Read Ebook: Ten Kittens by Puckett G A Walley Helen Illustrator

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For seventeen years Thomas lived in the grocery store after being taken in as a homeless kitten. The men who owned the store never regretted that they had shown kindness to a dumb animal and furnished a home for a cat that had many times repaid them for all the care and expense he had been to them. Many new friends and acquaintances had been made because of Thomas on the front counter. New customers had been added to the already long list. The store contained no mice to disturb anything and everyone seemed happy because Thomas was always happy. During all those years he never spent more than two nights outside the store building. He always attended to his own business and was satisfied to stay at home and romp in the basement play ground. At last he died of old age and for many weeks afterward people would look on the counter for the old friend of former days. There were many regrets expressed when the news went out that Thomas was dead. A life of good fellowship and love had not been lived in vain.

TIGER.

Perhaps you have read or heard of tramp kittens. Sometimes they are called little beggars. No doubt you have seen such kittens along the roads or on the streets. Sometimes they will go for miles in search of food and home. In cities and towns they will go from house to house or to the stores in search of scraps of food to eat. Many times these kittens are afraid of boys and girls because they have been abused and often driven away with rocks and clubs but they would like to be treated kindly.

Tiger was one of these tramp kittens in his young days. He had been cast out from his home as an undesirable kitten. Days and nights he wandered around in the town in which he had been left but no one seemed to care for a homeless kitten. Sometimes he was able to find enough to eat but many nights he slept in an alley, cold and hungry.

One morning this tramp kitten was sitting on the back porch of a drug store very hungry. His little body was wasting away. While sitting in the warm sunshine on the porch he went to sleep but was soon awakened by someone opening the back door. Instead of being kicked off the porch with a warning not to return he was surprised to hear kind words and to feel a warm hand stroking his dirty fur.

The kind words and tender strokes came from a young boy whose name was Frank and whose father owned the store. In a few minutes Frank had a little bed arranged by the stove in the store and the tramp kitten was soon fast asleep. A little later he was awakened by Frank who had brought scraps of meat from the meat shop and this the hungry kitten enjoyed very much.

When Frank's father came in that morning he was led back to the stove where the kitten was sleeping and asked if it might live in the store. The father consented and by noon the little boy and the little beggar kitten had made friends for life.

"I am going to name him Tiger," said Frank that evening as he was telling his mother of the new found friend.

"Why name him Tiger, Frank?" asked his mother.

"Because he looks like a Tiger," answered Frank. "His body has stripes all over it just like the pictures of Tigers in my books."

As the months rolled by Tiger became more and more at home in the store. His little master fed him every day and soon he was fat and sleek. He grew very fast and became the pet of the store force. He was taught many tricks and it seemed that he always tried to do what he was told.

Another thing which attracted much attention from the employees and customers was that Tiger would try to get into any kind of box left open or set out for him. He never forgot this and after becoming a full grown cat he would try to get into little boxes. Sometimes Frank or one of the clerks would give him a small paste board box and tell him to lie down in it. He would turn 'round and 'round in it until the sides were mashed and then he would lie down on the flat piece of the box. Sometimes they would give him a very small pill box and he would try to get into it. He would walk all around it and at last would lie down on top of it.

As the years went by Tiger became the pet of all who knew him. His master grew to be a young man but the close friendship with the kitten always existed. Tiger never failed to receive good meals and kind treatment.

One evening while Tiger was lying in the alley one of the clerks called him but he would not answer. The man almost had to whip him to get him back into the store. This was very unusual. The clerk noticed the changed attitude and spoke to others about it.

During the night the fire alarm was given and news soon spread that the drug store was burning. Frank thought first of Tiger and of his desire to remain outside the store that evening. The firemen arrived too late to enter the building although it was not entirely destroyed. The next day Tiger was found on top of the office desk near a rear window. He had suffocated in the smoke but the flames had not touched his body. Such was the end of life for the obedient and faithful Tiger.

SAMMY.

It is very interesting to know why pets are called the same names as people. Not only cats and dogs, but birds, horses, cows and other pets are given the names of people. Many times these names are given because of fondness for the pets and love for those after whom they are named.

