of abusive, squeaky protest that sounded very much like "cussing,"
this intrusion into their domain being highly resented by the present
tenants. But the strangers had come with a purpose, and to stay, so
took possession of the hut as with a flourish of trumpets, making
preparations for the night, scattering the scolding families to
temporary hiding, and anticipating no end of fun in banishing them
forever to their own territory. In time the miner settled down into
a daily routine of business and pleasure, with only the cat and
the solemn and magnificent trees for company. He was wholly happy
in getting the cabin into living order, delightfully systematic in
regulating the primitive housekeeping arrangements, and shamefully
contented with the homely result, but always on the lookout for golden
possibilities. He was not conscious of a dull or lonesome moment in the
heavenly largeness of the pure mountain air, but every day was one of
stirring fascination to him in the thought of what might come with the
next turn of the shovel.
The great peace and majesty of the California mountains, glowing in
their summer fulness, was marvelous to the city man, who had been
aching for these exuberant heights so long. The crisp keen air was like
wine in his veins and made his blood tingle. As he bared his arms with
cheerful determination his whole being thrilled and he struck and dug
into the flinty rock with a strength born of a faith, that however he
might blunder, the gods would be kind and he would come to his own in
the end.
Each wonderful day was followed by another as wonderful, the weeks
speeding as lightly as homing birds. If there were troubles that
sometimes seemed dark and dreadful, and difficulties hard to overcome,
the two were happy, the cat being the very heart of the camp life and
living on the most intimate terms of love and equality with his devoted
master in the leveling process of their primitive life. The kitten had
grown into the utmost splendid stature of his race, going from strength
to strength, being all muscle and nerve, unusually broad of chest,
looking as if bred to the mountain fastness and able to endure all
sorts of pioneer hardships. His baby coat was now thick and silky fur
and was growing more glossy and beautiful every day, so that the man
in his pride gazed upon him with an eye of rapture in the possession,
and felt sure that in his successful raid into the enemy's camp, he had
unwittingly stumbled on something beyond the common kind. Handsome,
shining and saucy, he was wonderfully wise and cunning for a cat,
having no equal in the chase. The vain little creatures of the forest,
grown bold and reckless and almost fearless during the years that they
had been unmolested, did not have half a chance, and learned that they
must exert their utmost to escape this cruel forager.
[Illustration: THE CAT
The Kitten Had Grown Into the Most Splendid Bigness of His Race,
Handsome, Shining and Saucy, All Muscle and Nerve, Unusually Broad
of Chest and Looking as if Bred to the Mountain Fastness and Able to
Endure all Sorts of Pioneer Hardships]
It was in the evening, when pick and shovel were standing sentinel in
the corner and the chimney sending its curly blue beacons of comfort
toward the sky, that this wonderful "pardner" of the miner shone in all
the glory of his domestic virtues, giving the rough cabin the grace and
semblance of home. This evening hour bestowed happiness on both the
man and the cat, and marked the very height of their goodfellowship.
The man, his day's work over, steeped in the tang of the pine logs
roaring in the huge fireplace, was at rest and at peace with all the
world, puffing voluminous clouds from his pipe. His drowsy friend,
too, was filled to the heart with the warmth from the ruddy logs and,
in blinking satisfaction, would occasionally relieve his overflowing
gratitude by low throaty murmurs of blissful content. These tranquil
hours by the fire certainly atoned for many hardships, and feeling
such a glow of nameless satisfaction in the snug, solitary enjoyment of
them, the thankful man was more than compensated for all the sacrifices
he had made. Being a willing, self-imposed exile, he felt that his
blessings were more than he really deserved.
In the narrow canon at the base of these mountains, closing it in on
both sides, was where the miner was following the old lead in which
he had so much faith. In the rocky bottom grew scraggy fir and pine
trees and in the crevice at the very bottom, a little stream hurried
along, a trifling affair at this time of the year, but in the winter
assuming the proportions of a raging torrent, as it was fed from the
great volume of water that fell from the heights above. Here the miner
washed his "pay dirt" at the "clean up," and it was also the cat's
happy hunting ground, for it was the home of the wood mice, chipmunks,
squirrels and other "small deer" nutting among the pines and going
their ways boldly and busily, thoroughly intent on the business of
living and making a living.
The cat roamed these wilds freely, foraging unchallenged, exploring
with eyes and nose every tree, hollow and boulder, for he, too, was
a practical, busy cat, making a living, as he had to work out his own
salvation in this respect. He certainly had the right of way in this
world of forage, and the thrifty little bodies that in the days of
abundance would prepare for a day of need, had to be very wily as to
where they laid their stores, for the cat would nose and ferret out
their most secret hiding places.
