The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1906-05-19
MR.. STANDISH'S CAT.

|
When 1t was finally decided to tear
down the old building. in one back room
of which Mr.. Standish and several OF
his cronies had met on Thursday even
ings to play skat and enjoy other festiv-
| tiles appropriate to the occasion, the
burning question of the hour became
what to do with the clubhouse cat
"One of you fellows, said the man
who had owned the house and incl
| dentally had owned che cat, ought to
take care Of her Regina is good cat
and fine locker. II would be shame
to turn her out in the street, with no
| home and no friends. Standish, she's
always been fond of you. What's the
matter with your taking herr"
"Me?" exclaimed Standish. ME take
her? Good Lord!'
Sure, said the landlord. why not?
You've got nice big fiat, and Regina
would have plenty of room to roam
around and take exercise"
yes" assented Standish, shed get
plenty of exercise if my wife got after
her She hates cats"
"All right, said the landlord. We'll
draw for her and the fellow that gets her
shirks his responsibility at his peril"
He prepared the slips Of paper and
Standish, by the dispensation of provi-
dence and the juggling of the landlord,
drew Regina.
Standish carried Regina home in a
hat box Mrs. Standish viewed the
bundle with suspicion and alarm.
"A cat" she cried. why, William
that Is a cat!"
Unfortunately, Regina's physical con-
formation WIS Of so familiar a type that
Standish could not deny her species, and
he admitted his portege was cat.
"Where did you get hero demanded
Mrs. Standlsh. "What did you bring
her here for?"
"To kill the mice, said Standish.
"Mice?" she echoed why, there
isn't mouse about the place"
There Ante" said Standish. excited
ly. Great Scott. Haven't you heard
them? Why. the way they rampage
through the walls every night playing
golf ana baseball is enough to wake
the dead haven't been able to sleep
for week on account of the racket.
That's the reason got Regina. want
her to Kill them off,
SO for one night at least Regina was
permitted to enjoy the hospitality of the
Standshes The next morning Standish
took his time at dressing His wife,
being curious concerning the welfare OF
her unweicome guest, preceded him to
the storeroom, where Regina had been
ouartered for the night, and cautiously
opened the door AS Regina rushed out
she locked in and straightway sounded
ringing call to arms. Standish bolted
down the hall from one direction and
the cook from the other
"What Is the matter?' they asked
"A mousse responded Mrs. Standish
weakly. and kecieI over against the
wall. Standish held the rodent at arms
length and Aourished 1t by the tip Of the
tail, trlumphantly.
What did I tell you?" he said
Didn't | say the house was alive With
them?"
Immediately after breakfast Mrs
Standish summoned the janitor and
pointed to the moribund mouse.
Henry" she said. sternly, what is
that?"
"A mas" he gasped. "A mas.
WHARF you cat heem?"
Here. Right here in my own fiat
I've told you all along they were here
There are literally millions of them
They are swarming all over the place
They nearly drive us crazy at night
We haven't been able to sleep on &C
count IF their racket for don't know
how long. Yesterday we had 10 get 2
cat 10 XIII them off. But we can't trust
entirely To her You must help. You
lust begin a process of immediate ex
termlbaiion This afternoon want yor
10 clean out my storerOom and take up
my carpets and stop up all the rat holes
The things will eat us alive If we don't
get rid of them.
Although the bewildered Swede
worked until bedtime tearing up car.
nets and moving furniture neither mice
nor their means of egress and ingress
were discovered. Nevertheless. that
night Regina slew two more OF her
hereditary foes. For more than week
confusion reiened in the standish apart
ment. Every night Regina reduced the
ranks Of the enemy By one mouse OF
two and every day the house was sub
iected to a thorough and inconvenient
overhauliug. On the tenth day Mrs
Standish announced that they would
have 10 move.
~ am going out this afternoon to look
for fat. a" she insisted ia opposition &c
Standishs remembrance. Il can't stand
il TO be eaten by mice"
She really did start. but she had co.