The Waterbury Democrat., 1933-01-21

Early in tho morning n dogg had set in and kept at it BulleDly
 It was silly to think of taking Q walk, because as fast as tho driz- Zle struck earth 1t froZo solid, promising broken logs or necks to tho foolhardy. The three hitherto unfaillng eompensations for being prisoned indoors had boen destroy. cd. They were, in order of im- portanee, gazing out tho window across tho wide brown meadows and tho Beatterod woodlands to the beekoning hills twenty miles dis. thnt; watching tho continuous aerobntle porformanees Of Mittons, tho four.month-old kitten, and
 maryeling At tho endless entor- tainment possibilities wrapped up in Q quill Of paper tied to the door latch with n long stringi ana bury ing oneself in H hair.raising yarn of adventure of one of my favorite heroes, Tough "dlck" Donahue, Ed Jenkins, tho Phantom Crook, or Jo Gar, tho Filipino Mnster. Sleuth.
 GaZing out tho window brought only the sight of clouds Of wind- blown, impenetrable fog through which cnme tho nerye.faBplng, in- eessant, chained-up barking or the hunting dogs owned by tho Man on tho Place Adjoining. Tho kitten had disappeared right after break. fast, and an intensive search oi the hundred.odd hiding places thii ancient house affords had failed tt find her. Tho rural.free-deliyerY man in his red winter car, Whiei looks like a fire chiefs battl, wagon and moves with the speed of m hrterlal- -selerotie snail, hat by leaving A single letter in the mali box banished any desire .te read. The letter proved to Dc Bpistle Number -Four by Roger w. Babson, apostle to the Depressed Business Men Of America. It was sub-tltIed "What Can Prayer Ae- e0mpllsh 2" and t sparkled with gems Of Mr Babson'B peppiest theology. ft also carried a foot note, q kind of Nihii obstat, on "Faith," queted--in pearl type from Harry Emerson ffosdiek, the p0ntiR of platltude. A "shot" of Babson followed by A "ehaser" of Ifesdek finished D0nahue,. Jenkins, and Gar. There was nothing to do but walt iiko Mr Perkins Mieawber and hope that something would turn ID. ft did.
 The logs were blazing iB the lonely darkness Of the living room and throwing melancholy shadows on the oaksb0amed ceiling when the door kneekeP thuDdered the announcement Of a caller. tt was the Man on the Place Adjoining and he bore, hooked by n tenacious f0pefngar, his customary calling card, which is Q wieker.b0uDd Jug Of generous proportions
 "fhought you might be out" he explained, as he deposited the Jug with proper care on the hearths stone and bestowed R prediglous wink on me. [ admitted ] was tout" ""Fnln't no night to Do out" he decided, and agreed.
 Now there are neighbors Of mine, representatives Of the Best People, who find fault with me fires guently and eaustieally because the Man on the Place Adjoining. and I are friends. They say that he is m ignorant yokel, that he favors his talk with "ePipesl", that he drinks too much, and that he enf- rles with him the odor Of the stable, Not know that am 2 low person who finds the 0dor of the stable suggestiVely pleasant around Christmas time, they cannot see what we can possibly have in eom- mon, It is really pitlable how blind the Best People ean Do whom it comes 10 essential things.
 For example, my fault.1nding neighbors could not see the Man on tho Place Adjoining as ho stood last night in tho ilfellght, wringlng with ono ealloused, nalls blnekened hand tho ieieles that hung like tiny stalaetites from his feroGIous mustRehe, while with the other no fumbled for something hidden in tho breast of his shoep. skin.iinod gPeateoat. If they had been present, and ] nm glad thoy were not, because then tho evening would have been ruined. they would have seen him draw forth a tiny drenchod ball of fur and lay it gently on tho rug where the warmth Of tho fro would reach it. They would have said t was just q eat of no breeding nt n1l, whereas it was really tho vanished Mittena home from her first great ndven' turo with tho world, trembling from cold and fright, and, feared more dead than alive.
 "sho'll Do all right aftor q bit he treasured me. "The wife heard her cryin' little while ago. Por. little thing was stuck in a crotch in the apple tree back of thu Kitchen and couldn't get neither up nor down." I knew that apple tree and just how high from tn, ground its lowest limbs were. l
 was no easy job for an oldish man
 weary after a long days toll, t' pick his way on such q night to tn barn, drag down his tallest ladder and mako its precarious ascent s' that fl foolish freezing kitten coui' be restored 10 its even more fool ish owner. ! made a bad fist of trying to express my thanks.
 "crIpcs, didn't come over [
 bring her back" he protested fl his ignorant yokei fashion. 'I go tired scttln' round doin' nuthln
 Teli the truth. wanted com
 pany." From which it should D ! noted that In addition Go the fault