TAFFY AND TRICKSEY. 



CAROLINE CROWNINSHIELD BASCOM, 



A FEW of my readers may know 

 who Taffy and Tricksey are, 

 but as more will not I think it 

 best to introduce them. 

 Taffy is the handsomest tiger cat I 

 have ever seen, and as he has the crook 

 in his tail, he belongs to the Tabby 

 breed. Taffy is very large, usually 

 weighing fourteen pounds, but he has 

 a very small head, and very small, 

 finely shaped paws. The under parts 

 of them look like black velvet. In 

 color he is jet black and the other fur 

 very much like a raccoon's, light tan at 

 the ends shading into yellow, then in 

 to drab. As the sun strikes him every 

 hair seems full of light and he is one 

 mass of iridescent colors. His mark 

 ing is most beautiful. The top of his 

 head is black branching out into five 

 narrow black stripes down his neck. 

 A black stripe three inches wide (with 

 out one light hair) going all the way 

 down the back and to the end of the 

 tail and under two inches; of course, on 

 the tail the stripe is much narrower. 

 Then, narrow black stripes go down 

 each side of his back and tail. His 

 tail is not long, but very bushy like a 

 nice boa. I never saw more exquisite 

 coloring and marking than Taffy has 

 underneath, from his throat to his tail. 

 His coat is beautifully soft and thick, 

 and shines like satin, and his eyes are 

 very green. He is particular about his 

 toilet, but insists upon my helping him 

 to keep it glossy. His own comb is 

 kept on my dressing-table, and he asks 

 me to comb him twice a day, and some 

 times oftener. 



I can tell you nothing of Taffy's an 

 tecedents, as I found him one morning 

 in our back yard starved almost to 

 death, and about as thick through the 

 body as a shingle. At first I thought 

 he had dropped down from Heaven, 

 but I soon learned from his sayings 

 and doings that he must have been 

 quite intimate with the inmates of the 

 lower region. I tempted Him with 

 chicken but it was some little time be 

 fore I could put my hand on him; and 



to tame any animal you must be able 

 to touch it with your hand. After two 

 or three pats he seemed to realize that 

 I was a good friend. Soon I had him 

 in the house and for three years we 

 have been devoted to each other. I 

 have had a great many cats, but never 

 one who had so much of the wild 

 animal in him. All of my friends said 

 I never could tame Taffy and it was 

 many weeks before I had much in 

 fluence over him, and I never feel 

 quite sure now whether I am to be 

 loved or scratched, as he still has the 

 temper and the actions of a tiger when 

 anything goes the wrong way. 



He usually lies down like a tiger 

 with legs straight out in front, tail 

 straight out behind, and when I speak 

 to him he will always blink his eyes 

 and speak to me. If you touch him in 

 passing he will grab at your feet and 

 spit and growl. He never mews when 

 he wants anything to eat, but will 

 chase me or my maid, and grab at our 

 feet. If he does not like what is given 

 him to eat, he will walk all about his 

 plate, and scratch as if he were cover 

 ing it up. 



I am the only one Taffy ever shows 

 much affection for, but to me he is 

 very loving. He will lie as long as I 

 will let him with his paws about my 

 neck, and head on my shoulder. If he 

 is sound asleep anywhere, and I begin 

 to read aloud, sing, or whistle, he will 

 get directly up, jump on my lap, put 

 his paws about my neck, his face close 

 to mine, and begin to purr. As he al 

 ways looks very pleasant I flatter my 

 self he likes the tone of my voice. 



When I had my bird, Little Billie, it 

 would make Taffy simply furious if I 

 put him out of my room and closed the 

 door. One morning he was so ugly 

 my maid did not dare open the door to 

 come in. After that when I wanted 

 him to go down stairs, I had my maid 

 come to the bottom of the stairs and 

 call " Taffy!" then there was never any 

 trouble. When he is in a tearing rage 

 I can always quiet him, by taking 



17 



