The Unlikely Mother of Orting
An affectionate feline in the town of Orting defies nature by adopting a brood of chicks as her own.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Some time ago Henry Green built a brooder for his father, Charles Green, of Orting, which is very successful. Mr. Green now has fifty little chicks in it. It is amusing to watch the big brood of little fellows toddling up and down the board leading from their 'home' to the ground; but the most amusing feature is a mutual love which seems to exist between the chicks and a motherly old cat belonging to Mr. Green. Whenever the cat makes its appearance, the chicks flock around her as though she is their mother, following her about the yard, and after pussy feels like taking a nap she goes to the brooder, curls down and goes to sleep, with the chicks clambering over her and nestling close around in a manner that is both unique and pathetic.
“There seems to be almost an understanding between the cat and her numerous brood of chicks and she seems to love and 'mother' them as though they were her own kittens.”
Local human-interest stories about animals were a staple of the 'passing throng' style of 19th-century journalism. This story offers a glimpse into the domestic life of early Orting residents.
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