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[Illustration: MINNIE PLAYING WITH FIDELLE. Page 10.]
[Illustration: MINNIE and her PETS.
BY MRS MADELINE LESLIE
MINNIE'S PET CAT.]
MINNIE'S PET HORSE.
BY
MRS. MADELINE LESLIE,
AUTHOR OF "THE LESLIE STORIES," "TIM, THE SCISSORS-GRINDER,"
ETC.
ILLUSTRATED.
BOSTON:
LEE AND SHEPARD,
SUCCESSORS TO PHILLIPS, SAMPSON & CO.
1864.
Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1863, by
A. R. BAKER,
In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of
Massachusetts.
ELECTROTYPED AT THE BOSTON STEREOTYPE FOUNDRY.
TO MY YOUNG FRIEND,
HENRY FOWLE DURANT, JR.
=These Little Volumes=
ARE AFFECTIONATELY INSCRIBED
BY THE AUTHOR,
IN THE EARNEST HOPE THAT THEY MAY INCREASE IN HIM THAT
LOVE OF NATURE AND OF RURAL LIFE WHICH HAS EVER
EXERTED SO SALUTARY AN INFLUENCE IN THE
FORMATION OF THE CHARACTERS OF
THE WISE AND GOOD.
MINNIE AND HER PETS.
Minnie's Pet Parrot.
Minnie's Pet Cat.
Minnie's Pet Dog.
Minnie's Pet Horse.
Minnie's Pet Lamb.
Minnie's Pet Monkey.
MINNIE'S PET CAT.
CHAPTER I.
THE LOVING PUSS.
Fidelle, Minnie's second pet, was a beautiful tortoise-shell cat.
She was an elegant creature. Her fur was of moderate length, of pure
black, white, and reddish orange. Her eyes were large, bright, and
affectionate in expression. Her form was delicate, and her motions
active. In character, she was the most attached, graceful little puss I
ever knew.
The moment Fidelle heard Minnie's voice, she walked to the door, and was
ready to welcome her, rubbing her glossy sides against the child's feet,
and making little soft notes of pleasure.
Sometimes Minnie had the headache, or was tired, and lay upon the sofa;
when she did so, Fidelle loved to jump up and walk softly over the
little figure until she came to her mistress's face, when she quietly
lay down near by, or sometimes licked her hand lovingly. She never did
this to Mrs. Lee, or any other member of the family.
Fidelle was an active puss, and often went bird-catching, or mousing
during the night; but generally, when Minnie opened the door of her
chamber in the morning, there was Fidelle ready to receive her.
During the warm weather, it was Minnie's habit to take an early stroll
with her father through the grounds, or to accompany him to the nursery,
garden, and orchards, when he went to give orders to the men who worked
for him.
On such occasions, Fidelle was always on hand, sometimes running along
by her side, and then skipping to the top of a tree, or gamboling on
before her.
When Minnie was very small, she often used to hug the kitten so tightly
as, no doubt, to cause the little creature pain; and then, in running
around the room after it, the young miss used to catch it by the tail;
but Fidelle never resisted, nor, if hurt, revenged herself. She seemed
to understand that Minnie loved her, and that it was her duty to submit
quietly to all the caprices of her young mistress.
One day, when the child was about four years old, a rude boy came, with
his mother, to visit her. Seeing Fidelle frolicking about the room,
highly delighted with a ball of thread, into which she had got her
dainty little feet entangled, Wallace caught the cat by the tail, and
held her by it in the air.
Minnie screamed with all her might, as she flew to the rescue of her
pretty pet.
"Go right away, you ugly boy!" she cried out. "Poor Fidelle! darling
kitty! I won't let you be hurt so."
Puss remembered the insult and abuse. Whenever she saw Wallace coming
toward her, she hid herself behind the sofa; and once, when he came
suddenly upon her, she gave him a long, deep scratch on his hand.
Minnie never after liked this boy; and once, when Mrs. Lee was intending
to invite his mother to repeat her visit, the child begged earnestly
that Wallace might be left at home, saying, "He is so cruel to Fidelle,
I can't bear to have him here."
I told you, in the other book about Minnie's pet parrot, that she used
often to ride with her mother in the afternoon. There was nothing she
liked better than to take Fidelle and Tiney out with her. Sometimes
Mrs. Lee allowed this; but when she was intending to make calls she
feared the pets would be troublesome.
Fidelle was greatly disappointed when she could not go. She would ask as
well as she knew how, and I dare say some of her mews were promises to
be good; but Mrs. Lee knew best when it was proper, and was obliged to
be firm.
Kitty then used to stand at the door, watching her mistress, as she
jumped into the carriage, returning her "Good by, dear Fidelle," by
little soft purrs.
When the carriage was out of sight, Puss seated herself at the window to
watch for their return. Whether it was one hour or two, she almost
always sat patiently, sometimes indulging herself with a nap, but never
getting so sound asleep that the first rumble of the wheels did not
awaken her.
As soon as the carriage began to roll up the avenue, Kitty was all
excitement, looking from the window, and moving her tail back and forth,
then with a spring bounding to another window, where she could see them
alight. If the door happened to be shut, she cried piteously until let
out, when she ran quickly and jumped on Minnie's shoulder, purring as
loud as she could, to express her joy.
A lady was once visiting at the house, who said she liked dogs,
especially such splendid great ones as Leo; but she couldn't see any
thing agreeable or intelligent in a cat.
"There are some wonderful accounts of the sagacity of cats," remarked
Mr. Lee, smiling at Minnie's quick flush of indignation. "If my little
daughter will bring me that book we were looking at yesterday, I think
I can soon convince you that they are certainly not wanting in
intelligence."
"They are capable of strong attachments," said Mrs. Lee, as the child
rose and left the room, followed closely by Fidelle. "I think none of
Minnie's pets show more real affection for her, nor more gratitude for
her kindness."
"Is this the book, father?" inquired the little girl, putting a
handsomely bound volume into his hand, and looking very bright and rosy.
"Yes, child, this is it."
"I thought it was, by the picture of the cats."
The lady looked surprised; and presently asked, earnestly, "Can't you
read, Minnie?"
Vivid blushes spread all over the child's face, as she softly answered,
"No, ma'am."
"We have our own views on that subject," said the gentleman, smiling, as
he drew his only daughter tenderly to his side. "She will learn fast
enough when we put her to her books. At present, our only desire is to
see her enjoy herself, and lay in a good stock of health."
"Why not do both, Mr. Lee?" asked the lady. "My little Marie Louise is
only four, and she can read almost as well as I can. She is learning to
write, too, and really pens a letter very prettily."
"I dare say," added the gentleman, gravely, after giving his wife a
comical look; "your daughters are all geniuses, which, I am happy to
say, Minnie is not. She is only an obedient, affectionate, practical
little girl," giving her a tender caress.
"But come, we were discussing, not the child's merits, but the cat's."
"True; and now for your account of them."
Mr. Lee turned over the leaves of the book, thanking God that his dear,
conscientious, simple-hearted Minnie was not artful, disobedient, and
affected, like the child of their visitor, even though the latter might
be ever so learned a miss; and presently came to the chapter on domestic
cats, from which we shall quote a few incidents.