Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1896-11-23

acteristic instinct, he disputes every inch
of the way with all intruders. Not only
does it wage this war with the animals
that visit the street, but with truclSmen
and their vehicles as well. 1t is the
glassware houses which line either side
of the way. however, that the cat re-
CARDS as his particular possession. In
these he is looked upon as part of the
assets by every firm. o.
When a buyer from out of town
reaches Murray street, no matter how
many thousands of dollars worth OF
| glassware he intends to buy, his first
question IS: 'Where is that cooperative
cat?" And the glassware man, regard
less of his anxiety to make sale, is
forced to hunt up the straying animal
| and exhibit him before the business talk
goes OH. Prices have been offered for
him far beyond what even cat of the
finest breed would command.
The coming OF this cat to Murray
street was as mysterious and unaccount-
able as it's subsequent actions have
been. One morning the head traveller
! for an important glassware establish
ment was searching through the Muir
ray street house of the firm to find n
valuable vase which he desired to show
to customer. He found more than he
sought, for the vase was overturned,
and right in it's wide, level mouth lay
a strange cat.
Nobody had ever seen the cat before,
no one could ever find out how he got in
| the store. But there he was, and there
he has remained Within n week the
animal had become a general pet, and
had special quarters reserved for him
in almost every house on the street. He
showed q strange preference, however,
| for glassware houses, rarely entering
one of any other sort. He scorned adj
yances, too, ard came and went rs he
pleased. ordinarily remaining in one
store not more than Il dry at time.
| One firm tried to shut out competition
by placing the animal on i@s books at a
yearly salary of $26, to be paid at the
rate Of 30 cents week in meat and
milk. But they had bargained without
consulting the cat. and he met the act
with an uncompromsirg veto, rot en-
tering the store for at least a week.
The rights OF ownership were finally
settled after conference by the travel
ers representing the various glassware
houses interested in his catship. An
understanding was arrived at whereby
each firm was to own an equal share in
the animal, and each was to claim no
more than its proportionate part. Thus
he became The Cooperative Cat"
1t first it WIS thought that cat would
damage expensive articles of glass
ware, but this idea was soon dispelled.
IT was noticed, too, that mice entirely
deserted the street soon after his ar
rival. One satistician figured out that
each firm saved SAG year, for the break
ing of expensive bits of glassware by
rats and mice has become an unheard-of
thing.
Other tradesmen on the street tried to
lure the cat away from the glassware
houses, small boys stole him, policemen
chased him, drummers tried to buy him
MS a ''mascot;" but the cat always came
back, and no matter how constant his
wanderings through Murray street, he
never has been known to voluntarily 90
q step beyond. Evidently, too, he real
ICES that he is ''The Cooperative Cat"
for he divides his time between his
owners as carefully and as exactly as
if he were human being in their en-
ploy.