The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-01-29

Course / wuZ getttn IoneSomcr an
lonesomer, not havin' no dawgs nor no
kids, so when Junk Days wife died I sot
my notions on adaptin' one o her kids.
That's him out thar in tn bow right now.
He wuz comm twelve an right peart
un when I landed him up in tn house
an told Bella I'd adapted him. At fust
she tux to him near as tender like as eff
he wuz a young tom cat, but fust thing
I knowed Zeke. that's his given name, he
begun tyin' strings to Bella's cats tail
an putin paper boots on the burned fe-
line. So Bella begun a-wallopin' Zeke,
an with me takin up fur him, an him
fightin back at tn cat, an the said cat
gettin' back at Zeke, they wus h 10
pay for shore. Zeke slep' with me and
tn cat slep' with Bella, an fur spell
we KEEP apart an had no truck in COM
mon. Bella KEEP a-iookin' solemner an
sOlemner, a-glarin' at Zel1e an a-scowlin'
al me till fn'iy she ups and tells me that
Zeke's bin robhin her. She got offul
serious an says she'd been missin rings
and small jew'lry for a long spell an
had actually found EN- all that day stow
ed away in Zeke's little tool chest I'd
bought fur his birthday. l asst Zeke an
he ups an swears he never took nothin.
but Bella want satisfied till she makes
him admit that he Enowed the things
wuz in his chest all tn time. Course ]
had { lick him then, hut he never quit
swearin that he didn't know how tn stuff
got into his chest.
'TwaHt two days after that thar fust
set-to when Bella comes L me an says
Zeke has gone an stole dollar bill outen
her drawer. She fetched me in my room
an pinted ont the greenback, all rumply
and poked down in the tool box. So I lick
ed Zeke agin an Bella she licked him
agin'. an the pore kid was Almost broke
down, but still stickin to il that he never
stole nothin' Lickin' Zeke was bad
enough on my spirits. but what made
ne hCtter'n all wuZ tn way Bellas
DANCED old cat enjoyed the leatherin'
Zeke was gettin'. That night while her
an tn cat was at tea / put another dollar
bin on the dresser. TUX 2 anger an bored
a hole in Beila's door an another in my
door. Then I made her fetch up her
everlastin' cat an put il into the bed
room. When I'd locked both doors after
a-lightin lamp IN her room an an
other in me an Zeke's, I fetched Bella
cut. lcavin' The dang cat inside, an told
her to set down on the floor an watch
at the anger hole what the cat mought
Go. I went to tn other door an lowed
that I'd speak cut what 1 seen the cat
o-dOin'.
'''aHas she begun p'fcrminT asst
Bella. Yep" says Bella, peekln' through
at Tabby. she's a-playin on the dresser
she a-fif01lin with rlOoon sutfln
here she comes with ats a greenback,
Bill" says Bella, an she's a-goin FUR
your room
An here she comes, says 7. peek
in in my hole. an your goi-dinged old
cat is a-puttin' the money IN Zeke's tool
chest."
An so twas. That cat wuz the guilt
lest lookin' thief I ever seen when I open
cd the door an showed Bella the money
tucked down in ZesSe's box. But Bella.
she Just busted out a-cryin' an said I
WIZ a low-down scoundrei fur putin up
sech a rneasly trick on a pore cat That
thar crack settled it tween Bella an
me. I Jest laid FOR Tabby that evenin'
with two bsrls OF goose-saot an IN fur
is iivin' vet Bella she moved over 70 !
her cousin Jinkinses an sued me an Zeke (
fur a divorce. got X all right en- now I
she's sot up in a cat foundry over by III /
school house in BrGzos street BE ar !
Zeke Is baehin' over Toole's saloon. we 4
get seventeen dawgs. an when We can (
nnd no better game We 70 cat huatin
John II. Raftery-