged race along the back
Of the davenport.
Perhaps they thought it was some
new kind of game. When Porthos Struck
his big paw through one Of the holes In
his travelling box, the others left their
sports and came to the box, there box
ing and slapping with their incarcerated
mate.
When they left, however, beneath the
protecting arm, none Of the four seemed
to miss him, and none has to date.
X
Little Blackie and Miss D'Artagnan
are scheduled to take similar trips soon
to another home.
That will leave A. Dumas and Little
Nipper, brother and sister, too. These
being our particular favoriteS, we have
not made up our mind to part with
them.
A great pair they make
They play together hour after hour,
making big leaps into the air, or one
jumping of the sofa to land squarely
on the back of the other.
Wrestling is favorite diversion. The
two spend hours at 1t. one getting the
other down, the other kicking at Its
face with hind paws.
How they escape from getting thei,
eyes put out is mystery, but so far
the seeming impossible has happened.
In passing, 1t may be stated that Nip
per and Dumas have unusually bright
eyes, particularly the latter, whose eyes
Rleam Ike feline stars.