The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1917-01-30
How the Cats Came to
Strongsville
BY M. QUAD
By M. QUAD
Copyright. 1916. By the Mcclure
Newspaper Syndicate.

that ne was born half wit ana with 81
twisted leg besides. Ills parenfs dial
when he was ten years old, and licz
became sort Of child outlaw. I!r
wandered here and there tin he tinaIlt
settled In Strongsville.
Hez found the farming class mu,t.
more sympathetic than the yilla-pr
but he was imposed on by them L.
certain degree. When he had 90; Ia Ia,
a youth of fourteen or fifteen he could
noe corn or potatoes or chop and sngi.
wood as we'll as almost any man. They
would hire him hy the week ana civ,
him such food and lodgings is thrs
saw ut, and when he was through win
his week he was given some old clptle
or few cents In money.
The years passed on until IIrzcl,iat,
was twenty, and he was more OF I'm ,ut
law than ever. \ man named Bro a,
went to work In the sawmill Mt Stleii-.,
Vile. lie was an old bachelor. AID b5.
rented small house and lived alone
In passing the boy on the street orp
day he must have given the victim Il
look of sympathy. for when he 20; ..cA
to his house again he found Hezekiah
seated on his doorstep. He invited l.-a
In and gave him IA meal and gund
bed. From that day the unfortunate
had home.
! To make clear what followed tho
reader must know that Stranesv.lt
| had strong antipathy to cats. Ii was
founded on sanitary principles There
had once been an epidemic OF scarlet
| fever and again an epidemic of nca
/ sles, and the doctors had agreed that
/ the germs of both were carried from
house to house by the feline population.
Thus 1t came about that the cats were
extermnated to the last one AMI the
mice had a play day every day in the
year, The old bachelor learned this
fact as soon as he talked of renting Il
house in the village. He was told that
If he brought a cat along with him
she would certainly be poisoned off in
short order.
One day after Hczekiah had had
home for six months he went to work
for a certain farmer at wages set by
Mr.. Brooks. who had become guard
Ian to him. After working for three
or four days Hezekiah unearthed box
of gold coin amounting to $1,000 They
were English coins and had been buried
in the long ago-so long ago that the
box had become mere punk He car
ried the money home with him wrap
ped In his old coat, and 1t sent forth
metallic clinks as it was thrown on the
table. He was smiling almost for the
first time In n year. and after an effort
he managed to say:
Il dug 1t out of the ground"
did you tell the farmerf" asked
Mr.. Brooks when he had recovered
from his establishment.
Not a word" was replied.
WELL" continued the old bachelor
after the money had been counted,
this find has made you rich. but don't
say anything about 1t to any one. The
people of this town have used you
shamefully, and | want to see you get
even with them. You know what I
mean, don't you?"
In reply HeZekiah's face lighted up,
and he nodded his head. He had been
aware for long time that no one had
played him fair, but he felt his help
lessness to resent it.
In thinking how he might revenge
the young mans wrongs the old bach
elor brought up the cat question. and
he soon had his plans laid. The next
tin peddler that came along was stop
ped and held in private conversation
for half an hour, and then he winked
and laughed and drove away. He
stored his tinware temporarily and
loaded up 200 felines in its place.
That wagon re-entered the village at
II o'clock at night, when every man,
woman and child was sleeping his first
sleep. 1t paused In front of the town
| hall. and the door was opened, and
the cats came bouncing out,
Two hundred cats might have been
exterminated In time but the tin ped
! dler returned next evening with 200
more achievements and again the
third night. The town had now been
turned into cat town. 1t had more
cats walking the fences or seated
around the back doors than any town
of four times its size in this state. by
night 1t was constant serenade that
prevented sleep except at brief inter
walls. There were enough cats to car
~ the germs of dozen epidemics. II
IS q cat town today. Men were hired
by the week to shoot or trap them
but kittens were born about as fast
as old cats were killed off, and at last
the people gave up and settled down
20 bear the infiiction with what pains
they could.
After the cat invasion was month
old the bachelor said to the half VII:
"Hezekiah, you know what cat Is
don't youf"
Hezekiah nodded and grinned.
aAfter having all expenses OF dump