Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1915-11-12

CATS FOLLOWED HIM
sAILoR's LITTLE JOKE NOT Al
TOGETHER A SUCCESS.
Army Of FeIlnes swarmed on ship,
Responding 70 Call Which They
Recognized az q Summons
TO Usual Meal.


According to Walter Jones, chief !
steward of the White Star line Adri.
attic, Belgian butchers have opened |
shops for the sale Of horse flesh to
their. compatriots in London, Man
chester and Glasgow, but so far none
has been started in Liverpool.
There are two shops in Liverpool
where they sell roast and boiled horse
hesh," said Mr.. Jones, but they have
been established for more than 100
years to supply the cats and dogs OF
the city with their daily noontime
meal This meat is carried round the
streets by the cats meat man. as he
is termed, who sings out in . high
pitched voice: NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
cats meat and causes the felines of
all ages and sizes to sally forth from
their home directly they hear the
familiar cry. With their tails in the
air, the cats surround the barrow.
meowing plaintively until their portion
has been served them, cut into small
pieces, stuck on a skewer. The dogs
eat their meat boiled, but are not such
good customers as the cats, although
their food costs penny and the other
is only half penny a portion"
The chief steward said that when
he made a voyage recently on the
Arabic he had an interesting expert
ence with the Liverpool cats which
illustrated their fondness for the
roasted horsemeat.
About three hours before the ship
was due to sail" he said, Il sent
Tom Twitchets, q steward, to get
three pennyworth of cats meat as q
treat for the ships pet cat riddles,
a fine ratter, and very popular with
the crew. It appears that after buying
the cats meat Twitchets drank two or
three glasses Of beer and smoked q
penny cigar, which made him feel the
world was his own. Nearing the land
ing state he sighted two cats sitting
ON a doorstep and in the lightness of
his heart he called out: Meat, meat
meat, cats meat" initiating the we'll
known cry, and waved the parcel he
held in his hand. The two cats inn
mediately followed him with their
tails in the air mewing loudly, which
brought cats from houses on each side
of the street until Twitchets said he
became so scared that he started to
run to the ship. Dashing up the steer
age gangway he was followed by the
army Of felines numbering dozens, &C
,cording to Bill Gargle, the assistant
potato peeler, who counted them
There were black cats, white cats, red
and white cats, magenta and gray cats
'puce-colored cats, tailless cats, blach
and white, red, rusty brown and every
kind OF cat you could possibly think
of. Twitchets rushed to my cabin, fol
lowed by the feline army, and drove
him out back to the pier and let then
fight for it, as it was the only way tx
get rid Of Them"
Mr.. Jones went on to say that mum
bers of the cats got lost, and sailed ii
the Arabic with him to New York. HI
saw a different colored feline outsid,
his cabin door every morning, so di,
the purser, doctor, and the engineers
who complained bitterly about tn
cats going down into the engine room
to sleep on the mats. Twitchets, tn
steward, was blamed by the crew 70
bringing them on board the hip, ant
Bill Gargle gained the reputation O
being the biggest liar in Liverpool be
cause he swore that he counted Al
cats when they swarmed up the gane
way. Several Of them were drowne
when the Arabic sank ON August Is
Mr.. Jones said.