The daily journal. (Salem, Or.) 1899-1903, 1903-04-18
AN ANACHR ONISM

| never told YOU Of the odd genius | met
ut Pontiac who was going 10 do away
with carpets on floors by sticking lit
tie pieces Of carpeting on the feet with
mucIlage.'
Jones looked at the younger man
with severity. jackson, was just on
the point OF telling story about III.
lie idea OF my own when I lived in
Iowa several years ago. EnTlch "
with the tale Of your bright young
! friend some other time"
"Ycs." returned Peters. "lt does very
well for you to say that, but my story
/ was going 10 be a true one"
Give IA your story, Jones-givc us
/ your story" said Smith encOuragingly.
II was going to- replied Jones. 1t
was number of years ago. | was liv-
! ing out i'm Iowa near Des Moines My
| place was on the Des Moines river bot
tom. and the bluffs were literally alive
with wildcats. The wildcats from all
| over the country seemed to be in the
neighborhood that year holding a wild.
cat worlds fair; a fact, gentlemen. l
had fancy stock farm. and between
the resident and the visiting wildcats
they played the very deuce with my
blooded chickens | don't need 20 tel
you. gentlemen. that | am mortally
afraid OF gum
"Seeps to me that's pretty serious
admission FOR man who only last
night was telling how. down In Ar.
kansas. hc used to spring up bears
with four inch hickory plnnk and
shoot them on the wing. like clay
pigeons" said Jackson Peters.
AN idle tale Jackson. am idle tale.
A man must relax little sometimes.
As ! was
"But you offered to bet $50 that
81 couldn't shoot those wildcats, you
see. 40 what could | doy Night after
night they walked or with my choicest
fowls one day bright idea occurrcd~
70 me. II was nothing more nor less
than every time | heard any disturb
ance among the chickens 10 put my
head out of the window and call out
Scat" ia q loud voice.
The narrator paused and looked at
Jackson Peters denantly But Peters
only blow cloud of smoke ccllingwari
aud archcd biz eyebrows slightly.
"Thnt was clever notion" observed
Robinson. very clever notion. Worthy
u rank with your plan for extracting
the latent energy from trnmps.'
"No. Robinson. no." answered Jones,
smiling. and evidently much giptlhcd.
mo. you are too kind My tramp idea
showed genius; such things come 20 u
man hut once In his lifetime. This
was simply an indication of a special
talent for dealing with wildcats Sull
II you would believe II. my plan proved
utterly vuluelcss as far as Tightening
the cats away was concerned. scat
ted myself hoarsc every night for q
week: still those wildcats went right
on carrying away my poultry. But |
felt that the principle was sound
one. aud looked about for The weak
point In the application of f. ! soon
found Il.
II was employing the same volume
VI seat for wildcats which is used In
the ease OF tame eats. aud wildcats are
three times bigger than tame eats. My
irst thought was of speaking trum-
pet, bui soon decided against II,
determined to make n clean sweep Of
the whole matter. sent 10 Chicago
and got an improved Edison phone
graph with lntensifylng attachments.
l set the intensiher at the ratio OF
three TO one. | then shouted II bat
terry of seats into the receiver In my
natural tame cat driving voice
wound up the clockwork AMI set the
phonOgraph near the henhousc. \
small wire connected the clOckwOrk
with the henhOuse. 50 that cat ON en-
tering the door would set the phono-
graph OF. causing il to speak once, I
went to bed, gentlemen. and slept
soundly till morning
After breakfast my foreman told
me that at about midnight. when the
first wildcat started To enter my chick
cn coop 60 feloniously abstract my poui
try, that phonograph sort OF cleared is
throat aud remarked Scat. IN voicc
which ratified the windows Gentle,
men. my foreman was man In whom
had the utmost confidence. and he
told me that after that phonograph
spoke he observed n long. gray streak
n wildcat rcachlng from my henhousc
dooT 10 the underhrush. ahOut 30 yards
distant The same phenomenon WAS
noticed 10y my foreman In the ease Of
subsequent eats | lost ma more chick
en, through the deprciatlons of this
obnoxious form of Vermin."
Jones paused and ht his cigar, which
had gone out lie blew an aggressive
cloud al the lamp, elevated his chin
anl l0,,Ged AT jackson Peters
rvtor> rested his cheek in his hanG
and s'rmed thoughtMl After some
,,rnuiS hr drew long brcath and
! -a'l "Iunos, may | trouble YOU ~ tel
rs when this Interesting aud valnahN
lnvi,tnt took phces"
"tWumly, Jackson; certainly, In the
,umrcr of iS7l"
l+scrS smilgd Their he said "'ris
phouosuph, Ioucs. is given later
date hy lhc moro advanced historian,