Puss, by dint of repeated observation, knew when they were coming on,
and would run, frisking her tail, to the girl's parents, mewing in the
most heart-breaking tones, and clawing at their legs, till she made
them follow her. Her name was _Mina_; and her history is extant in
"choice Italian." At length the girl died, and poor puss went to the
funeral of her own accord. Being a black cat, she was already in
mourning--"nature's mourning!" She wanted to jump into the grave, but
that was prevented. So puss, the "chief mourner," was carried home
again. But her amiable heart could not survive the shock, for, after
pining three months, refusing boiled liver and new milk, poor
grimalkin was found "dead upon the green mound that covered her
beloved mistress's remains." There was a cat for you!
* * * * *
TURKS AND RUSSIANS.
The character of the Russ differs from that of the Turk in little more
than in the quality of his barbarism. The Turk loves blood;--the Russ
loves craft;--The Turk takes at once to the dagger;--the Russ begins
by the snare; but when the matter presses, he will use the steel as
readily as any Turk on earth. The ferocity of the Turk flourishes in
the streets, in his own house, in the seraglio--every where that he
has a victim within his reach, and that it pleases him to destroy that
victim.
Pages:
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37