CHAPTER VII.
PUSS TAKING A JOURNEY.
Fidelle had one singular habit which I have not yet noticed. She used totake a solitary walk every evening at about dusk. The custom began inthe following manner. For a long time Mr. and Mrs. Lee, with Minnie,were in the habit of taking a walk at sunset, and sometimes Fidelle wentwith them; but finding the frolics of the kitten fatigued the child,causing her to run up and down in pursuit, they ordered the cat to bekept at home.
As soon as they were out of sight, puss started off by herself, andenjoyed it so much, that for years, except when the weather was verystormy, the little creature might be seen walking demurely down theavenue into the street, from which direction she usually returned inthe course of an hour, walking as quietly as she went.
One day a gentleman from the neighboring city came to pass the nightwith her father, and, knowing Minnie's fondness for animals, told her hehad heard a curious account of a cat, which he would relate to her ifshe pleased.
The little girl was delighted, and ran at once to call her cousin Ida.They were presently seated in the parlor, Minnie having taken theprecaution to carry with her the favorite volume from the library, incase it should be needed.
"I am told this story is authentic," said the gentleman. "It occurred inthe summer of 1828, near Deniston, England.
"A gentleman, by the name of Stankley, owned a cat, who was a greatfavorite with the children, and was in the constant habit of going outof doors to play with them. One day she returned to the house withoutany of her usual company, and going directly to Mrs. Stankley, rubbedherself against her feet, crying, to arrest attention. She then went tothe door and returned, which motions she repeated so long that the ladysuspected the little creature had something in view. She therefore puton her bonnet, and followed her out. To her astonishment, it ran onbefore her, turning continually, and apparently delighted that it hadgained its object, until they had gone some distance. Here the cat lefther, and darted forward, when, to her surprise, she saw her youngestchild stuck fast in the mud of a ditch, unable to move.
"When the mother extricated the child, the cat testified her pleasurein every possible way, jumping on the lady's dress, and purring asloudly as possible."
"I imagine," remarked Mr. Lee, "that the power of observation in theinferior animals is greater than is generally supposed. Those who havemost carefully watched them, and noted their characters and habits,think they not only come to know persons and events, but to distinguishparticular days, like the Sabbath, and to comprehend the meaning ofmany words.
"I saw, the other day, a curious proof that cats observe what is passingaround them.
"There was a lady who lived at Potsdam with her children. One day, theyoungest ran a splinter into her little foot, which caused her to screamout most violently.
"At first, her cries were disregarded, as it was supposed theyproceeded, as they often did, from impatience. At last, the eldersister, who had been asleep, was awakened by the screams, and as she wasjust getting up to quiet the child, she observed a favorite cat, withwhom they were wont to play, and who was of a remarkably gentledisposition, leave its place under the stove, go to the crying girl, andstrike her on the cheek with one of its paws so as to draw blood.
"After this, the animal walked back with the greatest composure andgravity to its place, as if satisfied with having chastised the childfor crying, and with the hope of indulging in a comfortable nap. Shehad, no doubt, often seen the child punished in this way for crossness;and as there was no one near to administer correction, puss haddetermined to take the law into her own hand."
This story occasioned a great laugh, though Minnie pitied the cryinggirl, who not only had to bear the splinter, but the punishment of thecat.
"Another story, exhibiting the close observation of cats," rejoined Mr.Lee, "relates to their habit of returning home from a long distance. Amost remarkable instance of this was given by a gentleman who removedfrom the county of Sligo to Dublin, a distance of about ninety miles.
"When about to change their residence, he and his children regrettedexceedingly being obliged to leave a favorite cat behind them, which hadendeared itself to them by its docility and affection.
"They had not been settled many days in their new abode, when oneevening, as the family were sitting and chatting merrily at the teatable, the servant came in, followed by a cat so precisely like the oneleft behind that all the family repeated his name at once; the littlecreature testifying great joy, in his own way, at the meeting.
"The gentleman took the puss in his arms, while all gathered about toexamine him; but no difference could be found between their old favoriteand this one. Still it was difficult to believe it was their poordeserted pet, for how could he have travelled after them? or how couldhe have found them out?
"Yet the exact resemblance, the satisfaction which the poor animalevinced, as he walked about in all the confidence of being amongfriends, with his tail erect, and purring with pleasure, left littledoubt that this was indeed their own cat.
"At last, one of the family examined his claws, and found they wereactually worn down with travelling. This circumstance convinced themthat poor puss had really followed them the whole journey of ninetymiles.
"As soon as they could believe it was their own, they gave thefaithfully attached creature an enthusiastic greeting and a sumptuousrepast."
"I think that is the most remarkable case of which I ever heard,"responded the visitor, "though I know that cats are famous for returningto their own homes. But here was a road over which puss had nevertravelled, with nothing whatever to guide him in his difficult searchfor those he loved."
CHAPTER VIII.
THE SAGACIOUS CAT.
The next evening, when Mr. Lee returned home, he gave Minnie a smallparcel, which he told her was a present from their late visitor. It wasa beautifully bound book, containing many interesting stories on herfavorite subject.
She could not rest until she had persuaded Ida to read it to her. Twoof the incidents are so remarkable, that I shall quote them to close mybook on Minnie's pet cat, hoping my young readers will be encouraged bythese stories to be kind to pussy, and indeed to all the creatures thatGod has made.
"De la Croix, a lecturer on experimental philosophy, was one day provingto his class that no creature could live without air. For this purposehe placed a cat in a large glass jar, under the receiver of an airpump, and began to exhaust the air.
"Puss flew about, feeling decidedly uncomfortable, but, after a quickexamination of her situation, saw a small aperture, upon which sheplaced her paw.
"The lecturer went on; but puss did not, as he expected, fall downlifeless. She had discovered a method of preventing the air in the jarfrom escaping. When he ceased pumping, she took her paw away; but theinstant he took hold of the handle, she put it there again.
"Finding her too sagacious to be quietly killed, De la Croix was obligedto send for a less intelligent cat before he could proceed with hislecture."
"In April, 1831, an exhibition of six cats was opened in Edinboro', by acompany of Italians, which gave astonishing proofs of theirintelligence. They were kept in a large box, and each came forth at thecommand of the owner, seeming perfectly to understand its duty. They hadbeen taught to beat a drum, turn a spit, strike upon an anvil, turn acoffee roaster, and ring bells.
"Two of them, who seemed to be more sagacious than the rest, drew abucket suspended by a pulley, like a draw well. The length of the ropewas about six feet, and they perfectly understood when the bucket washigh enough to stop pulling. Most of the time they stood upright ontheir hind legs.
"One of them would turn a wheel when a piece of meat stuck on a spit wasput before it. But the instant the meat was removed, she stopped,considering the labor needless till the meat was replaced."
Transcriber's Note
The following typographical errors were corrected:
41 I suppose" changed to I suppose," 95 So well changed to "So well
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