"Although Bessie had not a pony to ride on as Johnny had, she took a
great many jaunts around the parlors on the cat's back. This cat was a
great pet in the house. A very striking-looking cat he was too. He
was jet black with a flat face and long white whiskers. Johnny always
said he resembled an old colored man who used to be their coachman, and
he wondered if they were any relation to each other.

"When Bessie was out of her cage the cat did not often visit the
parlor, because he was afraid of her. He always appeared to be much
relieved when she did not notice him. If she had decided to take a
ride, however, he never was quick enough to get away from her. With a
shrill laugh of triumph she would fly upon his back, and holding on by
digging her claws into his fur, around and around the room they would
go, the poor cat feeling so completely disgraced that he dragged his
body lower and lower at every step, until his legs could scarcely be
seen at all.

"Bessie enjoyed it greatly. She seemed to take a wicked satisfaction
in making poor Jett ridiculous, and laughed and chuckled and scolded
till the cat looked as if he were ready to drop from very shame.
Urging him on with, 'Get up, get up, you lazy thing,' she refused to be
shaken off till his body was actually dragging on the floor, a sign of
his complete humiliation. As soon as he threw off his unwelcome
burden, Jett always ran away to hide. With his tail slinking, his ears
drooping, and crawling rather than walking, he was the most
abject-looking, miserable cat in existence. Bessie meanwhile flirted
herself saucily and chuckled with the conscious air of having done a
very smart thing."