THE KING OF THE CATS
A most important personage in feline history is the King of the Cats. He
may be in your house a common looking fellow enough, with no
distinguishing mark of exalted rank about him, so that it is very difficult to
verify his genuine claims to royalty. Therefore the best way is to cut off a
tiny little bit of his ear. If he is really the royal personage, he will
immediately speak out and declare who he is; and perhaps, at the same the,
tell you some very disagreeable truths about yourself, not at all pleasant to
have discussed by the house cat.
A man once, in a fit of passion, cut off the head of the domestic pussy,
and threw it on the fire. On which the head exclaimed, in a fierce voice, "Go
tell your wife that you have cut off the head of the King of the Cats; but
wait! I shall come back and be avenged for this insult," and the eyes of the
cat glared at him horribly from the fire.
And so it happened; for that day year, while the master of the house was
playing with a pet kitten, it suddenly flew at his throat and bit him so
severely that he died soon after.
A story is current also, that one night an old woman was sitting up very
late spinning, when a knocking came to the door. "Who is there?" she asked.
No answer; but still the knocking went on. "'Who is there?" she asked a
second the. No answer; and the knocking continued. "Who is there?" she
asked the third time, in a very angry passion.
Then there came a small voice--"Ah, Judy, agrah, let me in,--for I am cold
and hungry; open the door, Judy, agrah, and let me sit by the fire, for the
night is cold out here. Judy, agrah, let me in, let me in!"
The heart of Judy was touched, for she thought it was some small child
that had lost its way, and she rose up from her spinning, and went and
opened the door--when in walked a large black cat with a white breast, and
two white kittens after her.
They all made over to the fire and began to warm and dry themselves,
purring all the time very loudly; but Judy said never a word, only went on
spinning.
Then the black cat spoke at last--"Judy, agrah, don't stay up so late again,
for the fairies wanted to hold a council here tonight, and to have some
supper, but you have prevented them; so they were very angry and
determined to kill you, and only for myself and my two daughters here you
would be dead by this time. So take my advice, don't interfere with the fairy
hours again, for the night is theirs, and they hate to look on the face of a
mortal when they are out for pleasure or business. So I ran on to tell you,
and now give me a drink of milk, for I must be off."
And after the milk was finished the cat stood up, and called her
daughters to come away.