The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1913-08-19
MOST COMPETENT CAT
BY ALEX SAYRE.

sultingly careless manner. then gazet
out OF the window. oblivious o.
Denkins.
III It is true that care killed cat,
muttered Denkins, then I say bully
for care!"
BY nature Denkins was not at al
blood-thirsty. He loved his fellow
men and had been known to buy
candy for babies, but he hated that
cat. It was in the first place, a tramp
cat, the sort one would be ashamed
to claim as a member Of ones family
No amount OF cream and chops ever
could have made II look like anything
else than mongrel. The family had
intimated In every possible way to
the cat that its presence was undesir.
able, but the animal remained OBJ
livious to all hints. Denkins was ap-
palled to realize the force OF its
sheer persistency.
why, II had one-tenth the per-
Bistency Of that cat" he told callers
one evening, 81 should now be push
ing Pierpont Morgan of the map or
should be president Of the United
States. That cat has simply made
up It's mind to camp here and nothing
can prevent It. II we lock 1t outdoors
II claws open basement window and
II we lock the basement windows II
ascends the woodbine trellis and sits
on the bedroom window ledge and
yowls or else raises the screens and
In, trtt y, av,tl
OF the butcher and grocer with whom
we trade and nothing else matters.
II is truly an awful thing to be adopt.
ed by a cat!"
When the Denkins family decided
to be away for some weeks, Mrs.
be killed. She said II was not human
to go away and leave It to starve
to death. as It surely would. II neg
lected
"Starve!" echoed Denkins, scorn-
fully. why. that cat, dropped on
desert island composed entirely OF
lava rock and coral reefs and dyna.
mite. would root out living for II.
self"
Il don't care" persisted his wife.
Il wouldn't enjoy minute Of my
vacation for thinking about the poor
thing back here starving helplessly.
You've got to put 1t out OF its misery"
Very WE'LL" agreed Denkins. "And
that'll put me out Of mine will
chloroform It,"
The next time Denkins had a few
moments to spare he assembled the
wash boiler, sponge and a bottle Of
chloroform and hypocrltically called:
Kitty. Ritty Nice kitty" Then
when the animal was trustingly with.
In his grasp he deposited 1t in the
boiler with the deadly sponge. To his
surprise the cat did not stay there,
but came out as he withdrew his arm.
He barely caught the escaping ami.
nal by the hind paw. 1t scratched
wildly.
"Here!" said Denkins severely.
"You go back in there and stay!"
Then Denkins learned something.
The cover to n wash boiler Is an in
flexible object and raising It enough
one side of 1t. That afforded room
for six cats to slip out If necessary
He let his arm hang inside as he
meditated upon the situation and the
cat scufiled about Indignantly. Final.
ly 1t planted its claws in Denkins'
bare wrist Denkins yelled and jerked
out his arm. The cat came, too. and
made gray streak through the at
mosphere.
For two weeks after that whenever
Denkins appeared the cat at once
arose and with obvious dislike left
the room. The speed with which II
left depended in some degrees upon
the speed with which Denkins pur-
sued, Usually the chase ended In the
cats leaping to the top of the furnace.
where 1t was out OF reach. There
its green eyes shone maliciously as 1t
would sit and wave its tail and taunt
Denkins silently.
He could think Of nothing else ex.
cept killing that cat. So when he
walked into the living room and found
the cat curled up in a ball asleep in
the very last chair he gasped with
the suddenness of the thought that
came TO him.
kitty" he said, ut strikes me that
you would just about At into a pail
I'll see"
Tiptoeing to the kitchen, he got a
pail and the sponge and chloroform
and with the sponge inside the pail
he clapped II down over the cat and
sat upon II. II was not pleasant
performance, but Denkins was des.
perate man. Finally ho arose and re-
moving the pail, surveyed his work.
Aha" said Denklns. with much
satisfaction He removed the remains
to the back yard deposited them in
box. dug a hole and hastily buried
the cat. Then In celebration OF his
victory he took Mrs. Denkins to the
theater.
Scarcely had they retired that might
/ when Mrs. Denkins shrieked, "I ooki'