The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-03-28
PIrIFUL TALE OF A TICKLE CAT.
Mr.. Pussy Transferred His Affections
and Now His Master is Suing.
Chicago TrPuneQ

Chicago TrIbune-)
y sad story Of blighted affection is re-
ported from Tniontown, Pa, where
Charles pierce is suing Mrs Isaac Spilker
for damages FOR alternating the affections
of his pet cat Thomas. The preliminary
hcGriag in the suit was held last week be
fore Justice James A Trimble, and the
defendant was held over for trial IN the
The story told by Mr.. Pierce of how
Mrs. Splker sOwed the seSds OF distrust
and suspicion in the loving young hearJ
OF the susceptible Thomas was most az
fectinz For long time Thomas resisted
the establishments, but at Last his love
tor his mastes> was turned intO cold re-
gard. then into simple endurance and
one night Mr.. Pierce came home and
Thomas was gone. Contrary 10 the words
OF the old song, the cat did not come
back. Mr. Pierce has never seen nor
heard of him from that night. Now ms
hearthstOne is cold and desolate, and ne
bIameB Mrs Spiker for the unha ppiness
that has fallen upon him. In court MT
Pierce told his story with tears IN MS
eyes. He said:
Thomas fun name was Thomas Booth
royd Pierce He was most eXceptlonal
cat. He knew me as well as any of my
friends do. He would wait for me on the
corner near my home. ana when L would
come in sight he would new Halo to me
so that / could hear it q half block away.
Then ne would run up TO me, ana, leap-
that way, purring pleasantly into my ear
At night he would climb into my lap and
purr out account or what ne haO Deen
doing during the day For years ne was
the greatest comfort Of my life. AS time
wore on he lost some of the beauty of his
kitten days. but he was still strong and
handsome, and his affection for me seemed
TO grow with the years.
But one day Mrs. Spiker moved next
door TO me and Thomas, At first Thomas
mad the same mistrust for her that he had
for all strangers. L myself am to blame
for what followed became acqmalntt'i
with the -SpIkers and insisted on Thomas
BoOthrOyd liking them | would take him
over to call in the evenings and Mrs.
Spiker would prepare dainty lunch for
hun, and after a time he became rather
fond of her.
81 thought nothing Of it at first, but
rather encouraged the growing intimacy
between Mrs. Spiker and Thomas Booth
rOyd. Then l noticed that Thomas Booth
royd no longer met me on the corner at
night. At times he would not come home
until late in the evening. and when [
would look for him l would invariably
find him lying in front of the CRATE fire in
One night recall wildly. 1t was cold
and wet outside and lonesome within the
house L finished my supper and sat down
IN front OF the CRATE; -7ept listening Tor
Thomas BoOthroyd. but he did not come.
Finally I went in search of him. 1 went
over to Mrs. Spiker's and found Thomas
BoothrOyd stretched out in front of the
CRATE fire, with Mrs. Spiker tickling his
back with her foot. Thomas BoOthrOyd
was purring, and l am so well acquainted
with his singing that l could readily
recognize the tune he was purring. II
was, I'd Leave Nah Happy Home for
YOu-oo-co
My heart was broken 1 went back TO
my home feeling that Thomas BOothroyd
was gone from me forever. And so it
proved. for soon the Spikers moved away,
and few days later Thomas BoOthroyd
disappeared and 1 have never seen him
since.
Each night I fill his saucer full of
cream and put il at his old place on the
table. and each night / lay the fur rug
on which he loved to lie in front of the
fireplace. For some day, when Thomas
Boothroyd is tired of his infatuatfon.
feel sure that he Will come back to me,
and we Will be happy again as we were
of yore.''