Greyback and Greta

       Greyback is the famous tiger-cat of the old Massachusetts town of witches; and Greta is Greyback’s little-girl mistress. 

        Greyback is well worth looking at for his enormous size and his noble head and his glossy fur of black and yellow stripes; yet Greyback has not become famous because of his size and beauty, but because he is never seen in the street except dressed in baby-clothes and riding in a meal dainty wicker carriage!  

       Every day of his life Greyback is dressed up in long dresses with ruffled sleeves and neck, and pretty tucks in the skirt. He is taken care of like a baby, too, “ trotted to Boston,” carried about on Greta’s shoulder, and petted and hugged, and sung to sleep. 

       When Greta goes to school, Greyback is laid, pretty white dress and all, on a big soft sofa pillow. There he lies all the forenoon very quietly, his glossy legs drawn up under his long skirts, unless.someone happens to take a seat on the sofa— then he opens his great yellow eyes and give a warning hiss-s-s !  

       When Greta comes home from school Greyback is taken up, fed, and dressed in a fresh muslin. It is very funny to hear his loud purrs as Greta throws the dress over his head, shakes his big yellow paws through the long sleeves, and smoothes the skirt and pulls out the frills. He half opens his eyes to see which dress he is wearing, then shuts them again with a long sleepy yawn, as though there were nothing so restful to a cat as a newly-starched muslin. 

       Time was when Greyback was too young and foolish to like to wear dresses, and when he would run away as fast as his legs could carry him if he espied his little-girl mistress coming in with his dress or cloak. But that was eight years ago, in the days of his kittenhood. 

        Whenever the weather is fine Greyback expects to be dressed in his best frock, cloak and little ruffled cap, and be taken out in a baby carriage for an airing, all up and down the old Salem streets. Everybody stops to look at him. Newspaper reporters ask questions about him and then go away and write stories about him. Artists and photographers take his picture. Dogs come and glare at him. Little children crowd near and crow delightedly in his ears. Other cats stare at him, and there is one Manx cat that always turns up his nose. 

       But Greyback sits up straight and jolts along serenely in his carriage, quite happy and contented so long as the strings of his bonnet do not get in the way of his whiskers, nor its frills in his eyes. 

       One sad day Greta and her mother went away on a long visit, where it was impossible to take a cat with them. So Greyback was left to the care of the servants, and of course they could not be expected to dress Miss Greta’s cat and take him out to ride. 

       Poor Greyback! he missed his gowns and his caps, his carriage and his little mistress, so much! His saucer of milk was left untasted, and his fur grew rough, and his paws ragged and worn with their ceaseless “ pat, pat,” about the house and yard. He became very thin, so thin that it was feared he would die before Greta’s return, and everybody was much worried about it. 

       At last, after some scratches and growls — for Greyback cannot bear to be dressed by anyone but his own little mistress — he was put into his dress and cloak and cap, and taken out fora ride. He must have thought it was Greta pushing the carriage, for he settled contentedly down and purred all the way.

       But how glad he was when Greta really did come home! How he did purr and rub his big head against her cheek! Then he was at once put to bed on his own pillow and there he had his first real sleep since the day when his little-girl mistress had left him. Annie Chase.