The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-07-21
AGAIN THE CAT.
CHAPTER FROM THE CAREER OF PRINTING-oFFIcE
MASCOT.

/ CHAPTER FROM THE CAREER OF PRINrING-oFFICE
| MASCOT.
| On warm afternoon in June, while the
compositors of THE CALL were throwing in
| their cases, black cat, with eyes of old gold
| and manner bespeaking the utmost self-con-
| fdence, walked demurely into the room.
"That's a mascot" said slug As, and mo-
| msnt afterward she was sound asleep in his
leader-box.
That night As was first out and got the
| latest take, which every printer knows is a
good thing. That settled it. She was courted
by regulars and petted by subs. She seemed to
be everywhere, but never in the way. Choice
morsels from neighboring restaurants seemed
to come from committee of the whole, and
her sleek coat showed that her lines were cast
in pleasant places.
During the early morning rush, when the
last forms were being hurried to the elevator,
she was often observed calmly surveying the
scene of turmoil, enjoying her coign of van
tage on corner of the mposing-stone.
The rush of many feet, the shouts of the
battery-boys, the caustic edicts OF the foreman
to spull those slugs!" and the anguish of the
night editor at the prospect of late slide
never rufled her equanimity
"She's cool one, she is," said the battery
boy; thinks she's in graveyard"
aWell, look at that nowr' said Jim Conley.
.Wyby, when I was q pilot on the Ohio in
Al"
But one night her eatship seemed uneasy,
and was evidently "of her feed" After it was
.sall in" the ringman swore roundly at Sam, the
chef of the Universum, for having palmed off
on him an overdone steak intended for the cat.
oIf that cat dies I'll bust up this hash-house,
sure. told you she likes 'em rare, see?'
The next morning the piman opened his
drawer under the deadstone to get his apron.
He was startled, then serious, but finally
smiled and softly closed the drawer-there were
two of em.
When the foreman came down he opened the
drawer and looked in minute. His counte-
nance frightened perceptibly as he wrote
IS :3O-extras en-" on the slate.
"There'lI be eighteen pages in the morn
ing" said Slug 20.
"What on!" asked 10.
"Women's Congress, man why they're rails
in merry thunder up there"
Susan B. and Anna Shaw were net in 1t when
it got noised around concerning the mysterious
contents of the drawer under the deadstone.
The mother and progeny were kept sliding
back and forth all the afternoon.
"Yes2 Well, I've seen 'em She's new
woman what's got some style about her.
There's no flies on her boomers, neither
crisis had indeed arrived, and it was de.
cided to give the sooty family to slug A. who
has house and ''patch of grass" on the south
side of the park.
With the mother in one overcoat pocket and
the "black diamonds" in the other the journey
was safely made with stops at Triplett's and
Siebe's for refreshments. One of the kittens
soon found favor in the eyes of neighbours
little GIRL and as the printer sat on his porch
watching the diminished family rolling on the
grass the goldman drove up and stopped to
talk.
"You ought to have them" said the printer,
"they'd match your complexion"
"WeIl, I wish 1 had, "said the kindling
monopolist. "My wife's maltese cat was run
over this morning by some milk wagon and
now we've got six motherless kittens two days
old on our hands and my wife's raising old
Ned"
"But there are Others" said the printer.
| 'Now, I'll bet you q keg of Book (cost you $3)
that this caell look after those orphans in good
shape"
"Weu, Jim; If she wouid-say-"
"That's all right, old man; I'll go down with
| you and take her and her little ones along"
On arriving at the coalyard in the next
| block no time was lost in useless formalities.
| The sagacious cat mother, like Napoleon at
Wagram, "grasped the possibilities of the situ-
ation," and with few auerulous noises assem-
bled the scattered and bereaved kittens at the
maternal font, adding them to her own family
circle. The coalman's wife took up the corner
of her apron and went quietly up the back
stairs AS the old cat settled down on the
straw she looked up at the two men and
seemed to say:
"You can go now"
AS they turned away the coal baron re-
marked cheerily, "Shortridge is making great
paper out of THE CALL
eyes," said Jim, "she's pretty solid now, but
THE CALL speaks for all. That's our Office cat
you've got in there. You are entertaining an
angel unawares, and have become inadvert-
emily the custodian of great trust, as 1t were;
seef'
dSure p solemnly replied the coal-dealer, as
he drew the curtain over the touching domes-
tic scene. s.