In a small town in Minnesota, noted for its several state institutions of learning, lives a widow whose success in the training of a cat has made her quite noted in her locality.
Tiger, the cat, is not famous for his long hair nor for his long pedigree. He is simply a creature who has been loved and petted into a wonderful amount of sympathy for his mistress and he seems to know instinctively many of her likes and dislikes, and he would no more harm Dick, the canary, who lives in the same room, than he would attack the hand which places the saucer of milk before him each day.
One morning, Mrs. Rogers (as we will call his mistress, though that is not her true name), allowed Dick to take his bath in his tiny tub upon the dining-room floor, while she rearranged and dusted the furniture of the room, leaving the door wide open during the time. A neighbor sat by the doorway watching Dick bathe and, not having the faith in Tiger which his mistress held, exclaimed, "That cat of yours will kill your bird sometime. I know he will."
Mrs. Rogers smiled very quietly as she stopped to give Tiger an assuring pat on the head and a word of praise for his good behavior, for she believed he understood the neighbor's unkind remark.
"Tiger is a good cat and I'll trust him any time with Dick," said his mistress, turning away from him to attend to her duties.
A prolonged "Oh!" like a stifled scream came from the neighbor's lips the next minute for Tiger had sprung at Dick and held him tightly in his cruel jaws.
"See Tige! See Tige!" exclaimed the visitor.
But Dick never fluttered a bit and Mrs. Rogers patted Tiger again as she caught sight of a vanishing stranger cat disappearing through an open window.
"Brave old Tiger! Good little Dickie!" said their mistress, as she took the bird, unharmed, from Tiger's teeth, which had held the bird safely away from real danger.
Dick flew back to his open cage, Tiger went back to his nap in the sunshine, and the lady visitor learned the lesson that love works wonders in even the creatures that do not speak as we do.
[Illustration: POCKET OR KANGAROO RAT. (Dipodomys similis). Life-size. FROM COL. CHI. ACAD. SCIENCES.]
Rats and mice seem to enjoy living in localities that are frequented by but few other animals. They are also adepts at seeking food supplies and travel long distances when hunger demands and a supply of food is not at hand. The Pocket Rats are no exception to this rule and some of the species live in dry, arid regions where but little vegetation grows, aside from a few species of cactus. The rat of our illustration was found by Mr. Frank M. Woodruff in such a locality, where it had hidden under the sheltering branches of a cactus.