Alice’s Orphan 1926

On a cold winter day, Julius spends time outdoors, gliding across a frozen lake as the world wears a quiet, glassy stillness. At the edge of the ice, an unnamed female cat places a small basket and then quietly withdraws, leaving a soft, hopeful noise from within. Curious and gentle in equal measure, Julius approaches, opens the basket, and discovers a lost kitten waiting inside. With nobody else willing to adopt, this big cat makes a decisive, caring choice: he will take in the little one.

Julius returns home with the orphaned kitten, and at the living room threshold, Alice—who has been waiting—grows amazed at the unexpected visitor entering their home. She and Julius quickly consider a name for the tiny guest, and it becomes clear that the kitten is a male, destined to be called Oscar.

After giving Oscar a bath, Julius introduces his new companion to supper. Oscar eats with surprising aggression, a behavior Julius interprets as improper for a growing cat. He attempts to teach Oscar how to dine with a touch more decorum, but the kitten shows little interest in following the rules. The lesson turns comic and chaotic when Julius, frustrated, pounds the table and a bowl of soup flies upward, spilling liquid warmth over him. Oscar finds the spectacle amusing and, in a moment of playful rebellion, hurls a roast chicken at Julius, knocking the big cat from his chair.

As night falls, Julius settles Oscar in for bed. He tucks the kitten into pajamas and rocks the bed to lull him toward sleep, singing a soft lullaby in the quiet room. Just as Oscar seems to drift off, Julius tries to slip away, only to hear the kitten cry again. He repeats the same careful, tiptoeing exit, but the pattern repeats itself. In a last resort, Julius grasps a wooden mallet and taps Oscar on the head—just enough to coax a lump, not to wound. With the kitten finally fast asleep, Julius quietly exits, the house settling once more into its winter hush.