The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1905-07-28

Jill AOIffn-
Jus discover cats eating catnip when
ne ianded on these shores? Did the
Pilgrim fathers bring their cats and
catnip along TO Plymouth rock? wo-
man, answer ne, o admit that you
were trying to bei:ttle your own bus
band i'll his OWL house!"
All | can say is that cats love cat
tn-p." she replied.
You Elake that as a plain statement
OF fact, Go your
81 do"
Then / viii prove that you don't
know what You are talking about and
need a guardian
Mr.. Bo"ser capped on his lat and
took a walk. He knew his family
butcher to be an ex-farincr. and he
called ut his shop and looked around,
ahd then III n casual way inquired:
Jones, Oil you use to raise catnip
Oh Your f&rm;'
The old N raised a few
bunches-just enough for her cats"
was the rely.
How fer her cats:"
| WHY. cats eat IL like run, part!cu-
tlarly about this time o. year. If you
have a cat over home and she is all
ling just let her get at n bunch of cat
IMP"
And you stand there and tell me
that catnip is SO called because cats
NIP at it?'
Il never heard any other reason"
'TEen You don't know enough to
come in when it rains! Cats and cat
mp have no more to do with each
Iotiler than bulls and bulrushes. No
wonder you can't tell bones from
beef"
Il can tell a jackass when I see
lone" exclaimed the butcher, and, after
Iglaring at him for a minute, Mr.. Bow
lser snorted in contempt and walked out
A farmer who had been selling pota-
toes to the grocer on the orner was
lust about starting for home, and Mr.
IBowser walked up and asked him.:
Say, friend, do you grow any cat
IMP on your farm"
Not as a crop" smiled the
"Then how do you grow it"
"a few punches in the garden fol
1.-THE cats"
But what has it got to do will
lcats?'
Everything. You could have found
that out by asking your wife"
Mr.. Bowser felt like calling hin
names and getting up a row., but thu
|agriculturist was in a hurry and was
Isoon driving away. An old man wht
twas leaning against a barrel had over
lheard the conversation and he nov
lbutted in with:
you must have lived in a catles
lcountry not to have heard about cat
nip"
did 1 ask for your opinion, sirY"
"No, but when | find a man VIII
ldon't know catnip / feel it my duty t
post him. / wouldn't wander very IA
from home if l were you. You Nigh
Iget lost"
you old villain! But for your gra
HAIRS T'd-I'd'- And Mr.. Bowser pu
Ibis fist under the others nose an
held it there for a few seconds an
then passed on. His family druggis
as a plOpCI AIuAA ~ oPPSoA ~ Wv
Twas ten minutes before the searche
latter information entered the store.
twas another ten before he asked:
doc, do cats eat catnip?"
do COWS eat grass?" answered tt
druggist.
But is it really true that they do|
"They love it. Catnip is for cat
cats are for catnip. They are one ar
!indivisible. You can bet your last dc
liar on that
But l never heard of such a thing
; "Probably not. l believe there a
Iseveral things you never heard G
However, you can settle this thing vel
} uuickly. Here's a bunch of the stu
I bought for my cat today. She
} Wandered off somewhere, and you ma
l take it along"
MIR. Bowser took the bunch an
walked off. He hadn't got ten fe
E iron the door when a stray cat N
i lowed at his heels. Before reachil
l the other end Of the block he was bell
followed by two more. Another blo'
land the numberwaS six. When with
la hundred feet of his gate, it seem
| las if there were twenty waullng, IL
:. lowing felines around him, all makll
e threats against his life if he did n
l lgive up that bunch, and he sudden
:. lbecame panic stricken and fed.
: "Wen?" queried Mrs. ows as S
o lopened the front door and found n
Il lon the steps and breathing heavily.
n DIT ba oa1a5 ata1dily at the rlSl
r Imoon and made no answer. he Ii
Ibeen defeated, but he meant TO sa
Ibis honor. Nj. VOAD