Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1912-08-16

Luck of the
Cross Eyed
Cat
Or. the Omen Of Bad
Luck
By cLARIsSA MAcKIE

Where did It come fromT demand
ed Bob Sabln, boss of the logging
camp.
The camp cook waved a fioury hand
In midair. Search me-" he said
frankly. Here / sat making these
here biscuits when all of a suddlni
my. eyes felt queer and looked up to
see that crltter staring at me big as
life. l swan 1t give me turn to look
at It."
II never saw q cross eyed cat be
FORE" remarked Sabln. surveying the
large black lean looking feline which
had appeared In camp that morning.
The cat had been washing Its face in
dustrlously. but under Sabin's steady
scrutiny 1t suddenly ceased its labors
and stared back at him uncannlly.
The right eye was large and yellow,
with dilatlng black pupil In Its proper
place. but the left orb was marred by
a decided cast. In fact, the pupil of
the eye manifested a desire to disap.
pear entirely behind the animals nose.
IL wonder II It means bad luck?"
unused Sabln.
Later In the day Sabln remembered
the cross eyed cat. and with thought
to the lngrained superstltions OF some
of his men and the unnecessary talk
that would be exchanged among them,
to the detrlment Of their work, he or
dered Smith, newcomer, to carry the
cat to where the highway crossed
little section Of woods wherein they
were working and there leave the cat
Glad Of any relief from the tedlum
of hauling logs to the river bank,
young Smith picked up the black cat
and carried It. unreslstlng, into the
shadow Of the woods. An hour later
he returned to say that he had left
the black cat sitting In the middle Of
the highway.
"Gave me creepy feeling down the
spine as ! walked away" he remarked
at supper. "and | turned and looked
back. and know you won't believe
what I'm going to tell you" he con
cluded hastily.
"Oh, yes. we WILL" chorused his com.
panIons "tire ahead smitbvw
81 turncd and looked hack and nv
cr,cLv hovs that cot had shir,ed her
,,aa,,;n,, a' t,at IT, ,,,oa ,oo,,tn,r c.or
mo WITH ,harn orossod avos oe hara
and 7 na,ar ,aont 90 600 = ,noro onii
smile on anybody's face than there
"unhw
"a on, sm,,o"
nA,n,. yo, oo,no q rr.bor s,rono
sm,,hv2y
npomomhor ,h,a otn,. M .Auoo In
UondorlonJ nortv nrotoatod onoshor
Hm,d ,ho chorv, y, g,ho. noh Ga.
him. c,oor vo,co stortIod ,ho,r into sI.
Ianoo
nIt Won don.t hol,ovo sm,th ,,s, ,oor
.hara hous +" no saId or,o,lv
Tho,o yyos a,Ionoo as tho o,oh. man
.,,rnoa .nd ,ooLaS a. ,ha snot uhioh
b. hoa ,nd,oo,od TLo.a -, ,ho 80
~ tho ,imhor arow,h sst tha hal
$50 anad a., ~ on,, .n,,,a a,,rn,n"
- - -,
GOOD beavens, Pm mt go,no IN
ba Va thot thing nround berep. eiacn,ot.
al Peterson. sDrInpIn0 from his chnIr
"Wbot are Won going to DOR he WINS
asked
"EYll her full of lend" be announced
omiDously.
But there was n murmur OF protest
from his companions sabin watched
them curiously noting tho element OF
superstition that tIneed their handling
Of this matter His men were com.
posed OF Americans swedea and French
Canadians. ana OF them nil the French.
men were the most excitoble
"Ab m'sieu" onneoled Jeon Fabrois
TO his boss. "prav LET us not harm 70
evil eyed cati None of us have foo
moocb of 70 good fortune to take 70
reesk. myself will take her gently
AWAY and Iose her"
~rbors the beat nIan pe,arson 4" soid
sabin. with A nod toward the man
who WINS seeking his gun, peterson
WAS disappointed and came back m tho
table.
"There's only one wav Won con Iose
that cat" he grumbled.
Young smith nodded bis head "sbo
certainly cnme backp ho calculated
"What will Won do. Jean,p
"Ab take her In va darknass and
lose her forever in 70 tan0le Of woods
on re other side OF 20 river" ratified |