The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-10-14
CATS AND CATNIP pEDDLER.
OLD FATHER BUSCH <sshILED M
FELINE FooTPlDS


|
| They wouid Have Robbed Hin OF the Herh
| on whose Sale re Depended for Break.
fast Had Not Policeman pescned Him
Old Father Busch is well-known character
In the lowor part OF WillamsburRh. He earns
enough to keep body and soul together by sell
ing herbs. He sold newspapers until the spry
| young n ewsboys cut him out OF his customers.
| Then he became an inmate OF the county aims
house. As he had horror OF being penned
| up. he presently resolved to take his chances
| again on the stroots Watercresses and cat
| nip are his speciaties He found most OF
his customers for watercresses In saloons. that
| delicacy being In common use to grace the
| free lunch counters. With catnip. however
| It was different. He had to find customers In
| persons who were partial TO that decoction
known as eatnip tea, and In, spiDsters OF ma
ture years who kept pet cats and were inclined
to feed them luxuriously once In a while.
All day Thursday old Father Busch wan
dered from saloon to saloon In Williamsburgh
dsposing OF his watercresses and trying to
get rid OF huge bunch Of catnip which he
had slung over his shoulder. 1t was far into the
night when he got rid Of tho last lot OF water
crosses. and he had not been able to find
customer for catnip. So he talked 1t over
with few old cronies In the back
room OF saloon. and kept up his
spirits by Spending what little money
he ad tn, maze IL 1s ssaa
up an hour after midnight. and old Father
Busch was hustled out with the rest OF the
csn had Seen spsn and tse oS
soon deserted him. He wandered along Bed
se SS9 in sTSh 81 IN saR
He had almost determined to return to the
rank of a station house lodger and make for
denly became bewildered at the change In
North Second street The old man had not
did not know that the narrow street was being
widened. He stared blankly at the houses
which made o old t Palmer Busch tremble 1 and
lonEed howl Of . cat, It had the same effect
on Father Busch as the scream Of q panther on
lonely traveler. The very YER bsne OF" Of Fa.seP
Busch'S existence Is the cat He can, elude
Rsm the on yss snd liz
puzzled as to his whereabouts. and also felt
that he was too exhausted to move much fur
AZ he sat down on doorstep an answering
i broke tho stiffness Of the night and soon
oa tSe 81
9th G. the p s ns sSs Ss
Then they eot the tuii odor Of the punsent
shifted and then both together let ont . yowl
must hsy0 inca can. easnin. isr immedistely
ana SS FaSet al b sd pua
Ooat buttoned Il sSSt and I started o on On
run; It was too much for him. however. and |
he dowH 's asTs9 sD
doorway. The cats were there before him. not |
two. but twenty. They were an assorted lot |
eat tribe There were parlor plssies. Kitchen
Tables. cellar mousers. spiked-fence crawlers.
JowsIs
Old Father Busch. despite his fright. resolved
slasped the herb to his Bosom. and Kicked out
to ~ baa a' By cs s Of es eats
Vicious scratch. Still he would nst lot 90 Of
picked out little piece Of catnp and shrew II
among the conereeeating cats. It was snapped
The Il thes lad R
Ill together made a rush at the prostrats old
sssh or hsa4a beor end
ss. sad ssrnos
Il, ns ieanG voice. n9 eDonss
S Guns Of the Bedford avenue
stick ana lifted sT Bsso T' %
wanted him to throw it to the cats.
'earipg the estnip with him. The eats fol
harGed them with his stick again. when they
vent slowly back to their homes. BUSCH was
iurphy gave him lecture on tenn perance In
he Lee Avenue Police Court yesterday morn
e hs c nGn ,o ne maze 0r drug store