The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-08-02
HE MAN, IHE CAT, THE CURTAIN POLE Furnish Crowd Amusement
 at Avondale Zoo WOULDN'T COME DOWN Kitten Chased Bird up a Tree and Remained There Until Youth
 With an Idea Appeared on
 the Scene

At the Avondale park 1t Is not always the wild animals that furnish the most entertainment. and yesterday afternoon such a case arose.
 It was cat up tree in the upper end of the park. It was a very small feline a kitten, a maltese kitten to be exact. ana he was sitting out on a limb about 10 feet above the path. A man with long cur tain pole was standing underneath urging the small animal to climb down. The cat refused to budge. He had been up there all day and tfe slippery pole didn't look inviting so he clung to his perch and meowed vigorously
 A crowd gathered about the man and the kitten as crowds will. and there were va rious suggestions as to the best way Of getting the cat to earth again.
 How did he get up there?" asked one spectator of the man with the pole.
 Was Chasing Bird
 He was chasing birds was the reply.
 He seems to be enjoying himself. Why don't you let him stay up there?'
 He's been up there all the morning. the man with the pole volunteered.
 And he won't come down?" asked the questioner.
 The owner of the cat, for such the man with the pole proved to be, eyed his inter- regator with disgust.
 He doesn't look like he's on his way, does he?" was his sarcastic rejoinder.
 All seemed to agree with this, including the cat He was a little bit of fellow with the largeness of his head accentuated by big eyes and 1aring moustaches. He disdained even to glance at the curtain pole which was held seductively near He sat down, despite the smallness of the limb, and proceeded to wash his face with pairstaking care, assumed a ruminatve doubt upon the ease with which birds may be chased up trees and the utter impossi- bility of descending.
 The constantly growing audience seemed unable to fathom the kinks in the cats brain. They seemed equally as able to offer effective help to the man with the pole. No one volunteered to climb the tree and bring the cat down. They stood around and offered suggestions.
 "Throw turpentine on him." suggested one.
 smear the pole with cream and put the other end in saucer of milk" an- other offered.
 "Get the hook" commanded one youth full spectator.
 'T,et him stay. he seems to be all right" !" was the suggestion of heartless middle aged man. He can come down when he wants to-"
 "No. he cannot" said another middle aged man standing nearby.
 Why can't he?" bristled the first.
 Limb Barred Way to Ground
 There's a limb standing straight rp which is in his way
 That settled the matter, and the two turned their attention to the man with the curtain pole who again attempted to get the small animal to descend it.
 At this iuncture the Won Hndenhurg of the situation appeared on the scene in the person of a small, freckled-faeed, red headed youth, who approached from the direction of the wading pool
 "I'H tell you how to get him down. he volunteered.
 The attention of the cat, the man with the pole and the spectators were at once directed toward the newcomer,
 You can tell me how to get him down?' asked the man Nlln llt polti SNOil anu incre6ulity struggling for equal express sion in his voice.
 Yes" was the calm response. It's worth trying, anyway. You say you have been coaxing him all day and he is still there"
 The cat announced his presence on the limb by a loud meow"
 The man with the pole leaned forward.
 well, what shall I do?" he asked more hopefully.
 Punch him off" came the laconic re- sponse.
 The man looked at his pole, then he looked al his cat Then he started to punch. Amid the cheers of the crowd and the outraged .'meows" of the kitten, the man punched vigorously Sometimes ne raised the kitten clear up in the air but the little fellow cung to the limb with all four feet. his back bowed in the air
 Beginning of the End
 The more the man punched the cat the angrer the little feline got. Ii began to get real mad It spit like regular tom but it began to move. Inch by Inch the man polSed it along the limb. With tremendous effort he pokeu IL around ti-e upstanding limb.
 The crowd cheered.
 Thought you said he couldn't get around that limb" said one elderly gen. tleman to another.
 The pole was doing terrible execution now
 Its wielder showed no mercy. The more the kitten spat and meowed the more he punched it. At every poke. at every punch, at every prod the kitten moved toward the trunl. of the tree. When it reached there the spectators held their breath. Would 1t climb on up?
 Punch it." yelled the red-headed youth. The man with the pole punched and with the final thrust all four legs of the kit ten swung free. Then 1t was al lover oT- cept the shouting.
 The man gathered the kitten up, and with the small Maltese under one arm and the pole under the other went on his way rejoicing.
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