THE STORY OF A CAT.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2129, 22 April 1914, Page 2

THE STORY OF A CAT.

Lliv .M.\mivK.J

It M'as about 7,30 o'clock one Friday evening,' Tho iisua.l throng of pleasure* stfeli#®' were hurrying'' down Cuba' Street,.piottirei,pa-lasOi'- coiicfi-rt-; hall, 01' theatre, bound,: Tro-ttin'g' dtHv'n tho sidewalk.ivitli what- olio ivoiild almost term careless se.daten«ss and- -Oblivions of everyone and wervthlrtg. ivis a M-liito -eiit. " I'jto Iflct th-.i't .feet "iyero treading on all sides of lilm, 'that.tai-s-thundered past'.oji - tho' st-reetv :Hroub'led--'n'bt the "eat in tiio; $liglitia'at : ;" i!ig...tK)t>. -.stately k -.eJeva{ft«L_Aail»_ the - latter-rtiid-of «hjcb» o"iis"grac9,:vSeip«ig'i3ine Willi tiio !iuarpaws bc-neatii, tho ca.t. : cpntin-ucd on its way with rarfe digiliiv and sc* Wt-efless- mat, snoivv bui.idjo of fvir iba-d in view 'liono kne<r, wt that ..botmd.ho was'for ,s6mo-dt>s.t?. nation pre.coneorved by-Jiis'ir.Rtiiict, ioftb GOUld sc-e 'from ijy opiiftdeltt mode of progress.'.- ..." I Tfio; animal ■ comppllcd .attention and. many woro: lite'einilfflg H-itercsted looks: cart- on it by tho passers-by. One kind-he-at-ted danie,' 'ihu-rmuriiig '. '.'poor missy,' 5 ' stooped to • sfrake the animal, i'ussy politely paused iir his walk-while tho token of -aff-ettittsi Wflß'.adrninisted to his i'tirry hack, and turning two large eyes on liis. bciioiadtroSs, gratefully purred ii-i recognit-io'n. Apparently, hwover, ho,had'no time for dalli-anco with any .kind-hftar'ted 1-iuman,. and with another look that plainly saicl "excuse mc, pieaso-I hav-o business to attend to," ho eontinnod en his ivny.

Shortly iii tho distance van descried a formidable-looki-jig • dog, Those lvl)0 were interestedly obsorviftg the cat's Bwvcraouts-waitflrf-How with es-peet-anoy.-Would the natural instinct of 'the cat assert .'itself? llie dug' drew* nearer. Tho spectators watched for an abrupt stop by tho feline, tor the hunching of tho hack, thg. electrical elevation of tho fur thereon,, the visible growth of tiro : appendage. But i).o! -The dope fc-afiio oh eagerly expectant for tho fray* but was completely when ki» short, sharp hark, carrying with it the deadliest of insults, was-completely ig» •iiiu'ed. I'tissy stopped, looked at him with disdainful Calm, and, turning his 1.1-ack' to. coiitiiißO tho- ey<?n_ tenure of; his way','left iris antagonist-ill the con-: 'ditkm "of astonishment which. is.' | tttresquely and adequately described as. *.. .. ■The onlookers smiled, and likewise ignoring the. dog.tun».d.their, atteriti-oji ,ti> tlio strange; almost human, cat trotting with' unabated "dignity down this sidewalk. At length tho animal reached lite Manners Street- junction. Hero,; surely, ho would shew some of the timid reserve characteristic ci' his . spec-ies. Again, ho- .He calmly walked to the centro- of tho. crossing and sat there--tlnhklng. "The little thing will get ! rim over,"' murmured- a little, watching ; maiden, and she ran- to tlio-centre fit tho crossing, to endeavoui' : to coax pussy by stroking and other entieatmeiits Wr' loved of lik- kind to. safer ground. Pussy again purred gratefully and eosiimiser-; ateiy aiidwithaiook that murmured his thanks, calmly threaded his way past two advancing electric monsters to the Baiik of Now Zealand. Ho turned as though to'lot his watchers _ ks# that though apparently buried in his own thought, he had; observed their interest and solicitude, and was duly gfatoful. ■' He thai turned wtuirfwnfds. The strange, collection of instinct buried s«!no^here in that beiiig was beekflning him t« his' unknown' goal and : 'th'e gently wiving tail -aw! snowy whiteness beneath 'was slowly enveloped in the dark-Bess as he trotted on towards the wharf. Perhaps, away in 'the darkness, waited, some-maiden felifle for her snowy and faithful swain; mayhap the animal had a more material rMHtea'Otts in tlvo pre ciueta of tho place known to b'tinmas as ..tlio Municipal Fish Hart.. .Who knows?.