One morning the miner, taking his dirt to the ravine, found the cat
vigorously digging in the loose earth at the opening of a gigantic
fissure in the rocky peaks, a fissure that led in gradual ascent, its
sides sheer and steep, to the peaks above. So intent was the cat on
his quarry that he did not notice his master's greeting, but kept the
dry earth briskly flying to the right and left. The man supposed, as a
matter of course, that he was on a scent and had cornered some game in
its den, and in careless sympathy thought to help him out and struck
his shovel deep into the loose earth. As he turned the heavy load he
gasped, for he found it freighted with sparkling metal. He rubbed his
eyes in wonder, dazed with astonishment, looking first at the cat now
sitting demurely by with a satisfied air, as if he had done his part
and then at the twinkling scales of gold blinking up at him as he
shifted it through his shaking fingers. This sudden realization of the
hopes of all the long hard years and the past months of active search,
staggered his faculties. In a bewildered way he fingered the gravel in
his hand, and wondered if it could be that he had "struck it rich" this
time; if so, it was surely this prince of cats, either by chance or
luck, that had proven the cleverer prospector of the two.
He followed the deep narrow gulch on and on, up and up, not for
an instant suspecting the marvelous wealth it would reveal. He was
lured on by frequently finding deep and rich pockets of yellow ore,
mixed with water-worn loose rocks and dirt, which evidently had been
collecting in this rough trough for a million years, washed down from
the steep sides and many peaks above and around.
When night came down, shutting the cañon in absolute darkness, it
roused the man from his golden dream with a start, and he straightened
his bent, aching body and mopped his hot forehead. His first thought
was for the cat, totally forgotten through all these absorbing hours,
and an instant of self-reproach for fear he had not followed, but had
gone back to the cabin at the usual time. At his startled call the
neglected cat came rubbing his comforting presence about his feet,
showing that he had been faithful all through the long day in which he
had not been noticed. This God-sent lucky chum, that had brought him
the great good fortune, had unmistakably an air of triumph gleaming
from the depths of his great black pupils, and his beautiful sleek body
assumed an attitude scandalously near a swagger, as if waiting for this
opportunity to presume on his partnership in this affair, to advise
his master that they had better be getting home. The miner instantly
recognized the justice of his impertinence and caught him up in his
arms, and they camped right there where they were through the short,
starry night, hugged close.
At the first faint glimmering of day, the miner and the cat found
their way back to the cabin. The man had pulled himself together by
this time and had his nerve steadied back into its wonted control and
his brain normal, in good working order. After his night's rest, in
which the calm had returned to his overwrought imagination, he was able
to meditate reasonably on the good fortune which began now to assume
definite shape. To convince himself past all doubting, he drew from his
pockets the yellow proof. There was no doubt about its being the real
thing and he lifted his hat in gratitude to the cat, for this little
prospector had certainly opened up for him the best lead in the whole
country. The magnitude of what this developed was more than he ever
dreamed could be. It seemed to him that all the gold that God ever gave
to the world was in that one gulch, and there it lay unappropriated
from end to end. It was like an Aladdin's fairy lamp, a gift of the
gods. Millions were there and all there was to do was to pick up the
yellow lumps. How this golden placer could have lain there, hidden in
the sand and gravel of this fissure so long undiscovered, was a mystery
that baffled even the miner's most profound attempts to conjecture.
He had simply to accept his good fortune with a glad heart, as one
of the favored caresses of the Enchantress of the Hills. His luck in
being the "hundredth man" was, he claimed, all owing to his wonderful
mascot, that in a time of desperation he had just gone out and annexed.
His mate shared sympathetically in the sense of well-being in these
great days of success, and must have realized, from the almost reverent
homage that was accorded him, that he had played some very important
part in winning the game.
And the partners linger and linger, rejoicing in the big loneliness
of this little paradise all their own, ever happy and without a care,
their cheery hearts growing bigger and bigger in unbroken friendship.
The miner knows that just "over yonder," beyond the purple twilight, is
the busy world and that he can "clean up" and go back to things and the
life of people of affairs at any moment. Yet he stays on, loving this
life under the sky, of joy and independence, hardship and adventure,
with its splendid achievement, too much to make any change in the happy
order of things.
AÏDA AND SAADI
The contented purr of "Home Sweet Home" on the hearth, by a resident
kitten, was the one touch of coziness lacking in our newly acquired
country bungalow.
Seeing an exhibition of thoroughbreds advertised, with many for sale, a
trip was made for the sole purpose of filling this pleasant need in our
comfortable chimney corner, and so making our little ménage complete.
On arriving at the crowded display rooms, where each cat's family
ancestors were found carefully recorded, the problem of selecting the
correct kitten, among so bewildering a collection of purple pedigrees,
was a rather serious one. They all looked so fuzzy, chubby and
attractive that we wanted them all, and it was impossible to decide on
just one. After long and careful consideration, two babies were finally
selected for their special beauty and daintiness, as the ones most
likely to blend harmoniously with the crackle of our cheerful fire, and
the singing of the evening tea urn in our bungalow.
