My Illness 73 



fingers. But this awakened her, and I had 

 to stroke her more before she settled down 

 again. Then, as I wrapped the cloth around 

 and over her, she awakened enough to peep 

 out and learn from me that she was all right, 

 when we left her for the night. She evidently 

 remained contented until morning." 



I also found another little scrap on 

 Fessor's desk which tells better than I 

 can about how I acted when I was ill. 

 Here it is : 



" During the last week she has shown a 

 desire for closeness to me, for petting, hand- 

 ling, caressing, that I never saw in anything 

 alive before. It is pathetic in the extreme. 

 Every moment almost she desires to be near 

 me. There is no seeking concealment, or 

 privacy, or darkness. If I will not take her up 

 in my hand, she nestles on my foot, and for 

 several days I have kept my shoes off to give 

 her the pleasure of feeling the warmth of my 

 foot when I could not spare the time to " fuss" 



