Thomas A. Janvier

“ Beverly was confident that a handsome financial return was to be expected from his somewhat unusual undertaking, but that was not the phase of the matter that most appealed to him. His strongest impelling motive in establishing his circulating catteries was his benevolent desire to enlarge the sum of human happiness by bringing cats to the catless; to enable cat-lovers—temporarily or permanently uncatted—everywhere to have opportunity, at a reasonably graduated cost, to cuddle little soft furry bodies, to stroke little round furry heads, to clasp fondly little furry paws! ”

“ Frankly, if my own attitude toward cats is in the least degree representative, your friend Beverly's cat-circulating scheme could end only in disastrous failure. Now we have at home, much against my will, a cat named Ginger—and I may say, briefly, that she lives up to her name. Indeed, she lives beyond it—for when that cat settles down to business she can make things hotter for the entire household than all the ginger that ever grew! ”

“ Beverly's scheme did not include the dissemination of cats of that sort" "But to a man of Beverly's affectionate nature a clockwork cat could not take the heart-filling place of a real cat—that would purr when you scratched its ears, and rub against your legs, and jump over an umbrella, and give you its paw. ”