The homeward journey, with the tiny princesses carried carefully and
almost awesomely, was one of suppressed, but anticipated triumph, in
being the fortunate possessors of something worth while in cats and
something that would doubtless become real blessings under the careful
training and wise discipline we were already planning.
On reaching home and joyously throwing back the cover of the padded
traveling basket, we found the expected excitement painfully lacking;
there was no eager bounding of the released little captives as would
be most natural in ordinary kittens, and which we had expected twofold
in these extraordinary ones, not even a friendly mew--just an awkward
silence, with two of the most pathetic, tired looking bunches of
royalty staring up from the basket, with frightened eyes.
We gently lifted the scared, chrysanthemum-like blossoms of fur from
the basket and silently but proudly placed them on the floor in order
to display their blue-blooded points, that all might be properly awed.
But even then, in spite of their beauty, which all acknowledged, they
failed to make any sort of pleasant impression, but lay just as they
had been placed, crouching almost flat in shrinking terror of their new
surroundings. As they cowered there in cringing, pathetic helplessness,
they looked like almost anything but kittens to be proud of, and the
audience smiled incredulously, while I as their sponsor in momentary
chagrin and contrition, wondered if, perhaps, in pride, I had not been
too ambitious in making a selection of such royal daintiness. For,
might it not be that the solemnity of such a long line of lineage would
result in their being a terrible disappointment as mere kittens, and
what we had planned on having was nice, fat, cheery, comfy playfellows.
The poor small mites of big pedigree were certainly woefully depressing
under the present strain, and at this rather inopportune moment it
was cheerfully suggested that I might possibly have done better in my
investment, and perhaps realized a greater profit, with the homemade
"just cat" variety. But I ignored these sarcastic insinuations and
would not be disheartened, for my treasures were of the renowned
Persian species and I was still hopeful that the purity of the blood
which circulated in their veins would yet prove its worth. Even to the
skeptical, they showed that they were unmistakably the real article
by an elegance of finish throughout, and that they were of the purest
breeding, for their coats were unusually long, with soft, full, fluffy
scruffs and little tufts of hair growing out of their thin pink ears
and between their darling chubby toes.
At first it _did_ seem as if, with their advent, a rather serious
and unnecessary responsibility had been thrust upon an inexperienced
household, for the risk in rearing these tender thoroughbreds was
perhaps too great to assume without the aid of a natural parent.
Fortunately for us, the melancholy period of their abrupt and rather
shocking orphanage soon passed, and under our loving care the memory of
mother gradually faded away. They grew and throve like plain ordinary
kittens and soon began to frolic and take on the gladness of life, in
spite of the deprivation of a real mother's cuddling and nursing.
As our acquaintance grew into one of weeks, we discovered that there
would be no lack of entertainment, for the royal babies took life in
doses of "doing things" most of the time. Surely no one could accuse
them of being bereft of temperament, as we had feared, for they
possessed an intense and heartbreaking inclination for excitement in
various varieties all the time, quite enough to reassure even the most
doubting that we were in no danger of not getting our money's worth in
lively kittens. In fact the innocent infants' progress along the lines
of cute and daring adventure caused daily and almost hourly shocks,
as they seemed uncanny in resourcefulness and absolutely fearless in
devising all sorts of startling surprises in the way of miscellaneous
mischief, counting that day as naught and unprofitable which brought
forth nothing new in the way of satanic curiosity and inspiration for
getting into trouble.
The whole household fell under the spell of their charm and were
their faithful adorers, the kittens being the deities before which
were offered up daily homage, and all lent a helping hand in their
"spoiling" as well as in their education. In no time, it seemed,
they became quite accomplished in the understanding of certain words
taught them in painful seriousness and were soon trained to ask for
many little services with such charming and almost human ways as to
have conquered the most obdurate heart, had there been any. They
were wondrous wise and certainly marvellously clever for kittens,
and we could not help being very proud and a little boastful of their
achievements along kitten lines, as well as of their strikingly elegant
appearance. There was nothing commonplace about them. Even their wild
and hilarious playfulness was high tragedy, having such concentration
of energy in it that, as they grew older, it developed into a big bump
of bad, bold destructiveness. Also, time proved that they possessed a
decidedly feminine and insatiable love of investigation and a tragic
thirst for information, especially in natural history.
This swelling protuberance of inquisitiveness as regards the earth
and its various productions of feathered creatures was taking them
nearly every day on long excursions into the near-by woods, often
keeping them absent for hours at a time causing us growing anxiety
as to their safety. As this trip to the woods became an almost daily
after-breakfast custom my curiosity was roused to such an extent
that I determined that I, too, would stroll forth the next morning
to contemplate nature, and if possible, incidentally discover the
fascination that was keeping the infants so much from home. The
suggestion that they might be even looking at the little birds with
evil intent, made me indignant; it was unbelievable those ingenuous
eyes could be so guileful, yet somehow I shivered with a vague
premonition. Resentfully I argued that they were too young for
such cruelty; moreover they were of such royal blood, princesses of
their kind, that one could hardly imagine their doing anything so
scandalously plebeian.
