When it was time for her children to learn to get out of the basket, she lifted them out and put them on the floor, and asked me to take the basket. One was black as coal, and the other maltese. The black one we named “Ping,” and the gray one “Pong,” and they were very different in all their ways.
My trials began when their mother thought they needed something more than milk. Every one said: “You want to look out for Blondell, now Dona Marina has her kittens,” but she went outdoors for all of her game, and the dear baby birds she used to bring in almost broke my heart. She would bring them to me first, but, if they were not dead, they were wounded so they soon died.
One day she carried a large fish up to them just as the man brought it in the paper. When they were four weeks old, she thought they ought to sleep on the foot of my bed instead of in their basket. I was determined I would not give in to her, but, after keeping me awake until after two o’clock one night, I said: “Go bring your babies, and we will all go to sleep.” After that they slept on the foot of my bed until they were given to a very nice little girl when they were two months old.
Dona Marina mourned for them for two weeks, and would carry up food in mouthfuls and look all over for them.
Two months ago Dona Marina presented me with four more babies, which was a little more than I had bargained for. Two were taken from her before she hardly had time to count, so she did not make as much fuss as she did the first time.
A little girl came to see them, and said: “Why don’t you name them after their mother?” I said: “I do not think it would be nice to call them both Dona Marina.” She said: “Oh, no; call one Dona and the other Marina.”
Dona is twice the size of Marina, is black and white, and looks like a little circus pony. Marina is most beautifully marked. Her head, back, and tail are black, face black, also her legs, white whiskers, and a tiny white line between the eyes. Under her chin white about as wide as your finger, then broadens and goes half down the neck, broadens out again, narrows at the breast bone, broadens again, and goes all the way down. She has four white paws, so you see she has a very swell black and white costume.
Marina is full of mischief, but very affectionate. Dona is much more quiet and dignified, but is also affectionate, and loves to have me take him on my shoulder.
They were born in the same basket, and Dona Marina went through the same performance about taking them out when it was time to have the basket on the floor, also the same performance about sleeping on the foot of my bed, and, of course, I had to give in to her.
At the present time Marina is on my lap and Dona on my shoulder. They have full sway of the house, and what they cannot do is not worth doing.