Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-02-28
THE CATS MEAT MAN.

New York Tribune: South OF Fulton
street the cat is not a pet. but, bust
ness investment The rats from the river
infest the business houses, and every
cat is of the ma ture of an insurance poll
icy against the loss which the rats might
infict on a store OF valuable goods. Saw
age as are these mollsers of the whole.
sales district, there is yet one man to
whomsall4cats purr in approval. - It il
never the senior partner; cats regard no
such distinctions. It is not even the
office boy, for, these mighty hunters do
not even fear such a common calamity
as a mere boy. The only man for whom
they will lay aside their deep hatred Of
one another and of the human race is
the vender of cats meat. When a lit
tie dried I'D old man with a market
basket turns the corner and is on the
block, then every cat hurries to meet
him with tail in air and loud purring
and yowls of contended anticipation,
for that is the cats meat man.
"Sure, I don't now all them cats"
he says: there's no man could; and,
besides, there's changes all the time;
Of at one place Ink they give to me to
dispose of at another where they're
wanting such, and what with the drays
and the big rats and the cats themselves,
there's many are killed all the time.
But if I don't know them they all know
| wise; eats is the Wisest beast thai lives,
and If humans were like them, things
might be better off for some of US poor
folks. You see, every cat on the block
on their good behavior. Now, here's a
place where I leave meat for. six cats:
you see them all follow me in when /
give It to the porter. Them's the cats
that belong here. And the rest Of the
cats is waiting peaceable and orderly for
! cats run ahead and into the ext place;
they're the cats that belong there, and
they line UP to meet me.
1T reminds me OF long ago when I took
| the shillin' and it was forever Turn out
the guard! Gineral Oricer!' Well, there
vas no chance for such as me, and now
the cats must be saying in their own
speech Turn the guard! Cats, meat
man! But I amt complain at all; there's
| only myself, and I manage to make a liv-
ling, and in all the years I've been at
it ! have been able to put away in the
savings bank the few dollars that'll see
me through my last sickness n put me
safely away in my own SIP of real es-
tate. n Til be a landed proprietor and
of the gentry then.
But twas my living and not my dying
| you'd like to know. Down here beyond
at the big mark cts there's a lot of butch
erS that's Kind to me, and they let me
have the run of the barrels where they
throw the bits Of meat that's no good
at all for Christians. and 30 my meat
costs me nothing. Then all these big
houses pay me for bringing them meat
for their cats. Some big places pay me
as much as 81 a week; but there's a sight
of cats there. and others don't pay as
much. The lowest I get Is a quarter:
there's no fixed charge; they pay Just
what they like, and it's all one to me.
Then I'm independent, and can have my
little free list the same as the theaters.
If ever I meet a tramp cat one that's
lost it's situation in a business house and
is running the streets, I can always
spare a piece of meat to feed it, If the
savage will only let me get zeal enough.
But I forgot ITO tell you about the wis
dom of these cats. Five mornings in
the week I get around my beat from Z
to 8 o'clock. but on Saturdays I am al
wa y late, and, for instance, don't reach
this block before it's gone 8. Well, on
Saturday mornings the cats know THAI
I'm late, and they won't put their heads
outside the doors until it wants only a
little OF 9. OF course, there's calendars
hanging UP in every Office to tell the day
OF the week. and clocks, too. and there's
nothing to hinder the cats from consult
Ing them like folks. And IL it isn't
that. how do the, cats know when it's 9
O'Clock Saturday mornings. They are
mighty sayacious beasts"