The lady who told me this story of Sammy also told me why she called him this name. She had met a very attractive young man while visiting in another town and when she came home she did not forget the new acquaintance. In a few days after she returned from the visit someone gave her a little kitten which she named Sammy for him. She never learned whether the young man felt honored because of this, but the kitten was well cared for.

Sammy was a beautiful Maltese kitten but his young mistress did not know where he was born nor anything about his mother, sisters nor brothers. He seemed like an orphan kitten and was given the best of care. In a little while he was satisfied in the new home and seemed to be perfectly happy.

As the months rolled by, Sammy and his mistress became very fond of each other. One day something happened which changed the course of events. The young lady made another acquaintance--this time of a young man who had gone into business in her home town. Sammy was afraid of all strangers and would not play with any of the boys in the neighborhood and would not make friends with any of the young men who called on his mistress. When the nice looking business man began visiting the young lady Sammy also became acquainted with him. From the first visit he seemed to like the new acquaintance and soon they were close friends. When the young man called at the home Sammy would always meet him at the gate and accompany him to the door. When his mistress would allow him to do so he would go into the house so that the young man might pet him.

Sammy was never trained to catch mice and was never given one to eat. It is often a good thing to have a cat that will catch mice, but sometimes it proves very fatal as mice are often poisoned and thrown out or die where the kittens can find them. Sammy was not allowed to eat meat either, especially raw meat. Feeding raw meat has proven very costly to many valuable cats as it has made them of vicious or cross disposition. The mistress of Sammy was very careful to cultivate in him a kind and obedient disposition.

In the yard of the home there was an old tree in which Sammy spent many happy hours in the warm sunshine. Not many feet from the ground the tree forked and this made a very desirable place to get out of the reach of dogs and to rest or sleep. This had been a favorite resting place for Trilby, a kitten that lived in the home long before Sammy was born. The lady said that both kittens had used the old tree for a resting place and that she had often regretted that she had not taken their pictures. I am sorry, too, as I would like to have shown you the picture of Sammy in this book, but we will have to imagine how peaceful he was as he slept in the warm sunshine.

One beautiful autumn day in September, the young man whom Sammy loved and who had been going to the home very often, went to take Sammy's mistress away. Sammy was pleased to have the young man there although he did not understand why so many people were there and what it all meant.

A few days after the couple were married they moved to a little cottage in another part of town and took Sammy along to live with them. In this new home he seemed perfectly satisfied and never tried to go back to the old home again. He spent many happy days in this home and every evening he would go down the street to meet his new master. The young couple became very much attached to Sammy and gave him the best place in almost everything. Have you ever heard of a spoiled kitten? Sammy was like some children who are allowed to have their way for he became a spoiled kitten later in life.

On another day, many months after the beautiful autumn wedding day, a little baby came into the home to live. Sammy did not know what to think of a baby crying and to see everyone making over the new daughter. In those days he felt somewhat neglected as he was not petted as much as usual but he soon became attached to the little one in the crib. He seemed to love the baby as much as anyone else and at last he became so jealous that he would try to protect her when anyone would lift her from the crib. He would almost fight the young father or mother to keep them away as he seemed to think that they should not fondle her. He must have been afraid that they would hurt his little playmate, although the baby never got to play with Sammy except to coo at him from the crib. He became so cross and so jealous that he had to be given away.

The father saw a man in town one day who lived in the country and he told this man about Sammy and of how good he had been until he became jealous of the baby. Sammy was given to this man and he went to live on a farm. I have wondered how much he missed the baby but probably the farm life attracted his attention so much that he did not grieve very long over the change. He lived to be seven or eight years old and proved to be a valuable cat on the farm. He never got to see his little baby mistress again but after she grew older she was told of Sammy's fondness for her. She is now three or four years older than Sammy was when he died but of course she can remember nothing about him except as the parents have told her.

Sammy is buried on a farm not far from Liberty, Missouri, and those who knew and loved him will never forget the story of his life.

BETTY.

Betty is of the Persian breed of cats like Mitch and Mack in two other stories of this book. She lives at Winnwood Lake, just east of Kansas City, and has a good home and a kind mistress. She is of a loveable disposition. Her father is the famous White Czar, of Kansas City, and her mother is of good stock.