However, the next morning, with secret and rather ominous forebodings,
I sauntered away in the bright May sunshine, through our old-fashioned
garden and up toward the woods, two small downy puffs bounding along
by my side as lightly as if blown by the wind, their round little
eyes like shining suns in their tiny fluffy heads. They scampered
aimlessly, far and near, their heels a-tingle with mischief, poking
their noses into all sorts of out-of-the-way places and having a lot
of terrifying experiences, getting frightened at everything that could
possibly be made into anything scary. They were so seriously determined
on investigating all alluring possibilities that not a moving thing
escaped their vigilance, from the bees in the bushes to an aeroplane
that flew overhead; nor would they have failed, if possible, to help
it along with their paws or turn it over and make it go the other
way. Occasionally they would stop and scent a flower or perhaps glance
warily about, Indian fashion, pretending to see nothing, but raising
their eyes with a sweet pretence of innocence to the trees, especially,
I noticed, if there happened to be a twitter among the branches.
In fact, they appeared to think there was something truly wonderful
about those trees--the plain ordinary green ones with the usual number
of fine feathery limbs in which the birds love to rest their wings.
Further than that, however, their conduct was absolutely blameless, and
as we all scurried home I was comfortably convinced that the matutinal
walks of these dainty elegances were simply due to an overpowering
longing for the green things of earth and the fresh air, possibly from
the tree branches, but just the love of being out of doors, with a
special desire to enjoy the wonderland beauties of our own woody range,
in which we ourselves took great pride.
While still in their tenderest baby days, the kittens developed such
an ardent talent for clinging together in all their activities that
they seemed like two branches swayed by the same breezes. It was more
than the usual natural bond of kinship, even between twins; more like
something prenatal, as if one thought instigated all their doings.
They ate together, walked together, snoozed together, and were never
separated; to see one was always to see both, and everything that
happened took place in pairs. They breathed one common atmosphere
of trust and faith in each other. Their little feminine hearts may
have been often false to us, but to one another they were always
faithfully loyal, enduring with unswerving devotion in this oneness
everything good or bad that was theirs to share. In living mischief
and in the joy of their great discoveries, they were always as of
one mind. Ever frolicking together in the sunshine of happy days and
generously sharing the sorrows of this vale of tears on hard ones. As
one galvanized body, they went through kittenhood in good and bad ways,
suffering and enjoying in the everlasting bond of an alliance offensive
and defensive.
Their good qualities were so many, and their allegiance to the
entire household apparently so faithful, that it came as a sickening
disappointment when a little murdered bird, the result of their
prowess, was brought and laid at my feet. After this there was no
further mystery or doubt as to their inward viciousness, and that it
was pure murder-lust just for the delight in the killing was shown
by their never once offering to eat their victims. Sometimes they
would bring them home and simply "lay them away," and sometimes leave
them, all bloody, under the trees. Feeling that I was the one most
responsible for the morals of these little heathens, and the one most
blamed for their wickedness, an ardent missionary fever began to burn
in my indignant blood, and I secretly determined that there should be
one hand, strong enough in love, to at least discipline this scandalous
feature in their otherwise gentle breeding. If our little aristocratic
babies could not live in friendship with our feathered beauties of the
woods, they should be forced by some kind of vigorous training to leave
them in peace; for we loved the little birds, and their sweet songs in
our woods, too much to be reconciled to any such disloyal warfare upon
them.
It was with a sinking sensation that I sadly and quietly followed
the marauders one morning as they stole off for their usual
"after-breakfast" diversion of seeing things in the woods. I was firmly
resolved to find out how and where the fledglings were captured and
cut off so untimely in their innocent careers and took good care that
the kittens did not see me or know that I was waiting grimly in hiding
until I could catch them red-handed, and there could be no mistake.
At last my time came, when the degenerates were both crouched near a
tree, with wide open, flaming eyes cruelly set on a little chirping
songster. Then as they crept forward with eager desire and all the
cunning stealth of plain, common, feline ancestry, and were just
ready to spring on their unconscious game, I burst upon them in such
a frenzy that it frightened them into a state of absolute dismay. But
before they could feint, the pair of abject and convicted criminals
were hustled back to the house in terrible disgrace, and, hardening
my heart, such discipline and argument was administered as was deemed
expedient.
Naturally better things had been expected from such beautiful,
saint-like looking cherubs, who did not have to make a living by their
wits, and this depraved, red-flame blood lust in their being was a
double surprise and disappointment.