Animal Heroes | Page 7

Black One.
"Wow-w-w!" was the slightly deeper answer.
"Ya-wow-wow-wow!" said the Black One, edging up half an inch nearer.
"Yow-w-w!" was the Yellow answer, as the blond Cat rose to full height and stepped
with vast dignity a whole inch forward. "Yow-w!" and he went another inch, while his
tail went swish, thump, from one side to the other.
"Ya-wow-yow-w!" screamed the Black in a rising tone, and he backed the eighth of an
inch, as he marked the broad, unshrinking breast before him.
Windows opened all around, human voices were heard, but the Cat scene went on.
"Yow-yow-ow!" rumbled the Yellow Peril, his voice deepening as the other's rose. "Yow!
" and he advanced another step.
Now their noses were but three inches apart; they stood sidewise, both ready to clinch,
but each waiting for the other. They glared for three minutes in silence and like statues,
except that each tail-tip was twisting.
The Yellow began again. "Yow-ow- ow!" in deep tone.
"Ya-a-a--a-a!" screamed the Black, with intent to strike terror by his yell; but he retreated
one sixteenth of an inch. The Yellow walked up a long half-inch; their whiskers were
mixing now; another advance, and their noses almost touched.

"Yo-w-w!" said Yellow, like a deep moan.
"Y-a-a-a-a-a-a !" screamed the Black, but he retreated a thirty-second of an inch, and the
Yellow Warrior closed and clinched like a demon.
Oh, how they rolled and bit and tore, especially the Yellow One!
How they pitched and gripped and hugged, but especially the Yellow One!
Over and over, sometimes one on top, sometimes another, but mostly the Yellow One;
and farther till they rolled off the roof, amid cheers from all the windows. They lost not a
second in that fall to the junk-yard; they tore and clawed all the way down, but especially
the Yellow One. And when they struck the ground, still fighting, the one on top was
chiefly the Yellow One; and before they separated both had had as much as they wanted,
especially the Black One! He scaled a wall and, bleeding and growling, disappeared,
while the news was passed from window to window that Cayley's Nig had been licked at
last by Orange Billy.
Either the Yellow Cat was a very clever seeker, or else Slum Kitty did not hide very hard;
but he discovered her among the boxes,
and she made no attempt to get away, probably because she had witnessed the fight.
There is nothing like success in warfare to win the female heart, and thereafter the
Yellow Tom and Kitty became very good friends, not sharing each other's lives or
food,--Cats do not do that way much,--but recognizing each other as entitled to special
friendly privileges.
V
September had gone. October's shortening days were on when an event took place in the
old cracker-box. If Orange Billy had come he would have seen five little Kittens curled
up in the embrace of their mother, the little Slum Cat. It was a wonderful thing for her.
She felt all the elation an animal mother can feel, all the delight, and she loved them and
licked them with a tenderness that must have been a surprise to herself, had she had the
power to think of such things.
She had added a joy to her joyless life, but she had also added a care and a heavy weight
to her heavy load. All her strength was taken now to find food. The burden increased as
the offspring grew up big enough to scramble about the boxes, which they did daily
during her absence after they were six weeks old. That troubles go in flocks and luck in
streaks, is well known in Slumland. Kitty had had three encounters with Dogs, and had
been stoned by Malee's negro during a two days' starve. Then the tide turned. The very
next morning she found a full milk-can without a lid, successfully robbed a barrow
pensioner, and found a big fish-head, all within two hours. She had just returned with that
perfect peace which comes only of a full stomach, when she saw a little brown creature in
her junk-yard. Hunting memories came back in strength; she didn't know what it was, but
she had killed and eaten several Mice, and this was evidently a big Mouse with bob-tail
and large ears. Kitty stalked it with elaborate but unnecessary caution; the little Rabbit
simply sat up and looked faintly amused. He did not try to run, and Kitty sprang on him
and bore him off. As she was not hungry, she carried him to the cracker-box and dropped
him among the Kittens. He was not much hurt. He got over his fright, and since he could
not get out of the box, he snuggled among the Kittens,