Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1917-04-16
How the Cats Came to
Strongsville
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aMs , BY NJ QUAD 7r. 3,
Copyright, lsiS. BY the Mcclure
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became sort of child outlaw. II,
wandered here and there till he final!
settled in Strongsville.
Hez found the farming class mncl
more sympathetic than the villagers
but he was imposed on by them to 1
certain degree. When he had got to b
a youth Of fourteen or fifteen he coul,
hoe corn or potatoes or chop and spl
wood as well as almost any man. The!
would hire him by the week and give
him such food and lodgings as they
saw fit, and when he was through Will
his week he was given some old clothe,
or few cents in money.
The years passed on until Hezekiaf
was twenty, and he was more of an out
law than ever. A man named Brook,
went to work in the sawmill at Strongs
vile. He WIS an Old bachelor. and ht
rented small house and lived alone
In passing the boy on the street one
day he must have given the victim q
look Of sympathy, for when he got back
| to his house again he found Hezekial
seated on his doorstep. He invited him
in and gave him meal and good
bed. From that day the unfortunate
had home.
To make clear what followed the
reader must know that Strongsville
had a strong antipathy to cats. 1t was
founded on sanitary principles. There
had once been an epidemic of scarlet
fever and again an epidemic of mea
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
exterminated to the last one and the
mice had a play day every duy in the
year. The old bachelor learned this
fact as soon as he talked Of renting a
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 Hezekiah had had a
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 HcZekiah 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
sbox had become mere punk. He car
ried the money home with him wrap
ped in his NOld coat, and il sent. forth
metallic clinks as it was thrown OH the
table He was smiling almost for the
first time In year, and after an effort
he managed to say:
81 dug II out of the ground" 9
did you tell the tarmer?' asked
Mr.. Brooks when he had recovered
from his establishment ga.
Not word" was replied. v,.
WELL" continued the old bachelor
after the money had been counted,
"this find has made you rich, but don't
say anything about it to any one. The
people of this town have used you
shamefully, and want to see you get
even with them. You know what !
mean, don't you?" c.1.
In reply Hezekiahs face lighted up,
and he nodded his head. He had been
aware for a long time that no one had
played him fair, but he felt his help
lessness to resent 1t. -io.
In thinking how he might revenge
the young mans wrongs the old bach
el0r brought up the eat 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.entercd the village al
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
extcrmnated In time hut the tin ped
dler returned next evening with 200
more re-enforcements and again the
third night. The town had now been
turned into a eat 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 ii was a constant serennde that
prevented sleep except at brief inter
vals There were enough cats to car
ry the germs of dozen epidemiCs. II
is 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 of and mt last
the people gave up and settled down
to bear the intliction with what pains
they could. -
After the cat invasion was n month
old the bachelor said to the half wit:
'He2eklah, you know what cat Is
don't youT'
HcZekiah nodded and grinned.
after paying all expenses OF dump
ing GOO cats into Strongsville ! have
$500 OF your gold left. ! am going
TO nut II In the bank for you and send
you to New YORK. city to see II the
surgeons can make you over | hope
they will be able to help you. If they
cant. You can come back home and