The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-11-05
FUZZY wuzzY. THE STRAY CAT.

3 notes IN the upper register, my hign
/ c. seeming especially unpopular. But
( at the same time 1 maintain that while
my voice may be lacking in timbre and
I tone value il has a resonance and a GER
/ taiE penetrativeness. if I may be per-
mitted 10 coin the word. that more than
! atones for its other shortcomings.
/ Ny audiences. TO be sure. seldom favor
/ me with bouquets OF fragrant flowers as
I they do the great divas OF the stage
/ But then, one must remember that my
! concerts are never announced or adver-
( tised, and those to whom I sing my pa
thetic ballads have not time TO provide
/ themselves with flowers or other pres
ents for me. They show that they are
4 listening to me. however, and that they
! appreciate my singing by throwing at
my feet many articles of bric-a-brac
much more valuable than the choicest
/ flowers. Once a small OrmOlu clock was
| tossed TO me at the finish Of one OF my
| greatest efforts. At another time / re-
! ceived a beautiful ancient bronze vase
/ that must have cost great deal OF
/ money. Unfortunately, my friend who
! presented me with the case, carried away
( probably by emotion. tossed the vase
! carelessly, and it struck me IN the back,
/ so that I was obliged to discontinue
singing for two weeks.
Understand TO begin with. that 7 am
/ Fuzzy-Wuzzy, the stray cat. Not the
]
upon the rug in front OF the cheerful
( hearth fire every night and purrs itself
I contentedly 10 sleep No, / am the child
/ Of poverty and wretchedness, and woe
has indeed fallen heavily into my life.
/ 1t was my misfortune TO have some six
! or ceven brothers and sisters, and when
! the family with whom my mother lived
/ looked Us over there seemed TO be
/ great unanimity Of sentiment against
! keeping that nasty cOlored little rat
4 with ugly zebra stripes on its body"
/ 1 heard this conspiracy against my life
| and yearned to escape, but Of course /
! was too small at that time. Ny mother
| heard the plotting against her family and
/ carried Us all away and kept US in hid
/ ing for almost week. but we We're final
| " discovered and placed in an old sack
| and taken away 10 be drowned. The man
| inadvertently left the sack open and l
| made my escape.
Now to ten you of sample day in my
/ life l viii take yesterday as fair il
| lustration.
/ was sleeping soundly in an old barrel
/ in a small yard back of q beer saloon.
/ Not a luxurious place in which to live, /
admit. but at the same time I am COM
/ Portable there and nobody comes around
about midnight to wind the clock and
/ kick me out of doors Neither do 1
/ have to act as night Waterman and main
I tam Il SAtcpltSS vigil dSdli4HL LietL tLNlllS
rats. When L am ready 10 retire I have
merely TO crawl into my beer keg and
/ lie down to rest, with the knowledge that
| 1 may sleep until morning without being
! disturbed. When 1 awoke it was quite
/ broad daylight, and I sailed forth TO
make my morning rounds in search Of
/ breakfast. l always go down three OF
/ four alleys to Illinois street and then
/ work northward in the alleys between
! State and Cass streets
Back of a boarding house yesterday
morning 1 saw some scraps that had been
/ tossed out in defiance of the city ordi-
nance, and 1 would have scampered
! eagerly over to them, but SnaTley Vow,
/ the tramp dog, reached the tempting
4 viands before I was able to, and, of
/ course, there was nothing for me TO do
/ but to continue my weary journey.
/ Snarley Vow is a most detestable char
acter, and l shall hail with joy the day
/ when the dog catcher takes him 10 the
pound for the last time and puts him to
| death. Such q fate he richly merits.
/ Twice has that low, thieving cur almost
| caused my death once he bit the end of
my ,aH of and on another painful occa-
/ sion snapped of one of my ears. How
/ 1 loath him,
spat at him defantly as 7 went by.
/ but he paid no attention to me. L saw
/ my favorite milkman coming by and
!
! OF leaving a quart of nice fresh milk
/ ip a quart cup in front Of a door on the
! second floor of the building, while he
/ takes another quart Of milk up to a Gus
toner on the top floor. This morning of
/ which ] write he was careless and forgot
! 10 turn around and say. Scat, you
/ beast" as he is generally in the habit of
/ doing.
So I scampered softly up the stairs.
and reaching the quart measure drank
/ eagerly until the cup was half emptied.
] ] would have drank more, but a heavy
! object struck close to me, and I knew
! that I was discovered and that the milk
I man was rudely throwing an empty tin
! quart cup at me / fed down the stairs
and over into another yard. Here I sat,
/ feeling happy and contented after my de-
/ lightfUl breakfast. When the sun came
out clambered up 10 the top OF an old
shed and sprawled there in glee. From
/ my pleasant position ! could see that
/ unhappy feline owned by old Mrs. Tim
mons in the middle of the block. This
cat has often tainted me with my pow
erty and my homelessness. But this
morling I could see from where I law
I'm the sun this wretched cat being washed
( and scrubbed in spite Of its pitfUl shrieks
and cries. Old Mrs. Timm0ns had no
mercy and she secured that unhappy cat
until I grew quite sad, and felt thankful
. 4
Cutcast, and not a pet cat. Somebody
threw a boot a me just then and scam
peTed away. AS 7 raced down the alley
- boy hurled a brick at me and two saw
. age dogs set upon me, and one OF them
/ ana sure took quite a respectable
m0uthful out OF my back. But, bless ne.
am SO used TO this sort Of thing that
I 1 do not mind it in the least Perspir-
/ ing and breathless, at least reached
I a refuge under a buggy shed
As I covered here listening 10 my ere
/ mics barking at me in b3fled rage from
/ the other side OF the fence I felt almost
as though il would be pleasant 10 have "a
good home and kiud friends. after aIl.
But even while T was musing I saw that
Maltese cat that lives In the big gray
house on the corner being mau.ed around
f by a cross babv- The baby would grab
3 the unfortunate cat bg the tan and throw
I il against the wall. II the cat resented
! the bahys action and clawed IN him. the
nurse would box the poor creature ears.
FINALLY the baby threw the cat down on
the floor and sat upon IT, Even TIE
hard hearted nurse could nor endure this.
and she protested. Immediately I heard
3 q shriu voice saying Nancy NaLcy.
Z let that child play with his kitty cat T. be
wants to-. Then the nurse offered no
more resistance. and that great. Ugly
child sat down cn my unfortunate fellow
E -t4tlit- tatll-rt4 eHHt 7--- Oh liftEL ttr.l
went down 10 the lumber ward on Kiazle
street. where 7 would be spared such sad
Z lellug spectaCles-
slept almost al the rest q the dav
going down an alley towards evening ard
finding sor1e neat thai workmen had
I tossed OFT q their ciu1er pals
I rested again unrl about q clccz.
when / started out 20 tl a date with q
friend ~ uiHe IN an alley back q q
boarding -houss il Dearborn stre-r- Ee
was not II sight when arrived. Sd