The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1882-04-22
THE CHAMPION cAr.Ku.nsR.
New York Star. !

New York Star
IN a boarding. house in Clinton Plac,
reporter fell into conversation with al
elderly, benevolent-looking old gentle
man, whom he soon found to be Bos
tonian, retired from business there. and
now visiting this city. While he was
sitting in the sofa talking, cat, before
invisible, suddenly jumped upon his
knees.
"That cat seems to know you," said
the reporter; chow clever they are in
finding out their friends" A visible
smile passed over his face as he replied:
"She would not lie here on my knees
long if she knew as much as l do"
"Why, what do you mean? You look
as if you would not hurt worm" ..
Possibly not; but I can tell you we
are so fearfully troubled with them in
Boston that found out way, and that
one the quietest of getting rid of them,
and my fingers itch every time I touch
cat to put it into practice"
"Show me how"
II" would, but I think this may be a
pet cat in the house and might be missed.
However, I will explain. You see this
cat now lying on my knees asleep? l
place one hand on the back of its neck
and the other ON the small of its back
near the hips. Then slowly stretching
my legs apart, out of joint goes the cats
neck; not sound, and the very cat itself
does not seem to perceive it. But l will
just tell you Of one instance that occurs
to me. A friend of mine in Boston was
overrun with cats, and knowing that 1
had rid my place of them, asked my ad.
vice. His case was somewhat awkward,
from the fact that the cats only came
about the place when his children were
around, and his wife was so tender
hearted and the children so fond of them
that she would put up with anything
rather than have them hurt.
"'l can't find any excuse to get her
out of the way said my friend, without
the children going too, and then it would
be of no use, for the cats would not come
in naturally
g" Never mind said I, if matters are
as you state invite me down to supper,
tomorrow night. Let everything go on
as usual; you shall be rid of your cats
and no one be the wiser 1 went next
evening as promised, and having taken
my seat in the kitchen, which 1 could
see was the rendezvous flor the children
and three or four cats were playing
around), noticed large clothes basket
IN the corner. drew my chair-as if by
accident-beside it. I had not been
seated long before large tomcat had
been settled on my knees and lay, as
this one does now, after stroking him. 1
placed one of my hands on the back of
his neck and the other on his hips,
stretched my knees apart and laid him
to sleep in the clothes basket. A few
moments afterwards another followed the
same road, and so ON until the basket
was full; for my friend had left the door
open purposely, and in the course of an
hour some twenty cats or more must
have come in. The children thought the
cats were asleep in the basket; but in
case of his wife noticing it, l whispered
to my friend to dump it into the back
yard and return it to me for further
duty. His wife, meanwhile, was prepar-
ing supper, which I enjoyed thoroughly,
but not so my friend. He kept looking
at his wife anxiously, as if he expected
curtain lecture for his feline treachsry;
but he need not, for she, poor woman,
was in utter ignorance, and has been, as
tar as know, from that day to this.
On many other occasions, I did the
same service for my friends and became
quite an adept at it. But one thing is
curious; I never was accused or even
suspected by the owners of the missing
animals. always kept very quiet, and
should not have told you now if thought
1T would 60 any further, and from what I
can see of the New York papers they
have e different idea here about animals
from what we have in Boston,"
But you don't care about that sort of