The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-07-06

goods that appeal to the taste Of the rod
ents. 1t doesn't do TO use rat poison,
for that's a dangerous thing to have about
a wholesale grocery, and the traps are
always getting out of order. So it's up to
the cats to fight off the enemy and any cat
That is onto his job takes a great deal
OF pride in displaying a row of rodent
corpses when the store is opened up bright
and early in the morning. Just as soon
as the store is closed for the night and
all Of the human beings have taken their
departure a merry time is on foot between
the rodents and their hated foemen, and
l can tell you the cats lead a strenuous
life of it and earn all Of the praise we give
EN-
Perhaps the best-known cat in the whole
sale district of Indianapolis is ''Old yell
low" Every drayman in town knows him.
and, although there is no way of actually
learning the truth of the thing, it is the
general opinion that 'Old Yellow" knows
every drayman in town, for he seems to
have a different way of greeting each one
Of them. If there ever was a living sphinx
this old tom cat is one. but he is probably
not the kind that would secure the enthu-
siastic admiration Of Agnes Repplier, or
any ONAAC VI dQllI dIllLldAS- fOT
odd Yellow" is not a beauty; he is doubt
less the 'ugliest cat that ever got into
good company" to quote the words of his
master, Dick Barth, who is the yard mas
ter of the Big Four Railroad southwest OF
the Union Station. And he has more
good common sense than any other nine
cats in Indianapolis put together" con-
tinued Dick, in telling the story to a news
paper man. Il say nine. because it is said
that cats have nine lives. and l think thar
old Yellow has nine brains of the ordi-
nary cat kind.
CAME IN A FREIGHT CAR
HE came to Indianapolis in a freight
car one cold winter morning nearly five
years ago. When 1 removed the seal from.
the car door / heard a piteous cry that
seemed to come from far away. and a few
minutes later found this poor animal on
top a sugar barrel. so weak that he
couldn't even jump down" AS the YARD
master spoke he caressed the dirty biz
white and yellow cat which lay stretched
out at his feet. and "Old Yellow blinked
up at him lazily Will a kindly expression
in his wonderfully large eyes. ITO have
seen him then" Dick went on. you
wouldn't have believed that he could live
another day. He had been shipped all the
way from Jersey City, as we learned after
ward, by some warehouse men who were
loading the car Of sugar for indianapolis.
l suppose those Eastern chaps thought
they were playing a great joke on me by
sending this ugly old tom cat out here-a
mighty poor sort Of joke I call it, for the
animal was on the road five days and
nights. a prisoner in the box car. without a
bite 10 eat and during one OF the coolest
spells of the winter. Men that will do
things like that will steal from their
mother" But it CHANGED that the so-called
joke proved a fortunate thing for Old
Yellow after ali. for he couldn't have
found a kinder master than Dick Barth,
nor better friends than the army OF dray-
men that unload the freight cars in the
railroad yards every day. "Old Yellow
is not much good as a ratter any more, as
he is too old 10 take an active interest in
such energetic exercise, but he is treated
just as well as when he was wont 10 win
glory and fame with a catch" OF a dozen
big rats each week. His master estimates
the old cats age at fifteen years.
Another king among Indianapolis cats
Is 'Ichabod." the handsome felire owned
by DR.. W. Il. Fletcher, and the largest
pure maltese in the city. ~'IchabOd" has
for many years made his home in the doc
tors study. claiming as his sleeping apart
ment the doctors waste basket. This