The Portland daily press., 1872-01-24

A GOOD STORY, THOUGH AN OLD ONE
Jim Stewart, sometimes called the "Commo-
modore," is the most noted darkie in Erie.
He is good-natured, shrewd sort of a fel-
low, somewhat addicted to doing business
now and then on the Jeremy Diddler style,
as the following incident will testify: Liv-
ing near the residence of Hon. Morrow
q. 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 worthless
tom-cat, long attached to the family were
such as demanded the infiiction of capital
punishment, and Jim was called upon to play
the part of executioner. After long chase
the victim was captured and put in a basket,
over which an old shawl was fastened. The
next move was how to dispose of the prison.
er. Mrs. Lowry suggested drowning, but
Jim, with tears in his eyes, protested that he
could no more drown the cat than he could
drown himself; that were he to do so, his
conscience, acting on naturally tender heart
would trouble him so much at nights that he
was sure that he would never sleep a wink
thereafter. Not wishing to ruin Jims peace
of mind, Mrs. Lowry compromised the mat
ter by giving him dollar, and directing him
to dispose Of it any way he pleased, so that he
should never see it again. Putting the dollar
Ill MS pOChet anu luc DdSket uQuer his arm,
Jim started down town. He had not gone out
of sight of the house when he met Morrow
walking along leisurely toward his home, and
the following colloquy ensued:
Morrow.-Hello, Jim, what have you got
there?
Jim.-One OBJ de celebrated Rocky Noun
tain cats, sab.
Morrow.-A Rocky Mountain cat9 Why,
Jim, where did you get him, and what are
OOin IN In vii
Jim.-1 gony, sahl Didn't you hear OBJ de
big bunch OBJ dem cats cum to town yester-
day from Kalforny, sab? Best mousers in
the wurl, sab, and dis is de biggest and bes'
one OBJ de lot, sab. Dey are gwine to give me
four dollars for him at de Reed House, sab.
Morrow (recollecting the general ''cussed-
ness" of the family t).-Jim, we want u
good cat up home, and guess I'll take this
fellow, but-but-don't you think four dol
lars is steep for a cat?
Jim.-Why, all de res sold for five dollars,
sab.
This decided Morrow, so he paid the price
asked, and told him to carry the Rocky Noun
tain cat" up to Mrs. Lowry. Jim bad. how
ever, very important busipess, and
he begged Morrow 60 take the basket hlm-
self, winch the latter consented to do. Ar
irving at home, he took the prize into the
sitting-room, carefully closed the doors, slight
ly lifting the basket-covering and smiling be-
nevolently at Mrs. Lowry's apparent astonish-
ment, remarked: "My dear, Eve bought a
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 impatiently: "La
me, Morrow! Why, that's the same cat 1
gave Jim Stewart 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, arurvd With a=palking-stick, and won
dering ''why man can never nnd -.l.A4 nis-
ger when he wants to see him badly. y."-Bed-
| GER (Pd.) Radical.