Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1872-01-05
LOwry's Cat-A Good Story of the
Rocky Mountain MOuser.

Jim Stewart, sometimes called the
Commodore" is the most noted dar-
key in Erie. He is a good natured,
shrewd sort of a fellow, somewhat adj
dicted to doing business now and then
on the Jeremy Diddler style, as the fol-
lowing incident will testify: Living
near the residence of the Hon. Morrow
G. Lowry, he was frequently employed
by the latter to do odd jobs around the
house and in the garden. One day Mrs.
Lowry concluded that the peccadilloes
of a worthless tom cat, long an attache
of the family, were such as demanded
the infiction of a capital punishment,
and Jim was called upon to play the
part of executioner. After long chase
the victim was captured and put 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 cat than he
could drown "hisself;" that were he to
do so his conscience would trouble him
so much that he was sure he could
never sleep wink thereafter Not
wishing to ruin Jim's peace of mind,
Mrs. L. compromised the matter by
giving him dollar, and directing him
to dispose of it in any way he pleased,
so that she should never see it&again,
Putting the dollar IN his pocket and the
basA ct on his arm. Jim started down
town. He had not got out of sight of
the house when he met Morrow, walk
leisurely toward his home, and the fol-
lowing 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, sab Didn't you heah
oh de big bunch of dem cats wat cum
to town yesterday frum Kaliforny, sab?
Bes' mousers in de wurl, sab, and dis is
de biggest and bes OBJ de lot, sab. Dey
is gwine to glib me foah dollars for him
at de Reed House, sab.
Morrow (recollecting the general
cussedness' of the family at)-Jim,
we want good cat up home, and |
guess I'll take this fellow; but don't
you think four dollars is steep for cat?
Jim-Why, all de res sor for five dol
lars, sab.
This decided Morrow, so he paid Jim
the price asked, and told him to carry
the Rocky Mountain cat'' up to Mrs.
Lowry. Jim, however, had very i'm
portant business elsewhere, and begged
Morrow to take the basket himself,
which the latter consented to do. Ar
irving at home, he took his prize into
the sitting-room, carefully closed the
doors, slightly lifting the basket cover
ing, and, smiling beneyolently at Mrs.
LIS apparent establishment, said:
"My dear, I've brought you Rocky
Mountain cat, the best mouser y
At this moment the cat jumped out
of the basket and commenced rubbing
himself against his masters legs. Nor
row stopped short, while his wife broke
in impatiently:
La me, Morrow Why, that's the
same old cat l gave Jim Stewart dol
lar to drown, not more than ten minutes
ago."
A few minutes later the Hon. Nor
row B. Lowry might have been seen on
the streets of Erie, armed with walk
ing stick, and wondering "why a man
can never find that niger when he
wants to see him badly