The Idaho world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1864-1918, 1871-12-21
IDAHO WORLD.
A CAT TRADE.
HOW 4 pAaKEy CAME IT OVER WESTERN SENATOR

jim SLcWarG, SOulttlIlCo SaliOu Lily
Commodore" is the most noted darkey
in Erie. He is a good-natured, shrewd
sort of fellow, somewhat addicted to
doing business on the Jeremy Diddler
STYLE, as the following incident will tes-
.tify. Living near the residence of the
Hon. Morrow B. Lowry, he was fire..
quently employed by the latter to do
odd Jobs around the house and in the
garden. One day Mrs. Lowry conclud-
ed that the peccadillos of worthless
and venerable tom cat, long an attache
of the family, were such as demanded
the infection of capital punishment, and
Jim was called upon to play the part OF
executioner. After long chase the
victim was captured andput in basket,
over which an old shawl was securely
fastened. The next move was how to
dispose of the prisoner.
Mrs. L. suggested drowning, but Jim,
with tears in his eyes, protested that he
could no more drown "that ere cat" than
he could drown hisself )" that were he
to do so, his conscience, acting on
naturally tender heart, would trouble
him so much at nights that he was sure
he could never sleep wink thereafter.
Not wishing to ruin Jims peace OF
mind Mrs. L. compromised the matter
by giving him dollar and directing
him to take the cat and dispose of it any
way he pleased, so that she should new
err see it again. Putting the dollar in
his pocket and the basket on his arm,
Jim started down town. He had not
got out of sight of the house when he
met Morrow walking leisurly towardhi
home and the following colloquy ensued:
Morrow.-Hello, Jim, what have you
got there?
Jim-One oh de celebrated Rocky
Mountain cats, sab.
Morrow.-A Rocky Mountain cat!
Why Jim, where did you get him, and
what are you going to do with him?
Jim.-Golly, sahl Didn't you heah OBJ
de big bunch OBJ dem cats dat kun to
town yesterday from Kaliforny, sab?
Bes mousers in the wurl, sab, and dis is
de biggest and hes one ob de lot, sab.
Dey are gwine to glib me foah dollars
for him at de Reed House, sab.
Morrow (recollecting the general
cussedness" of the cat family).-Jim,
we want a good cat up home, and |
guess I'll take this fellow But-but-
don't you think four dollars is mighty
steep for cat?
Jim.-Why, all dc res sold for five
dollars, sab.
This decided Morrow, so he paid Jim
the price asked, and told him to carry
the "Rocky Mountain cat7 up to Mrs.
Lowry. Jim, however, had very inn
portant business elsewhere, and begged
Morrow to take the basket himself,
which the latter consented to do.
Arriving at home he took his prize
into the sitting-room, carefully closed
the doors, slightly lifted the basket COW
ering, and smiling benevolently at Mrs.
LIS apparent establishment, remarked:
"My DEAR, I've brought you Rocky
Mountain cat-the best mouser'-at
this moment the cat jumped out of the
basket and commenced rubbing himself
against his masters legs. Morrow
stopped short, while his wife broke in
impatiently: "La, me, Morrow! why
that's the same old cat | gave Jim Stew
art dollar to drown, not more than
ten minutes ago"
What followed we know not, but,
few minutes later, the Hon. Morrow B.
Lowry might have been noticed on the
streets of Erie, armed with walking
stick, and wondering "why a man can
never find that niger when he wants
to see him badly."-BeaUer Radical.