298 Life and Immortality. 



But something in his looks told of a soul within that fore- 

 shadowed a great deal of good, and so the Cat, which at 

 first seemed an unwelcome guest, began to be looked upon 

 in an appreciative manner. And now Tom, as the Cat is 

 called, is a fixture in the household. 



Almost from his advent into the family Tom began to give 

 an exhibition of his common-sense. This first remarkable 

 show of intelligence was on the Sunday succeeding his adop- 

 tion. The family had repaired to church, leaving Tom con- 

 tentedly snoozing in a corner of the kitchen. But their 

 surprise can hardly be pictured when in the midst of the ser- 

 mon Tom came flying down the aisle to the place where his 

 master was seated, and clawing the legs of the trousers of 

 the latter, began yelling at the top of his voice. The minis- 

 ter stopped in the midst of his talking, and everybody got up 

 to see what the trouble was, but Tom, utterly oblivious of 

 them all, continued his strange behavior. 



Convinced that the actions of the Cat were not the result of 

 an epileptic fit, but foreboded something wrong at the house, 

 the male portion of the congregation started thither, and 

 when the house was reached a dense column of smoke was 

 seen pouring from the kitchen window. The door was 

 thrown open, and the carpet on the floor was found burned to 

 a cinder. A coal of fire had evidently fallen from the stove- 

 grate and started the fire. That Tom had understood the 

 danger, was shown by his actions. 



One day, a horse, belonging to a neighboring farmer, ran 

 away, and tore down the road past Tom's home at a thun- 

 dering gait. Tom was sauntering around the yard, and his 

 attention being drawn to the rattling of the wagon, he was 

 soon in the road to see what the trouble was, and observing 

 that the team was unaccompanied by a driver, he leaped upon 

 the head of the runaway horse and hung on with teeth and 

 claws until the animal was secured. On another occasion a 

 tramp, happening along the road, descried a bicycle that be- 

 longed to one of the inmates of the house. He was soon 



