d her antagonist for a moment, then
she made a spring, and when he saw the 'black object' flying toward him,
every hair bristling, all eyes, and teeth, and claws, the old gobbler
was scared half out of his senses, and made off as fast as his long legs
would carry him, followed by his troop in the most admired disorder.

"I was very proud of one feat of bravery Dinah accomplished. One of our
neighbors owned a large hunting dog and had frequently warned me that if
my cat ever had the presumption to attack his dog, Bruno would shake the
breath out of her as easy as he could kill a rat. I was inwardly much
alarmed at this threat, but I put on a bold front, and assured Mr. Dixon
that Dinah Diamond always had come off best in a fight and I believed
she always would, and the result justified my boast.

"It happened that Dinah had three little kittens hidden away in the
wood-shed chamber, and you can imagine under these circumstances, when
even the most timid animals are bold, how fierce such a cat as Dinah
would be. Unfortunately for Bruno he chose this time to rummage in the
wood-shed for bones. We did not know how the attack began, but suppose
Dinah spied him from above, and made a flying leap, lighting most
unexpectedly to him upon his back, for we heard one unearthly yell, and
out rushed Bruno with his unwelcome burden, her tail erect, her eyes
two balls of fire, and every cruel claw, each one as sharp as a needle,
buried deep in the poor dog's flesh. How he did yelp!--ki! ki! ki! ki!
and how he ran, through the yard and the garden, clearing the fence at a
bound, and taking a bee-line for home! Half-way across the street, when
Dinah released her hold and slipped to the ground, he showed no
disposition to revenge his wrongs, but with drooping ears and tail
between his legs kept on his homeward way yelping as he ran. Nor did he
ever give my brave cat the opportunity to repeat the attack, for if he
chanced to come to the house in his master's company, he always waited
at a respectful distance outside the gate.

"It would take too long to tell you all the wonderful things Dinah did,
but I am sure you all agree with me that she was a remarkable cat. She
came out in a new character when I was ill with an attack of fever. She
would not be kept from me. Again and again she was driven from the room
where I lay, but she would patiently watch her opportunity and steal in,
and when my mother found that she was perfectly quiet and tha