American literature -- 19th century -- Periodicals; Sunday schools -- United States -- Periodicals
At one time we had an old cat which was determined to rear her three
little kittens in the closet of mamma’s room. The kittens were
repeatedly carried back to the cellar, and as often Mistress Puss
would find some way to take her family back to the closet. Tiger had
evidently been watching the whole operation, and decided to take
affairs into his own hands, as you will see when I tell you what
happened.
One day, Bridget, the cook, saw him go through the kitchen with
something in his mouth. She followed carefully after him, and what do
you think she found? You cannot guess, I know, so I will tell you.
Tiger had brought down the kittens, one by one, in his mouth, and
carried them into the back yard, where having dug a hole for each, they
had been placed, and carefully covered with dirt. Bridget rushed into
the house, and said to us, “Oh! do come out in the yard, Tiger has made
a cat’s cemetery.” We hurried out to see what she could mean, and found
her words were true. There stood Tiger looking at his work, seeming to
feel very proud to think he had found such an effectual way of keeping
the kittens out of mamma’s closet.
Tiger was not always so cruel as this, but sometimes showed great
fondness for other animals. My papa kept many sheep, and one spring
there were two little lambs born that were disowned by the mother
sheep. Of course, it would not do to let the little things die for want
of care, so they were brought to the woodshed, and put under my mamma’s
protection. They were soon named Dicky and Biddy, and being fed often
with warm milk from a bottle, they grew rapidly. From the first Tiger
showed a great liking for the pet lambs, and would stretch himself out
on the floor by the side of the basket, where he would remain for hours
at a time.
One day after Dicky and Biddy had grown quite strong he got them out
of the basket on to the floor. How this was accomplished we could
never quite tell, but I am quite sure they had some way of making each
other understand, so that he coaxed, persuaded and encouraged them to
go beyond the narrow limits of the basket, and see more of the world.
After a while they were not contented to roam about the shed, but
extended their journeys to the yard, and sometimes away down the street.
This last habit would have proved a very troublesome one to us, if it
had not been for Tiger’s assistance in bringing them back. We had but
to say, “Tiger! Dicky and Biddy have run away. Go find them,” and away
he would dash down the street after them. When he overtook them they
would all stand for a few minutes as though there were an explanation
of the case being given, and then he would turn around and run home
with both lambs meekly following him. I have watched him many times,
and I never knew him fail to bring them back.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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