Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-07-16

| Walker, wot 'ad just come up and card
wot passed, took hold of is arm and
helped i'm 'ome. He walked like a
man in dream, but arfway he stopped
and cut stick from the hedge to take
'ome to little Jimmy. He said the boy
'ad been asking him for stick for
some time, but up till then he'd always
forgotten it.
At the end O. the fust year that cat
was still alive. to eyerybody's surprise.
but George Barstow took such care Of
it he never let it out O. is sight Every
time he went out he took 1t with i'm in
a hamper, and, to prevent its being
/ poisoned, he paid Isaac Sawyer, who
'ad the biggest family in Claybury, six
pence week to let one of lis boys
taste its milk before it had 1T.
The second year it was Ill twice, but
the horse doctors that George Barstow
I got for it said that it was ard as nails
and with care 1t might live to be twen-
| ty. He said that it wanted more fresh
air and exercise, but when he card 'ow
George Barstow come by it he said
| that pr'aps it would live longer in
doors arter all.
At last one day, when George Bar
stow 'ad been living on the fat O the
land for nearly three years, that cat
got out aY'in. George 'ad raised the
front room winder two or three inches
to throw something outside, and afore
he knew wot was appening the cat
was outside and going up the road
about twenty miles an hour
George Barstow went arter it, but
he might as we'll ha' tried to catch the
wind The cat was arr wild with joy
at getting out ag'in, and he couldn't
get within arr a mile Of it.
He stayed out all day without food
or drink, follering 1t about until it
| came on dark, and then O. course he
lost sight O. it, and, hoping against
'ope that 1t would come 'ome for its
food, he went 'ome and waited for It,
He sat up oil night doing in chair
In the front room with the door left
open, but 1t was all no use, and arter
thinking for a long time wot was best
to do he went out and told some O. the
folks it was lost and offered a reward
of Eb for 1t.
You never saw such hunt then in
all your life. Nearly every man, wo-
man and child in Claybury left their
work or school and went to try and
earn that f5. By the AFTERNOON George
Barstow made it f1O, provided the cat
was brought 'ome safe and sound, and
people as was too old to walk stood
/ at their cottage doors to snap it up as
1t came by.
! Joe Clark was hunting for 1t Ugh and
low, and SO was is wife and the boys.
In fact. l b'lieve that everybody In
Claybury excepting the parson and
Bob Pretty was trying to get that f1O.
| O. course we could understand the
parson-'is pride wouldn't let i'm; but
a low, poaching, thieving rascal like
Bob Pretty turning up is nose ut f10
was more than we could make out.
Even on the second day, when George
Barstow made it f1O down and shill-
ing week for year besides, he didn't
offer to stir; all he did was to try and
make fun O. them as was looking for it.
"Have you looked everywhere you
can think of for it, Bill?' he ses to Bill
Chambers.
Eyes, I ave-" ses Bill.
.Well, then, you want to look every
where else" ses Bob Pretty. II know
where l should look if 1 wanted to
find it."
"Why don't you find 1t, then?" ses
Bill.
Zoos don't want to make mischief"
ses Bob Pretty. Il don't want to be
unneighborly to Joe Clark by interior
ing at ALL"
"Not for all that money!" ses Bill.
mot for ESQ.," ses Bob Pretty. "You
ought to know me better than that,
Bill Chambers"
cts my belief that you know more
about where that cat is than you ought
to-" ses Joe Gubbins.
"You go on looking for 1t, joe" ses
Bob Pretty, grinning. Its good exer-
else for you, and you've only lost two
days. work"
"I'll give you arr crown if you let
me search your 'ouse, Bob" ses Bill
Chambers, looking at i'm very ard.
II couldn't do it at the price, Bill"
ses Bob Pretty, shaking his 'ead. I'm
a pore man, but I'm very partikler who
l ave come into my 'ouse"
o. course everybody left of looking
Dbl
not that they believed that he'd be
such fool as to keep the cat In his
'ouse, and that evening as soon as it
was dark Joe Clark went round to SEQ
i'm.
Don't tell me as that cats found,
joe" ses Bob Pretty as Joe opened the
door.
"Not as I've 'eard of" ses Joe, step
ping inside II wanted to speak to
}f'c found