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Dolly Moses: The Cat and the Clam Chowder
Strange, peculiar, singular, curious, absurd, fantastic, eccentric, outlandish – any of these description fitted Dolly Moses. Even her origins were odd, for Mr. Chase found her one evening calmly sitting under a tree, and around her neck she wore a small white card saying “My name is Dolly Moses.” She wasn’t even particularly glad to go home with him to the Chase farm - she just went.
None of the Chase family was very fond of Dolly Moses. Ten-year-old Mary Ellen worried that none of them really loved the cat, while her grandmother just came out and said she “never could abide her.” Mr. Chase and his wife tolerated Dolly Moses, and Bertha, the cook, asked herself “whyever in all the world she had come to work in such a crazy household.” To John, and Edith, and the rest of the Chase children, Dolly Moses was just one of a seemingly endless collection of pets.
Of course, there were several important differences between Dolly Moses and the rest of the animals. To begin with, she had fits, in which she became a raging bundle of whirling fur whizzing from walls to tables to chairs in a matter of seconds. This alone made her famous among the local children. Then too, she threw off sparks from her fur, and certainly nobody else’s cat could do that. But she was also a very unlovable animal, with a passion for clams that one day was to prove her undoing.
None of the Chase family was very fond of Dolly Moses. Ten-year-old Mary Ellen worried that none of them really loved the cat, while her grandmother just came out and said she “never could abide her.” Mr. Chase and his wife tolerated Dolly Moses, and Bertha, the cook, asked herself “whyever in all the world she had come to work in such a crazy household.” To John, and Edith, and the rest of the Chase children, Dolly Moses was just one of a seemingly endless collection of pets.
Of course, there were several important differences between Dolly Moses and the rest of the animals. To begin with, she had fits, in which she became a raging bundle of whirling fur whizzing from walls to tables to chairs in a matter of seconds. This alone made her famous among the local children. Then too, she threw off sparks from her fur, and certainly nobody else’s cat could do that. But she was also a very unlovable animal, with a passion for clams that one day was to prove her undoing.
58 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1964
About the author
Mary Ellen Chase
112 books16 followersAmerican educator, teacher, scholar, and author regarded as one of the most important regional literary figures of the early twentieth century.
Mary Ellen Chase received her Ph.D. in English from the University of Minnesota where she served as an assistant professor from 1922 to 1926. She taught at Smith College starting in 1926 until her retirement in 1955.
Chase wrote more than 30 books, many using her cherished Maine heritage as the setting, capturing the unique spirit and chronicling a way of life for generations. Her most famous of these works include Mary Peters, Silas Crockett, Windswept, and Edge of Darkness.
Mary Ellen Chase received her Ph.D. in English from the University of Minnesota where she served as an assistant professor from 1922 to 1926. She taught at Smith College starting in 1926 until her retirement in 1955.
Chase wrote more than 30 books, many using her cherished Maine heritage as the setting, capturing the unique spirit and chronicling a way of life for generations. Her most famous of these works include Mary Peters, Silas Crockett, Windswept, and Edge of Darkness.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 1, 2021
Strange, peculiar, singular, curious, absurd, fantastic, eccentric, outlandish...this is the description of the titular cat, Dolly Moses.
The point of this story is to tell you Dolly Moses was unlovable. The author was either a cat hater or apologist - I tend to lean towards hater because the description of Dolly is unsympathetic to the feline nature as opposed to detached. But, thinking about it, the family comes away not so friendly either...even with protestations of servings of cream, patience and a bed with a cushion.
As a person that confesses being completely over-sensitive about the welfare of cats, this book is the last thing I'd thought it would be. I picked it up from a thrift store and thought it would be a cute story about a girl and her cat. However, it never approached that at all - and the nadir, no matter how true to the past it is - was the grandmother drowning unwanted kittens. It was written as a "mercy" but I have Zero idea why a child would want to read such a thing.
There seems to be a hint at the end that perhaps the maid or the mother got rid of Dolly Moses after a particularly "horrible incident" - making this book a reminder that not every old book is a thing to be cherished.
The point of this story is to tell you Dolly Moses was unlovable. The author was either a cat hater or apologist - I tend to lean towards hater because the description of Dolly is unsympathetic to the feline nature as opposed to detached. But, thinking about it, the family comes away not so friendly either...even with protestations of servings of cream, patience and a bed with a cushion.
As a person that confesses being completely over-sensitive about the welfare of cats, this book is the last thing I'd thought it would be. I picked it up from a thrift store and thought it would be a cute story about a girl and her cat. However, it never approached that at all - and the nadir, no matter how true to the past it is - was the grandmother drowning unwanted kittens. It was written as a "mercy" but I have Zero idea why a child would want to read such a thing.
There seems to be a hint at the end that perhaps the maid or the mother got rid of Dolly Moses after a particularly "horrible incident" - making this book a reminder that not every old book is a thing to be cherished.
January 22, 2021
Adorable story but quite short and unnecessarily divided in chapters.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews