The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1878-01-04
Nnggridger's Cat, and the Trouble II
Brought 10 Mr.. Nillikens.

~ WAS TOO uau. Just after these nice
rains had tiled the cistern up so finely.
too. II had been perfectly empty. and
MIR. Millikens had just rot il cleaned
and liked up in time for the welcome
showers which filled il with an album
dance II nice pure water And the next
morning Mr.. MilIikens delivered his
family = touching lecture on the bless
ingsof water, aud in his beautiful and
vivid imagery, he quite surpassed the
Davidson fountain. And then when he
stopped the car AZ Maple Street night
before last and walked rapidly to his
happy home, how do you suppose he
felt when his staring children met him
at the gate and yelled in excited chorus /:
"Oh pa, pa. pa. Mrs. Muggridger's
cat went and fell down our cistern and
drOwnedtf
Mr.. MilIikens always did hate thar
Cat Of the Muggridgers'. A great brin-
died monster, with only one eve and the
hair scalded of It's tail. il had killed
more chickens in the Aiillikens' coops
than there are rats in Iowa, and many
a time and oft, she had found her way
into the Nlillikens' cellar and filed her
bloated form with cream and sirloin
steaks And Mr.. Millikens could not
remember the number Of times he had
sprained his arm and nearly threw his
shoulder out Of joint in hurting bricks
n that cat, which would sit on the back
fence. singing psalms and winking pla-
cidly af him with its lone eve.
and wondering what all the racket was
about. That cat had been the chairman
Of the Anti-Midnight District Central
committee for three years and hal at
tended more caucuses. and called more
conventions in Milliken's back ward
than il had hairs ON its back. II had
made the summer nights 4 burden 10
Milikens all is life, and now il had
drowned itself i'm his cisfern. X wa,
piece Of demoniacal spite work. Yon
couldn't make MilIikins believe other
wise; there was a terrible. fiendish in
telligence in that cat. and its desire 10
torment Milikins had been greater than
its love II life Ever since Millikins
had scalded ths hair of it, tail he had
been expecting something like this.
Ii il had been decent kind II a cat.
he said. a he pulled on his coat. tucked
his trousers in his boots and began the
painful labor Of enptying the ciSfern
with bucket, he might have stood il 10 /.
get the cat out and 60 on using the
water, but that one-eyed, rat-tailed.
psalin-singer screecher. faugh,
The disgusting thing; be would never
use the cistern again, he would till il np
A. soon as he rot the water out. and
would dig another one Dog-gone the \
AT. be said. He toiled painfully on,
and the water grew low with terrible
slowness- He felt the bucket strike the
body Of the floating cat several times.
but he hadn't hauled il up vet. He
Kept on tugging al the bucket-rope till
i's arms ached. And his back. And
sis legs And his head
No, he snapDishly told Mrs. Milli-
se7s, in answer 10 her tenth summons.
hat be wasn't coming 10 suppef till he
rad emptied this cistern- lie didn't
ARE If il was spelling. What? Well.
e the flies EFT every thing up. he didn't
are; he could eat the flies, he reckon
d. sarcastically. couldn't he? Heyp
Well. he didn't care If il did take him
week, he was going 10 keep At II till il
vas emPried Dcg-gone the eat, he
Wished !. was Muggrilger himself that
vas in the cistern. Blast cat, anv-
low.
How he did haul water and splash his
lOthes and sweat and swear, and how
he neighbours wives hung over the front
ence and talked glibly 20 Mrs. Milf
ems about the catastrophe. and how he
Wished they were all in with the eat.
nd Mrs Huggridger came and hung
ye- the fence and wept and told won
erfnl stories Of that eats sagacity and
: affection for children. affection
Or nay chickens" Nillikens mutfered.
md the women talked and jabbered
nj pitied Mrs. Muggridger more than
i had been one Of the children that
ad been drowned. Afillikens toiled
"A. his face very hot at being made the
Dcus Of 50 many eyes. Dog gone the
og-goned cat TO thunder, he said. with
considerable asperity. How he did hate !
ats. he said. :
The cistern was getting pretty low {
ow. The sun had gone down behind 4
be western hills in 4 glory Of peaceful !,
plendor, and the ruddy tints Of the dv- !
" day touched the clouds and sky with
serene solemn beauty almost too ethe-
al 70 hang over a world tinted with the 1
light Of sin and one-eyed cats. The :
cisy prattlers az the front fence felt the
allowed influence 81 the hour and '
lence laid her fingers 10 her lips. Only :
lillikens stentorous breathing and the y
lash, Of the bucket broke the oppressive 7
lerce. Thank heaven, Milikens sighed, !
J. nearly empty.
!" Niau-cw-ow-oow,' I
a weird. unearthly shrek that curdled !
e blood in the brayest heart. and made Z
llilikens drop bucket, rope and every
ing down into the cistern. He stood
P and glared in speechless amazemenf 4
MurwrffWorsa raf x..ry.h.I -. -. n