The Osceola times., 1881-11-05

ner of veteran star-route contractor
lie got along very well for quarter of a
mile, aud was making pretty good time,
when, while streaking down a lonesome
alley, he suddenly paused and said:
II hope 10 die If don't smell fish
And while he was exploring the ash.
pile he was suddenly accosted by lone
some looking cat on the wood-shed.
"say, old indigo-blue, shinny on your
own aidel"
"Watchugivlnus?' growled Cleopatra.
Just glancing up long enough from an old
mackerel to take the wocdshedder's
measure.
| The woodshodler, being on his own
/ premises, made violent effort to restrain
| his wrath, but he came down 10 the ASH
/ pile, and said, in a voice that meant bu-
siness
"Tn trouble you for that fish, if you
please"
"All right" said Cleopatra, an leave
you the bones when ! am through with
I it,"
The strange cat reached out to take
/ the savory fish, and Cleopatra smote
him. In less time than il takes TO tell
| it, he stood that cat in the corner of
/ the fence and wiped enough hair off him
/ TO stuff sofa cushion. And as the wall
/ ing cat dragged its lacerated body down
/ the drain, Cleopatra resumed his fish,
remarking, as he lodged passing black
I ing brush, that he believed, as long as
/ he was out, he'd sit up little while and
have some fun with the boys.
| And he had il. He went down the
alleys and danced TO everything he met
/ He nearly tore the ear off smart kitten
/ that got up on woOd.plle and sassed
/ him and asked him "where hepicked up
/ that paper collar" lie prowled through
back Yards and he almost Mortified the
/ life out of most highly respectable eld.
erly tortoise shell tabpy, sitting in
| kitchen window, by creeping up close
under the window and then roaring out
TO know if "she danced the lancers?"
He scalped harmless Mexican dog all
the way down its bare back, in six red
raw lines, and shouted after the anguish
stricken animal to run home and put
on his hairl' He was hit once with an
old kerosene torch that periumed mp
! like political procession, and he crawl.
ed through an old drain back of the
soap works, and came Ou smelling worse
than an Indian picnic. At last he
heard music over in STONY Lonesome"
and went there and found the boys were
having little dance, and the first thing
he did when he went, he spat at the
barkeeper and slapped one eyed cat
from Hibernia.
"Pile onto me by thousands he yell
ed. "l've just got one eye that ! want
to take homer
And they didn't wait for q second in
vitation. They piled onto him then and
there, and the babbling brook that pratt
ties through the rocks of Stony Lone
some, when it heard the wild, unearthly
clamor, turned back and ran up the hill,
and in dumb terror watched the circul-
ing clouds of misty hair drifting about in
the valley below.
In Judge Difienbaugh's hospitabe par
lors his chosen friend fingered, though
the hour was late At the piano Miss
Difenbaugh dreamily wandered through
the enhancing numbers of "Schubert's
Cradle Song" There was familiar
voice at the gate that made her heart
beat wildly. The voice came across the
lawn. 1t was Cleopatra. And this was
what he was saying:
"Hoop.pee | can lick the first bloody
brindle SOP of rat-catcher that ever
climed fence Whoopl I'm the old
| he Bashi Bazouk from Angular street
an don you fer-giz it-donyoufurgiziu
Dance to me somebody ! only weigh a
poundW
And then that apparation-that mock.
cry of a respectable, home-bred cat
strobe into Judge Diiienbaugh's parlor,
and everybody climbed on the tables
and chairs. Miss Dilenbaugh tainted
The old Judge swore, Cleopatra laughed
sarlonically and remarked that "he'd
been ont all night, and he was gettin' to
be big boy now His hair was main
ly gone, and what he had left was not
combed. His face was scratched. One
eve was closed. His ears hung lose and
limp. He hic-cupped in his speech and
tried TO sing "Old Oaken Bucket"
Around his neck still clung the blue
ribbon and letter. crumpled, torn,
stained. unsavory. The Judge received
the letter with a pair of tongues, and
Cleopatra was banished TO the barn,
which the shrieking rats deserted for
ever when they saw him come In. Order
was restored in the parlor and the Judge
read the letter to himself
He did not divulge its contents.
The terrified guests thought, and still
think, that it was a Nihilist warning.
The Judge did not show the letter to
his daughter.
lie simply told her tnat If ever that
infinite ass, young what's s-his-name, came
around that house again he would pull
verze his brainless carcas with the lawn
mower.
Mr.. Tillinghast still lives a .lighted.
despairing life. He has gone ont OF the
mail service and leaves all experiments
in star.routes to other parties.-BuriiHg-
100, TT,YgEe,tg