Concerning Still Other People's Cats 



and of the most demonstrative love for her mistress. 

 Once I made them collars with breastplates of tiny 

 dangling bells, nine or ten ; it excited them nearly 

 to madness, and they flew up and down stairs like 

 unchained lightning till the trinkets were taken off." 



In a house full of birds Muff never touched one, 

 although he was an excellent mouser (who says cats 

 have no conscience .?). He was, although so socially 

 inclined toward his mistress's guests, a timid person, 

 and the wild back-yard cats filled him with terror. 



"But as one must see something of the world," 

 continues Mrs. Spoflford, "he used to jump from 

 lintel to lintel of the windows of the block, if by 

 chance his own were left open, and return when he 

 pleased." 



Muff died soon after the death of Miss Booth. 

 Vashti, who was very much admired by all her 

 mistress's literary friends, was given to Miss Juliet 

 Corson. 



Miss Edna Dean Proctor, the poet, is another 

 admirer of fine cats. Her favorite, however, was 

 the friend of her childhood called Beauty. 



" Beauty was my grandmother's cat," says Miss 

 Proctor, "and the delight of my childhood. To 

 this far-off day I remember her as distinctly as I do 

 my aunt and cousins of that household, and even my 

 dear grandmother herself. I know nothing of her 

 ancestry and am not at all sure that she was royally 

 bred, for she came, one chill night, a little wanderer 



8i 



