Oh, 'tis my delight,
On a moonlight night'--
"'Don't listen to him, my dear,' said Mrs. Barebones, the consumptive
cat; 'he's a wild, thoughtless creature, quite inexperienced in the ways
of the world. Heed the counsels of one whose sands of life are almost
run and who, before she goes to the land of cats, would fain warn a
youthful friend and, if possible, avert her from her own sad fate. This
racking cough (ugh! ugh!) and this distressing _cat_-arrh, (snuff!
snuff!) with which you see me afflicted were brought on by the hardships
and exposure incident to the life of a barn-cat: midnight rambles, my
dear (ugh!), in frost and snow; days when not so much as a mouse's tail
has passed my hungry jaws, and winter nights when my coat was too thin
to keep out the cold. And all these sufferings, past and present, are in
consequence of my being a barn-cat.'
"'Now, may the dogs get me, if I ever heard such a string of nonsense!'
said Robber Grim. 'Don't believe a word she says. She's an old granny.
She's got the fidgets. She wants a dose of catnip-tea. Don't believe Tom
Skip-an'-jump, either. What does _he_ know about war? He never was shot
at. Look at me! I'm Robber Grim! I'm an old one, I am! I've got good
blood in my veins.
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