Clergyman's

“well boss”

— mehitabel the cathas reappeared in her oldhaunts with aflock of kittens archy she said to meyesterdaythe life of a femaleartist is continuallyhampered what in hellhave i done to deserveall these kittensi look back on my lifeand it seems to me to bejust one damned kittenafter anotheri am a dancer archyand my only prayeris to be allowedto give my best to my artbut just as i feelthat i am succeedingin my life workalong comes another batchof these damned kittensit is not archythat i am shy on mother lovegod knows i care forthe sweet little thingscurse thembut am i never to be allowedto live my own lifei have purposely avoidedmatrimony in the interestsof the higher lifebut i might justas well have been a domesticslave for all the freedomi have gainedi hope none of themgets run over byan automobilemy heart would bleedif anything happenedto them and i found it outbut it isn t fair archyit isn t fairthese damned tom cats have allthe fun and freedomif i was like some of thesegreen eyed feline vamps i knowi would simply walk out on thebunch of them andlet them shift for themselvesbut i am not that kindarchy i am full of mother lovemy kindness has alwaysbeen my cursea tender heart is the cross i bearself sacrifice always and foreveris my motto damn themi will make a homefor the sweet innocentlittle thingsunless of course providencein his wisdom should removethem they are livingjust now in an abandonedgarbage can just behinda made over stable in greenwichvillage and if it rainedinto the can before i couldget back and rescue themi am afraid the littledears might drownit makes me shudder justto think of itof course if i were a family catthey would probablybe drowned anyhowsometimes i thinkthe kinder thing would befor me to carry thesweet little thingsover to the riverand drop them in myselfbut a mother s love archyis so unreasonablesomething always prevents methese terribleconflicts are alwayspresenting themselvesto the artistthe eternal strugglebetween art and life archyis something fierceyes something fiercemy what a dramaticlife i have livedone moment up the nextmoment down againbut always gay archy always gayand always the lady tooin spite of hellwell boss it willbe interesting to notejust how mehitabelworks out her present problema dark mystery still broodsover the mannerin which the formerfamily of three kittensdisappearedone day she was talking to meof the kittensand the next day when i askedher about themshe said innocentlywhat kittensinterrogation pointand that was alli could ever get outof her on the subjectwe had a heavy rainright after she spoke to mebut probably that garbage canleaks so the kittenshave not yetbeen drowned- Don Marquis