The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1893-08-17
"SCAT

doubtless" said Jackson Peters. 81
never told you Of the odd genius | met
at Pontiac who was going to do away
with carpets on floors by sticking
little piece of Competing on the feet
with mucilage."
Jones looked at the younger man
with severity. jackson, | was just on
the point Of telling story Of a little
idea Of my own when lived in Iowa |
several years ago. Enrich us with the
tale OF your bright young friend some
other time.
eyes, returned Peters, ''it does very
well for you to say that, but my story |
was going to be a true one"
young man." answered Jones, "you
seem to forget that am your former
teacher. The memories Of the district
school at Hemlock Hollow appear to
be deserving you
Give us your story, Jones-gve us
your story said Smith, encouragingly.
81 was going to, replied Jones at
was a number Of years ago. | was
living out in Iowa near Des MONIES.
My place was on the Des Moines river
bottom, and the bluffs were literally
alive with wildcats The wildcats from
all over the country seemed to be in
the vicinity that year holding a wildcat
worlds fair-a fact, gentlemen. | had
fancy stock farm, and between the
resident and the visiting wildcats, thyy
played the very deuce with my blooded
chickens | don't need to tell you,
gentlemen, that l am MORALLY afraid Of
gun.
"Seems to me that's a pretty serious
admission for a man who only last
night was telling how, down in Arkan.
sas, he used to spring up bears with a
inch hickory plank and shoot them
on the wing like clay pigeons" said
Jackson Peters.
can idle tale, Jackson, an idle tale.
A man must relax a little sometimes.
AS | was'--
"But you offered to bet $50 that
~ couldn't shoot those wildcats, you
see, so what could l dor Night after
night they walked off with my choicest
fowls. One day bright idea occurred
to me. 1t was nothing more or less
than every time heard any disturbance
among the chickens to put my head
out of the window and call out Scat
IN a loud voice"
The narrator paused and looked at
Jackson Peters de6antly. But Peter
only blew a cloud of smoke ceiling
ward and arched bis eyebrows slightly.
THAT was clever notion" observed
Robinson, livery clever notion. Worthy
to rank with your plan for extracting
the latent energy from tramps,'
'No, Robinson, no." answered Jones,
smiling, and evidently much gratifed
"No, you are too kind My tramp
idea showed genius; such things come
to a man but once in his lifetime.
This was simply an indication Of a
special talent for dealing with wildcats.
Still, if you would believe it, my plan
proved utterly valueless as far as
frightening the cats away was con.
cerned. | Seated myself hoarse
every night for a week; still those wild
cats went right on carrying away my
poultry. But felt that the principle
was a sound one, and | looked about
for the weak point in the application Of
it. | soon found it.
II was employing the same volume
of scat for wild cats which is used 1t
the case of tame cats, and wild cats are
three times bigger than tame cats, My
first thought was of a speaking trumpet
but soon decided against it. | de
termined to make a clean sweep of the
whole matter. | sent to Chicago and
got an improved Edison phonograph
with intensifying attachments | set
the intensi6er at the ratio Of three tc
one, | then shouted a battery Of scat!
into the receiver in my natural tame
cat driving voice. | wound up the
cIockwork and set the phonograpt
near my henhouse. A small wire con
nected the clockwork with the hen
house, so that a cat on entering the
door would set the phonograph off
causing it to speak once, | went tC
bed, gentlemen, and slept soundIy til
morning
CATER breakfast my foreman tolc
me that at about mid eight, when the
first wild cat started to enter my
chicken coop to feloniously abstrac
my poultry, that phonograph 1T Of
cleared its throat and remarked Scat!
in a voice which ratified the windows
Gentlemen, my foreman was a man ii
whom | had the utmost confidence
and he told me that after that phono
graph spoke he observed long, gray
streak of wild cats reaching from my
henhouSe door to the underbrush abou
200 yards distant. The same phenome
non was noticed by my foreman in t.
case Of subsequent cats lost ne
more chickens through the depredation
of this obnoxious form of vermin"
Jones paused and lit his cigar, whicI
had gone out He blew an aggresslv
cloud at the lamp, elevated his CHI