Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1877-11-28
CATS AND BOARDERS.
How They are Esteemed by the People
of the Bermuda Islands.

day afternoon, we stopped at a cottage
to get a drink of water. The proprietor,
a middle-aged man with Il good face,
asked us to sit down and rest HIS
dame brought chairs, and we grouped
ourselves in the shade Of the trees by
the door. Mr.. s5mith-that was not his
name, but it will answer-questloned Us
about ourselves and our country and
we answered him truthfully, rs a gcner-
al thing, and questioned hlm IN return.
1t was all very simple, and pleasant and
sociable Rural, too; for there was
pig and II small donkey and a hen
anchored out, close at hand, by cords to
their legs, on n spot that purported to be
grassy. Presently woman passed
along, and although she coldly said
nothing She changed the drift of our
talk. Said Smith:
"She didnr look this way, you
noticed? Well, she is our next neigh
Dor ON one side, and there's another
family that's our next neighbors on the
other side; but there's general cool
ness all around now and we don't speak.
Yet these three families, one generation
and another, have lived there side by
side and been as friendly as weavers for
a hundred and fifty years, till about
year ago"
"Why, what calamity could have
been powerful enough to break up so
old Friendships
"Well, it was too bad, but it couldn't
be helped 1t happened like this:
About II year or more ago, the rats got
to Fostering my place good deal, and |
set up II stcel-trap in the back yard.
Both Of these nelghbors run consider
able to cats, and sol warned them about
the trap, because their cats were pretty
sOciable around here nights, and they
might get into trouble without my in
tending it. Well, they shut up their
cats for while, but YOU know how it is
with people; they got careless, and sure
enough one night the trap took Mrs
Jones principal tomc0t into camp, and
finished him up, In the morning Mrs.
Jones comes here with the corpse in
her aims, and cries and takes on the
same as if it was II child. 1t was u cat
by the name Of Yclverton,-lIector c.
Ielvcrton,--a troublesome old rip, with
no more principle than an Iniun, though
you couldn't make her believe IT. said
all man could to comfort her; but no,
nothing would DO but | must pay for
him. Finally, | said | warn't invest
ing IN eats now as much Il. | was and
with that she walked oilin hull, carry
ing the remains with her. That closed
our intercourse with the JonCscs Mrs
Jones Joined another church and took
her tribe with her She said She would
not hold fellowship with assassin.,
Well, 10y and by comes Mrs. Browns
turn,--she that went by here a minute
ago, She had n di>graccful old yellow
cat that she thought as much of as if he
WAS twins, and one night he tried that
trap ON his neck, and 1t fitted HIM SO,
and was so sort Of satisfactory, that he
laid down, .and curled up, and stayed
with it. Such wa, the end of Sir John
Baldwin
" Was that the name ofthe cat|
The same. There's cats around
here with names that would surprise
You. Maria" (to his wifc), "what was
that eats name that eat kcg of rats
hane by mistake over ut Hoopcr's and
started home and got struck 10y light
ming and took the blind staggcrS and
fell in the well and was most
drowned before they could fish him
ou?'
" That was that colorcd Deacon Jack
sons cat. | only remember the last
end of its name, which was To-Be-Or-
Not-To-Be-That-ls-Ihc Question Jack
SON
" Sho, that amt the one. That's the