My friend Mrs F--gave me a very touching anecdote.
A lady she knew, residing in Essex, once had two young daughters. They
had a pet cat which they had reared from a kitten, and which was their
constant companion. The sisters, however, were both seized with scarlet
fever, and died. The cat seemed perfectly to understand what had taken
place, and, refusing to leave the room, seated herself on the bed where
they lay, in most evident sorrow. When the bodies of the young girls
were placed in their small coffins, she continued to move backwards and
forwards from one to the other, uttering low and melancholy sounds.
Nothing could induce her all the time to take food, and soon after the
interment of her fond playmates she lay down and passed away from life.
This account, given by the mother of the children, makes me quite ready
to believe in the truth of similar anecdotes.
Tender affection is like a beautiful flower: it needs cultivation. As
cold winds and pelting showers injure the fair blossoms, so passionate
temper, sullen behaviour, or misconduct, will destroy the love which
should exist between brothers and sisters, and those whose lot is cast
together. Cherish affectionate feelings in your hearts. Be kind and
gentle to all around, and your friends will love you more even than the
cat I have told you about loved her mistresses.