Uncle Dick and Lisa's Old Time Animal Tales

     A county gentleman who is neither a friend to thieves nor poachers, has at this moment in his household a favorite cat, whose honesty, he is sorry to say, there is but too much reason the call in question. The animal, however, is far from being selfish in her principles for her acceptable gleanings she regularly shares among the children of the family in which her lot is cast. It is the habit and repute of this said Grimalkin to leave the kitchen or parlour as often as hunger and an opportunity may occur, and wend her way to a certain pastry cook’s shop, where the better to conceal her purpose, she endeavours slyly to ingratiate herself into favor with the mistress of the house. As soon as the landlady’s attention becomes engrossed in business or otherwise, puss contrives to pilfer a small pie or tart, & from the shelves on which they are placed, speedily afterwards making the best of her way home with her booty. She then delivers her prize to some of the little sons in the nursery. A division of the stolen property quickly takes place, and here it is singularily amusing to observe the sleek animal, not the least conspicuous among the juvenile group, thankfully mumming her share of the illegal traffic. We may add, that the pastry cook is by no means disposed to institute a legal process against poor Mistress Gib, as the children of the gentleman to whom we allude are honest enough to acknowledge their four footed playmates failings to papa, who willingly compensates any damage the shopkeeper may sustain from the petty depredations of this wouldbe philanthropic cat.-Edinboro Observer.