Betty has not traveled over the country like Mack in the other story but she is satisfied to live in a comfortable home with her mistress. She has no time for traveling anyway, because she has to be at home with her family of kittens. I am not sure she is perfectly satisfied though because three of her kittens are far from home today.

The day that Betty's first babies were born was very gloomy and by night a storm was gathering which broke from the clouds in all of its fury later in the night. The trees were howling in the wind and the thunder and lightning caused Betty and her mistress much fear. The lady had gone to bed that night before the storm came on and Betty was in the corner of the room with her new babies. When the noise of the storm was heard, Betty ran to the bed but in a few seconds went back to the box to be with the kittens. She kept this up, going back and forth, for several minutes. At last the lady told her to bring the kittens to the bed. It seemed that she knew what her mistress had said for she went to the box in the corner three times, each time taking a kitten to the bed. After three kittens had been placed on the bed, Betty took a long breath and seemed almost exhausted by jumping back and forth so many times. The lady told her that she had left one kitten in the box so again she went to the corner, this time getting the fourth kitten. After a second attempt she jumped upon the bed and then cuddled down to sleep regardless of the raging storm. She had been used to sleeping on the bed, but was not satisfied to sleep there that night and leave the four kittens in the box in the corner of the room. This act of Betty's showed the mother love for her babies.

The four kittens grew to be beautiful pets. There were three brothers and one sister in Betty's family. One of the brothers was taken to the state of Michigan, and one was sent to Abilene, Kansas. The third brother, named Jack, went to France with a Captain and his wife during the war. Only this one of the brothers went to war. It seems that it would be right for Betty to have a blue star for Jack. The sister, Blue Bell, is still at home with her mother. The father of Blue Bell and the three brothers is Blue-Eyed Billy, another famous cat of Kansas City.

Blue Bell is not alone now because Betty has two more babies in the home. The father of these two younger kittens is called John and he seems to love them as much as Betty does. He will get into the box and wash their faces just like the mother cat. Betty does not forget Blue Bell as her first baby. She is almost two years old now, but Betty washes her face and ears every day just like she did when Blue Bell was a little kitten.

Betty is very fond of going down to the lake and catching craw-fish for the kittens. She will sit near the water until a craw-fish comes in sight near the edge and then with one grab she has it. She always catches them by the back so they cannot pinch her with their sharp pinchers.

Another of her favorite pastimes is gathering the eggs. Betty goes with her mistress every morning and looks into all the nests. If she finds eggs in the nests she will wait until her mistress takes them out. If she looks into a nest and finds no eggs she goes on to the next. In this way Betty helps her mistress every evening.

Betty always knows when Saturday comes because her mistress goes to town on that day. Betty expects a treat of good meat on Saturday. When the lady gets home from town Betty always goes to the hand bag and smells for meat. If she finds none she will go back to her box and lie down greatly disappointed. If she smells the meat then she sits upon her hind feet begging for it and is not satisfied until she and the kittens have the special Saturday treat.

When the lady goes to the mail box for mail Betty always desires to go along. She climbs the post and looks into the box when her mistress opens it but she has never learned to carry the mail to the house.

Betty still lives at Winnwood Lake and with the help of John she is carefully rearing a family of three beautiful and obedient kittens.

JIMMIE.

Jimmie was a drug store cat, following the same occupation as Tiger in the story called Tiger. One of the clerks in the store found him in the alley one morning while burning some old boxes. The kitten was poor and hungry and seemed to be homeless and friendless. He was a stranger in the neighborhood and no one ever came to the store to claim him. He was lost and lonesome when picked up and seemed very glad to find a friend. He was only a stray kitten and no one knew of his mother nor where he was born. This seems sad but with Jimmie it gave him a distinguished place later in life which I will tell you about in this story.

In a little while Jimmie was growing and happy in the new home. He had made friends with all of the clerks in the store and especially with the proprietor. They became devoted friends for life; even money could not separate them as a large sum was offered for him but his master loved him more than money.

