OCR Text |
Show if "KIT, KITTY AND THE KITTEN. BY CLEMENT WILLIS. J (copyright. 1003. by T. C. McClure.j '.' ..r he vour parilon, but can you toll hov io wash a caf." Christopher nfwcll held P a black kitten with j fycry J'y wh,le shIrt rro'a lo Jusllf' hprhic' Turner caught It In her arms. I -isn't It i dear?" she cried. "Where Old ' "Ut B "didn't get It." said Christopher 7 ai.awa to his friends as Kit); "It irot I' ml You se. last nlf?ht way pretty unowy , l and this little boast followed me all the 1 rnv down the street." 1 And you .took It in? How good of H '' i0"l didn't exactly take her in; she led the wav After that I couldn't chuck her .) out In tho snow again." B i Klttt' Tumor trive him a look that tMnwl to him to bore into the innermost 's rrtta'cs of his heart. Ho had worshipped Ri L from afar over since she had come id i 'rto the studio building. This was the iJ first opportunity he had had to speak with B ( "Vpu get some soap and tepid water," H 1 unlalned Kitty. "Then you souse her ; --e drv her off. and wrap her in a ! blin'kct, and hold her until she dries out. H , ou have an extra blanket?" H ) "Oh, ves," said Kit, mendaciously, vow- - intr that his steamer rug wan none too H jrcod for a cat that had lain in Miss Tur-.5 Tur-.5 i r.ifs arms M v Klttv hnnded the waif to Kit. "Have 9 ,1 jou fed her'" H i "Sure was the prompt response aho 1 t htd a pint of cream this morning, though M i I'm suro she doesn't look It yet." jl t .y0tt must not overfeed her," decreed H i KiltV- "I'll nrlng you some fish for her 3 supper All cats like fish." Then her door J pLut and Kit went back to his own npart-I npart-I m(nts. assuring the unenthuslastlc kitten H ' tlHt she was about to have tho bath of her 9 A trlef existence HI : preliminaries were simple enough, VLV"0uugh Kit s Ideas of tepid water were V 'it' ct bov the standard temperature, r j) asplng the cake of soap In one hand Xa'A the kitten In tho other. Kit soaped SI I ler, and boldlv plunged the unsuspecting 2 ? surst Into the water. As she touched the j3 T.atcr she gave vent to a howl that d X frlchtcncd Kit. and made a spring for the 9 'I -Re of the tub. B9 Kit drooped tho soap and grabbed at 9 ! the cat. hut his hands and the cat were, 9 lippery with soap, and he hugged her H H in his breast to secure her. This turned "J :i the frlqhlenjd little animal on her back. Bj J and In an Instant Kit's fuce was streaked ml with crimson rS With a howl he dropped the kitten bark 4t 3 Into the tub, from which she made her escape unhampered, am! promptly vanished van-ished under the sofa In the sitting room. Kit bathed his face, smeared it with salve, and then stnrted after the kitten ngiiln With the aid of a crook-handled cane he dragged her from her hiding Mare; the dust matted In her wet fur. Clearly that bath was more than ever a necessity. Kit tempered the water rrom i'i'h' a,1tl m,a,,y "ccompllshed the When Kilty knocked at the door an hour later she vtry nearly fainted ut the apparition ap-parition which confronted her. Kit, with his shirt front wet and torn, his face streaked with blood and grease bearing under his arm a wadded mass of steamer rug, certainly presented a formidable appearance. ap-pearance. fu'llvElLVB hCr !l batl1'" lle grinned cheer-.'- should say you did." agreed Kitty. Did you have- a light?" "Did J?" echoed Kit. "Do you know. I in going to form a new soclctv for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals'-' ;J?r that tho cat?" she demanded. hat s left of It," he answered, picking pick-ing at the bundle. The oat droped out Mid streaked Into Kitty s apartment. She ran after It, and when she came out again sho carried cloths and a bottle as well as the kitten. The kitten v as quickly settled In a chair before the radiator. Then she turned her attention lo Kit. Tenderly she washed off the ointment and bathed tho scratches. I applying a soothing lotion. ( "That will tak the sting out." she said, as she turned to go. "Jf you will leave l he door unlocked, 1 11 come in later and change th. cloths again." To Kit it seemed as if the familiar sitting sit-ting room had suddenly grown gloomv and deprosslng, and ne lay there wondering wonder-ing at the difference a woman's presence makes. Kit Caswell had been a continued bachelor bach-elor ever since he had come from college He railed at marriage and love until his victims swore that some da thev would have their revenge by seeing him tmg-gltng tmg-gltng against the advances or tho little god of low. Now he confessed to himself that their dark prophecies had come true, only they ' were not dark prophecies. He found, to his surprise, that being In love wua an altogether agreeable sensation. His face soon mended under Kitty's care, but his heart was less easily cured. Kilty was friendly, but blissfully unconscious uncon-scious of his lovemaklng. There were little friendly visits to tho dcor with some dainty, approved by the feline species; brief chats In tho elevator and the lobby about cat naturo and education, edu-cation, but somehow Kitty's absorption in the kltt-?n fended off the tender speeches that hung trembling on Chrlslo-plur's Chrlslo-plur's Hps. Several times he determined to put his fate to the test, but some incident restrained re-strained hnn until she had gone. Jt was a Jit that finally brought his courage lo the proper point. The kitten, as all kitten's will, indulged In the luxury of a tit. and Kit. In hot huste, summoned Kitty to the rescue. Her tenderness with the suffering beast fanned his love, into a llerce heat, and when sho .aid gone back to her own looms he sat and applied picturesque appellations ap-pellations to himself for a coward. Then he crossed the hall and knocked at Kitty's door. "J want to talk to you about the cat." he began lamely. "Is she worso''" asked Kltly anxiously. "It Isn't that." ho explained. "It's about her future. May I come- In?" She stood aside hospitably, and ho en-tired en-tired the little den, strewn with Its half-completed half-completed bits of china painting. "I don't think I can keep that cat," ho began, when sho had settled herself. "They are an awful comforl," sho urged. "And an awful responsibility," ho added. "1 don't think a bachelor should try to ktc-p a cat." "I used to keep one." she said carelessly, "ami found It very easy. If you will follow fol-low my directions about feeding It, von will have very little trouble." "They say black cats are very lucky," he observed. "Indeed thcy are. I know lots of Instances In-stances where they have brought good luck." "I thought." he said nervously, "that you might like to have It." " couldn't think of taking her a wav from you." alio cried. "Sho Is such a comfort to you." " Well, you see," he continued, his heart thumping violently. "I go with the cat; one of thoso trading stamp games, jou know." It wus unein entlonil, but Kltt has the kitten and Kit |