The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-05-07
Bill
Dorgan's
Dogs

GWh up TO- said the man IN the soeuy eAOOe-
inE coat. He'll talk TO you free enough
about his spook hounds and his brain hounds
and his dramatic terriers, cause II he did
fall down on them experiments he done
more In the way Of breeding to class than
any other man ever done.
sBut Bill never would admit, except TO
ne and few other old friends, who knoWed
him we'll enough 10 be charitable when he
got out Of the straight and narrer path
that be oneet bred cats.
The FIRST time he confessed II to me I
talked 10 him just awful.
What cher trying to do with yourselfP
aGys l. Are you working up 10 wearing
mAtts and sewing idies7 You don't mean
20 tell me that you're going TO give the
wanderbloom kennels a black eye by eX-
hibltinE bunch Of cats along with lot OF
old women and preachersP
Il spoke right out, because, although l
knew Bill was queer, that was little 700
much for a friend TO stand for. Cats'
Gel
They're for exhibition all right says
BIZ. But not for bench shows. Got an
other great schemeP
1T was just this way Bill had got his
mind on cats, and whenever Bill got bis
naind on anything. there come scheme
right away.
sHe had an old tomcat that used 70 hang
around the kennels. It takes cat that
h cat 70 live with bunch OF dogs, but TINS
here tom was no common, ordinary milk
hpper, He was Jest sixteen pounds OF
scrap, Fingered up with eight ounces OF
pure nerve. He could lick any dog that
VaIl1ed--the only cat ever see that could
handle a bull terrier.
SYou zee, II don't take much OF cat TO
put Il over a plain setter or pointer or
spaniel. The dog makes for the cat hall
hearted like, and the cat scratches him one
right quick, acrost his nose. The dog hesi-
tatos because that hurts some, and before
he Rits his bearings he thinks he's got forty
cats all over him.
But q bull terrier don't stop for scratches
OF nothing He comes right on, and ne
keeps a-eoming, And that most usually
settles any cat--Rll but Bills old Tom
SThs bun terrier would Jump in like spring
steel and lightning, but Tom wasn't there.
He was sliding over the terriers back,
dropping in a good lick as he passed, and
the bull terrier was nowhere.
1T got 80 that most Of Bills dogs learned
what was good for EN- and let Tom alone.
Some Of EN- finding who was boss made
advances to Tom and got friendly with him,
20 finally It come to be a happy family
arrangement. I've seen Tom sleeping under
the breast Of a scrapping bull terrier who
would 60 for any cat alive but Tom.
1T wasn't Toms scrapping qualities that
cot Bill DorgAn 70 thinking, though. II
Was the way that beast saw things A-coming
before they come.
sIts no Use talking, there's a lot Of the
devil In cats. They amt honest like dog.
You can't make friends with 'em, and they
don't give q damn for you. And they have
q way Of acting Of nights that makes you
Ghfvery.
"Now that cat Tom knowed all sorts Of
thing before they happened Along some
fAs afternoon Bill would hear feetsteps
hitting the board walk that run from his
front door 70 the gate.
sThen maybe Tom would bunch up his
back and rub against Bills legs and grin
and look happy, And sure enough, when
the visitor come inside, he was there to
buy dog alta good price.
sor maybe Tom would jump up on the
WtndoWsiI and make q baseball bat out Of
his tan and spit, and then Tom knowed
that Il wa the bill collector OF the as
SCISSORS.
s0ns day Tom acted funny and restless
all day. Didn't take his nap A. usuAl-and
Ton was a. regular as the clock about
his nhp-but Jest mooned around the house
cooking bis right ear, that had been half
chsW6d on IN a lot Of scraps, and mewing
under his breath.
And that night the lean-to Of Bn's
houba burned down. Right then, snApi
just like that, the idea popped into Bus
mind. The fortune telling catl
'HS told Mrs. Dorgan right away.
But, William says Mrs. DorEan, cats
never DO what you want EN- TO do. They
Gin1 like dogs, that's naoherly obedient
aud accommodating toward folks. How
ere yOu going 10 make 'em tell fortunes
unless they want tor
tfasy.' Gays Bill. Why does a setter
ohAss birdsi Because he wants to. Why
does bun terrier hghti Because he wants
70. Breeding TO class has developed their
Instinct. I'm going 70 breed the fortune
failing cat so't they'll want to tell fortunes.
Breed EN- 20 you couldn't stop EN- u you
tFiSdr
But hsW ere you going to work it,
saya MrS. DorEan. You can't expect to
bred enough brain into oats 10 teach EN-
70 rad and write like you was doing with
ths brainhounds before they run away
And says Bill. oh. that's easy, too
IN Git a whole slew Of cards printed, with
~ kinds Of fortune telling sentences on
en- IKE he loves you and you viii
b Ttoh.' and you're going on a Journey
and when We bring sitter before the for
tune telling cat shell Jest pick out the right
cards with her mouth
How will she do Il II she can't read''
sAyS Mrs. DorGtn.
Instinct and the devil says Bill. Old
Tom can't hggeT and don't know a thing
about arithmetic, but he knows when a
bill collectors coming, all right. don't
her The instinct Of the fortune telling
oats will lead EN- straight 10 the right
card. Why. Ws'll put the regular card
readers out Of business. You sell
80 Bill hunted up the most devilish cats
he could find and built a sort OF a stable
20 hold EN-.
'IsopS were awful Smes doing in that
atAks. The way they used 10 fight and
yoWl nights wah something horrible. Bill
didn't have no near neighbors OF he'd a