Some of the clerks taught him to jump through hoops or through their arms or over their feet. On one of the counters in the drug store there was a large clock which became the resting place for Jimmie. When told to go and get on the clock he would obey instantly and then look around at those watching him as though he was proud of the feat. One day his master took a picture of him as he sat on the clock and he seemed to pose for it. The picture is now in the desk of the drug store although Jimmie has been dead three years. When I asked Jimmie's master for the facts about this story he turned to the desk and showed me the picture. While we were speaking of the kitten's life a man came into the room who used to know and love Jimmie. He was asked if he knew the picture and when he looked at it he exclaimed, "that's Jimmie!" This shows how much he was loved and that he was well known. Like Thomas of the grocery store in the other story Jimmie had scores of friends and is remembered by many citizens in the town in which he lived.

During one of the cat shows in Convention Hall in Kansas City a few years ago, Jimmie was also on exhibition. He attracted much attention although he was not a thorough-bred and was only a stray. His fur was striped like a tiger and in the show he received first prize as the best tiger cat shown. He also won first prize as a stray, but to receive the premium his master had to take three witnesses before a notary public and make affidavit that Jimmie was found in the alley and that no one knew of his birth or his pedigree. After receiving these prizes Jimmie's master thought more of him than ever. He attracted much attention in his home town, too, when the news went out that Jimmie had won first at tiger and stray. New friends went to the store to see him and he, too, became a good advertisement for the store.

One day a physician's wife from another town went into the drug store and saw Jimmie sitting on the old clock. She soon made his acquaintance and became attached to him. She was a lover of kittens and Jimmie so large and beautiful seemed to her an ideal kitten. She asked all about him, of his birth, pedigree, disposition and many other questions. When told that he was only a stray picked up in the alley as a homeless kitten she seemed to think more of him than ever. Perhaps she had been kind to some homeless kitten sometime in the past and understood what it meant to care for one that needed a friend. She was anxious to have him as her own and let him live in her own home. I am sure that she would have given him the best of care and that he would have had a good home in which to spend his old age. In a few days the woman's husband was in the town and went to the store and offered twenty-five dollars for Jimmie. The proprietor would not sell him for that, and then the physician offered him fifty dollars, but Jimmie's master said that money could not buy him. Such was the love for a kitten that had been so kind and obedient during the many years in the store.

About two weeks after the physician had offered the fifty dollars for him, Jimmie in some way got hold of poison and died. He was nine years old at the time of his death and left many friends who have greatly missed him during these past three years.

PETE.

To get the story of Pete I had to go to a large hotel and there I found an old gentleman who had lost his wife by death about a year before and who seemed lonely for her presence. He told all that he could about Pete, but said, "if she were only here," pointing to a picture on the wall, "she could tell you a fine story of this kitten. She loved cats as no one else on earth, I suppose," he continued. "Such deeds are not thrown away either, although I used to think many of them were unnecessary."

One morning, while the good wife was living, they lost their last kitten and she had said that they would not try to raise or care for any more. That same morning Pete arrived at the back door of the home and begged for something to eat. He was invited inside and that was all that was necessary to make friends between the lady and the homeless kitten. Pete was not so young either at that time for he seemed to be nearly two years old.

The gentleman said that there never was a cat that could fight like Pete. He was not afraid of anything that walked and could whip any dog that ever came into the yard. When he made up his mind that he did not want any dog or certain cats around the house or yard it was then that they had to leave. He would sometimes make up with a cat after giving him a good flogging if the cat was willing to stay long enough to make up. He was an awful fighter and yet he was of a good disposition around the home. Of all the kittens this lady had and loved and cared for there was none so loveable and of a better character than Pete. If it had not been for his fighting nature he would have been an ideal cat in every way. Perhaps the brave spirit he showed helped him to protect himself from cruel dogs and mean cats.

For ten years Pete occupied the best chair in the home for his resting place and bed. He had things his own way because he was loved by all the members of the family. His food consisted of anything and everything that money could buy. He lacked for nothing that would make him contented and happy.

When baby kittens were born in the neighborhood Pete was always one of the first visitors and took charge of the kittens along with the mother cat. He would fight for the baby kittens and protect them with his own life. No mother cat was afraid to leave her kittens in charge of Pete because they all knew his daring spirit and courageous nature.

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