The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-11-01
THE SPORTING LUCK OF THE BLACK CAT Wins a Snug Fortune for His
 Master ALSO SAVES HIM S5OOO
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Funny Story Told By the Red-Headed Man In the Smoking Compart- ment to the Detroit
 Drummer.


 would say that something Is going to hap
 pen to this train" remarked the red
 headed man, as he entered the smoking
 compartment. after a leg-stretchinE or
 the platform at the last station
 Why? Why so9" inquired the fat i commercial traveller from Detroit Because answered the red-headed
 man, as he sank into his favorite corner and felt for a cigar, because I saw a black cat cross the track in front of the engine just now
 | "Fiddlesticksi" exclaimed the party | with a wart on his nose. You've got the signs mixed When a black cat crosses i the road in front of you it's a sign that | you're going to move And it's a sure sign, too. We're moving now. ain't we?9 q don't belive it, protested the fat 1 traveller. That's no kind of sign at all. I'm not superstitious. but I never heard of black cat bringing anything but bad luck"
 Then it's a safe bet that you don't know Pug Jennison," put in the merchant ! from Mattoon.
 | traveller, but who in the dickens is Pug Jennison?"
 And what's he got to do with black cats?' added the red-headed man in the corner.
 Well" said the merchant from Mat toon, just to show you that black cats l are not always unlucky, I'll tell you about Pug It's my personal opinion, based on | experience, that certain amount of mis- | fortune emanates from all cats, black | white or brindle, and every time l see | one of the brutes I want to throw brlck | at it. But that's got nothing to do with 1 this story. Pug Jennison lives in ln- dianapolis when he's at home. which lsn [ often nowadays, for he's putting in most l of his time making rings around the earth | in a vain effort to get rid of his income Ten years ago a twenty dollar bill looked l as big as a barn door to Pug, but now he passes them oyer to the waiter and l tells him to keep the change. And US , all because of a black cat.
 Pug lived all alone in little house l out in the edge of town, the only thing l his father had left him, and it was load 1 ed down with a mortgage. He was tne 1 only one of the family, and he had to be his own housekeeper, for he couldn't ar ford to hire one, and for sentimental req sons he didn't like to give up the house. So he slept there, cooked his own break fast, and got his other meals down town. There was a girl that he counted on put ting in charge of the place as soon as he got a raise, but that looked to be long way off Meantime the black cat had things pretty much as 1t pleased. Pug thought a whole lot of that cat. It came to his door one night. wet and half starved, and Pug took it in. It was or the masculine persuasion, and with good feeding it grew to wonderful size It also developed rich dramatic soprano voice that was the joy of the whole neighbor- hood.
 well. one day Pug's boss called him into his private office and told him that he had a business transaction of con siderable importance which had to pc taken care of next day and that he was so tied up with other matters that ne could not attend to it personally, as IL involved a trip to Kokomo, or some other Indiana town So he says to Pug that he was going to intrust him with the job and give him 5000 in cash to carry the i deal through. I don't know what 1t was, and it doesn't matter. Pug was much unified up by this mark of confidence.
  the restaurant that evening he couldn't keep from telling about it. He didn't whisper 1t, either, for somebody else be- sides AhIs friend heard about the roll he had in his pocket Why this somebody didn't hold him up on his way home IS one of the mysteries of destiny, but he didn't and thereby he gave the black cat chance.
 "Pug went to bed early, for he had to catch train at o'clock the next morn ing, and, being young and in fairly good health he went to sleep. Thomas, the cat. had taken a few maps during the day, as was his habit, and was in no hurry to retire for the night. Some time toward O o'clock in the morning the man who had heard slipped softly up to a back window of Pug's house and began making prep arations to enter without asking permis- sion He was busily engaged in thls in- teresting task when Thomas, the cat began a nocturne in G minor. The man at the window was accustomed to cats and paid no attention to the solo. The man in the upper room of the tWo-story brick house next door should have been accustomed to cats by this time, for Tom sang nightly; but he was one of those nervous fellows who never can get used to things they don't like, and he had no ear for feline melody.
 "It was a dark night-a very dark night. The man next door, peering down through the blackness fancied he saw something move at his neighbours win dow, and, drawing back his arm, let drive with all. his might. There was dull thud and then silence. I reckon that will be about all for you said the man next door to himself, and went back to 1fF,cr unk np He didn't know why, but he felt un- easy He got up. put on his clothes and looked through the rooms. Then he went to the back door. As he opened it he heard a groan. He stepped out to inves- tigate. and stumbled over the body of thl burglar. As he fell the visitor suddenly recovered from the effects of the brick bat and grabbed what he supposed to be the cause of his trouble. Pug, in fall