In a small town in Minnesota, noted for its several state institutions
of learning, lives a widow whose success in the training of a cat has
made her quite noted in her locality.
Tiger, the cat, is not famous for his long hair nor for his long
pedigree. He is simply a creature who has been loved and petted into a
wonderful amount of sympathy for his mistress and he seems to know
instinctively many of her likes and dislikes, and he would no more harm
Dick, the canary, who lives in the same room, than he would attack the
hand which places the saucer of milk before him each day.
One morning, Mrs. Rogers (as we will call his mistress, though that is
not her true name), allowed Dick to take his bath in his tiny tub upon
the dining-room floor, while she rearranged and dusted the furniture of
the room, leaving the door wide open during the time. A neighbor sat by
the doorway watching Dick bathe and, not having the faith in Tiger which
his mistress held, exclaimed, “That cat of yours will kill your bird
sometime. I know he will.”
Mrs. Rogers smiled very quietly as she stopped to give Tiger an assuring
pat on the head and a word of praise for his good behavior, for she
believed he understood the neighbor’s unkind remark.
“Tiger is a good cat and I’ll trust him any time with Dick,” said his
mistress, turning away from him to attend to her duties.
A prolonged “Oh!” like a stifled scream came from the neighbor’s lips
the next minute for Tiger had sprung at Dick and held him tightly in his
cruel jaws.
“See Tige! See Tige!” exclaimed the visitor.
But Dick never fluttered a bit and Mrs. Rogers patted Tiger again as she
caught sight of a vanishing stranger cat disappearing through an open
window.
“Brave old Tiger! Good little Dickie!” said their mistress, as she took
the bird, unharmed, from Tiger’s teeth, which had held the bird safely
away from real danger.
Dick flew back to his open cage, Tiger went back to his nap in the
sunshine, and the lady visitor learned the lesson that love works
wonders in even the creatures that do not speak as we do.
Mary Catherine Judd.
[Illustration: POCKET OR KANGAROO RAT.
(Dipodomys similis).
Life-size.
FROM COL. CHI. ACAD. SCIENCES.]