Baby and the Kitten 173 



inseparable companions a state of things less re- 

 markable from the standpoint of the baby than from 

 that of the restless and playful kitten. It was per- 

 haps not surprising that at first mamma looked with 

 a certain distrust, not unmixed with jealousy, at the 

 strange friendship. She had heard, as most parents 

 have, of the superstitious legends that kittens had 

 been known to c suck the breath ' of infants, but she 

 was a woman of too much education and common 

 sense to give anything so ridiculous more than a 

 passing thought ; and so she permitted, while she did 

 not encourage, the newly formed friendship. 



It was one of the most amusing of sights to 

 watch these little friends play together. The kitten 

 soon came to understand the use of the rattle, and 

 managed to make as much noise with it as did the 

 baby. And between the two infants the nursery 

 became a very lively place ; in fact, the child seemed 

 able to dispense with the usual playthings of baby- 

 hood, and took high enjoyment in tumbling the kitten 

 about, watching its antics, and crowing at the top 

 of his voice. It could easily be seen that the baby 

 unintentionally hurt the kitten occasionally, and the 



