Letters From a Cat: Published by Her Mistress for the Benefit of All Cats and the Amusement of Little Children (2 page)

When I went to breakfast, there sat my cousin Josiah, looking as unconcerned

as possible, reading a newspaper. He was a student in the college, and boarded at our house. At the sight of him all my indigna tion and grief broke forth afresh. I began to cry again; and running up to him, I doubled up my fist and shook it in his face.

" I said I 'd never speak to you as long as I lived," I cried; " but I will. You 're just a murderer, a real murderer ; that's what you are! and when you go to be a missionary, I hope the cannibals '11 eat you! I hope they '11 eat you alive raw, you mean old murderer!"

" Helen Maria ! " said my father's voice behind me, sternly. "Helen Maria! leave the room this moment! " '

I went away sullenly, muttering, " I don't care, he is a murderer; and I hope he '11 be drowned, if he isn't eaten! The Bible says the same measure ye mete shall be meted to you again. He ought to be drowned."

For this sullen muttering I had to go without my breakfast ; and after break fast was over, I was made to beg Cousin Josiah's pardon ; but I did not beg it in my heart — not a bit — only with my lips, just repeating the words I was told to say ; and from that time I never spoke one word to him, nor looked at him, if I could help it.

My kind mother offered to get another

kitten for me, but I did not want one. After a while, my sister Ann had a present of a pretty little gray kitten ; but I never played with it, nor took any notice of it at all. I was as true to my Pussy as she was to me ; and from that day to this, I have never had another Pussy 1

LETTERS FROM A CAT.

I.

MY DEAR HELEN:

That is what your mother calls you, I know, for I jumped up on her writing-table just now, and looked, while she was out of the room; and I am sure I have as much right to call you so as she has, for if you were my own little kitty, and looked just like me, I could not love you any more than

I do. How many good naps I have had in your lap! and how many nice bits of meat you have saved for me out of your own din ner! Oh, I'll never let a rat, or a mouse, touch any thing of yours so long as I live.

I felt very unhappy after you drove off yesterday, and did not know what to do with myself. I went into the barn, and thought I would take a nap on the hay, for I do think going to sleep is one of the very best things for people who are unhappy; but it seemed so lonely without old Charlie stamping in his stall that I could not bear it,

" I felt very unhappy after you drove off yesterday." PAGE 28.

so I went into the garden, and lay down under the damask rose-bush, and caught flies. There is a kind of fly round that bush which I like better than any other I ever ate. You ought to see that there is a very great difference between my catching flies and your doing it I have noticed that you never eat them, and I have wondered that when you were always so kind to me you could be so cruel as to kill poor flies for nothing: I have often wished that I could speak to you about it: now that your dear mother has taught me to print, I shall be able to say a great many things to

you which I have often been un happy about because I could not make you understand. I am en tirely discouraged about learning to speak the English language, and I do not think anybody takes much trouble to learn ours; so we cats are confined entirely to the society of each other, which prevents our knowing so much as we might; and it is very lonely too, in a place where there are so few cats kept as in Amherst. If it were not for Mrs. Hitchcock's cat, and Judge Dickin son's, I should really forget how to use my tongue. When you are at home I do not mind it, for although

I cannot talk to you, I understand every word that you say to me, and we have such good plays together with the red ball. That is put away now in the bottom drawer of the little workstand in the sitting-room. When your mother put it in, she turned round to me, and said, " Poor pussy, no more good plays for you till Helen comes home!" and I thought I should certainly cry. But I think it is very foolish to cry over what cannot be helped, so I pretend ed to have got something into my left eye, and rubbed it with my paw. It is very seldom that I cry over any thing, unless it is "spilt milk."

I must confess, I have often cried when that has happened: and it always is happening to cats' milk. They put it into old broken things that tip over at the least knock, and then they set them just where they are sure to be most in the way. Many's the time Josiah has knocked over that blue saucer of mine, in the shed, and when you have thought that I had had a nice breakfast of milk, I had nothing in the world but flies, which are not good for much more than just a little sort of relish. I am so glad of a chance to tell you about this, because I know when you come

I hope you found the horse-chestnuts which I put in the carriage for you. I had a dreadful time climbing up over the dasher with them." — PAGE 33.

home you will get a better dish for me.

I hope you found the horse-chestnuts which I put in the bot tom of, the carriage for you. I could not think of any thing else to put in, which would remind you of me: but I am afraid you will never think that it was I who put them there, and it will be too bad if you don't, for I had a dreadful time climbing up over the dasher with them, and both my jaws are quite lame from stretching them so, to carry the biggest ones I could find.

There are three beautiful dan delions out on the terrace, but I

don't suppose they will keep till you come home. A man has been doing something to your garden, but though I watched him very closely all the time, I could not make out

what he was about. I am afraid it

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is something you will not like; but if I find out more about it, I will tell you in my next letter. Good by.

Your affectionate PUSSY.

MY DEAR HELEN:

I do wish that you and your father would turn around directly, wherever you are, when you get this letter, and come home as fast as you can. If you do not come soon there will be no home left for you to come into. I am so frightened and excited, that my paws tremble, and I have upset the ink twice, and spilled so much that there is only a little left in the bottom of the cup, and

it is as thick as hasty pudding; so you must excuse the looks of this letter, and I will tell you as quickly as I can about the dreadful state of things here. Not more than an hour after I finished my letter to you, yesterday, I heard a great noise in the parlor, and ran in to see what was the matter. There was Mary with her worst blue handkerchief tied over her head, her washing-day gown on, and a big hammer in her hand. As soon as she saw me, she said, " There 's that cat! Always in my way/' and threw a cricket at me, and then shut the parlor door with a great slam. So I ran out

and listened under the front win dows, for I felt sure she was in some bad business she did not want to have known. Such a noise I never heard: all the thing's were being moved; and in a few minutes, what do you think — out came the whole carpet right on my head! I was nearly stifled with dust, and felt as if every bone in my body must be broken; but I managed to creep out from under it, and heard Mary say, "If there isn't that torment of a cat again! I wish to goodness Helen had taken her along!" Then I felt surer than ever that some mischief was on foot; and I