The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1913-03-15
MOST Competent CAT
BY ALEX sAYRE.

Denkins stared inadvertently at the
cat The cat merely blinked, yawned,
arose and stretched itself in an In.
sultingly careless manner. then gased
out OF the window, oblivious OF
Denkins.
III IL is true that care killed cat"
muttered Denkins. then I say bully
for care!"
BY nature Denkins was not at all
blood.thirsty. He loved his fellow
men and had been known to buy
candy for babies, but he hated that
cat. II 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 a 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
one evening, Il should now be push
ing Pierpont Morgan off the map or
should be president OF the United
States. That cat has simply made
up Its mind to camp here and nothing
can prevent It. II we lock II outdoors
II claws open a basement window and
II we lock the basement windows II
asrapdo Tho unndhtpa tralIta and sita
on the bedroom window ledge and
yowls or else raises the screens and
comes In triumphantly. II approves
Of the butcher and grocer with whom
We trade and nothing else matters.
1t Is truly an awful thing to be adopt.
ed by a cat!"
When the Denkins family decided
to be away for some weeks, Mrs.
Denkins announced that the cat must
be killed. She said II was not human
to go away and leave It to starve
to death, as II 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"
II don't care" persisted his wife.
II wouldn't enjoy a minute Of my
vacation for thinking about the poor
thing back here starving helplessly,
You've got to put 1t out of it's misery!"
VERY WELL" agreed Denkins. And
thatll put me out of mine. will
chloroform II"
The next time Denkins had few
moments to spare he assembled the
wash boiler, a sponge and a bottle OF
chloroform and hypocritically called:
Kitty, Bitty! Nice kitty" Then
when the animal was trustingly with
In his grasp he deposited 1t in the
boiler with the deadly sponge. To hit
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 a wash boiler is an in
flexible object and raising II enough
to get his arm out meant raising al
one side of 1t. That afforded room
for six cats to slip out II necessary
He let his arm hang inside as HI
meditated upon the situation and tn,
cat scuffied about Indignantly Final
ly It planted its claws in Denkins
bare wrist Denkins yelled and jerket
out his arm. The cat came, too, ant
made gray streak through the at
mosphere.
For two weeks after that whenever
Denkins appeared the cat at one,
arose and with obvious dislike lief
the room. The speed with which 4
left depended in some degrees upoI
the speed with which Denkins pur
sued. Usually the chase ended In thu
cats leaping to the top Of the furnace
where It was out OF reach There
its green eyes shone maliciously as 4
would sit and wave its tail and taun
Denkins silently.
He could think of nothing else ex
cept killing that cat So when HI
walked into the living room and founC
the cat curled up In a ball asleep II
the very last chair he gasped will
the suddenness of the thought tina
came to him.
kitty" ne said, 1T strikes me tina
you would Just about fit into pail
III see."
Tiptoeing to the kitchen, he got {
pail and the sponge and chloroforn
and with the sponge inside the pal
he clapped II down over the cat ant
sat upon 1t. II was not pleasan
performance, but Denkins was a des
perate man. Finally he arose and re
moving the pail, surveyed his worl;
AHA" said Denkins, with mucl
satisfaction. He removed the remain
to the back yard, deposited them il
box, dug a hole and hastily buried
the cat. Then in celebration OF hi
victory he took Mrs. Denklns to thu
theater.
GnaroaIt, had tho,, ,o.trol A.. .suht