The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-03-26

little oil well and put me on Pleasan, street for life and all I had was five hundred.
 Well, the man wouldn't Ias no mortgage on the we'll, and give me the cold stare when I talked of credit. so I just had to have that other five hundred.
 Conditioning the Cat
 Turning ways to get it and stay out of jail in my mind, l was passing a house near where I hung out when l see a man rubbing the feet of a cat with a sponge which he kept moistoning with a bottle of alcohol.
 Cats feet sore? says I.
 No, says he, just conditioning him.
 Conditioning him? For what7'
 "A race he answers, he'll win a llotta money for me now he's in shape.
 "I was interested right away. Cat 1 racing was new to me, but so is everything interesting. Tha's why it's nteresting-because it's new. l Long or short distance racing" l says.
 "Long,' he replies. This Is a homing cat. You've heard how they come back Well thls cat is the hom- ingest cat there is. l got dozen l nothin' of money
 T got him right off I remembered l about how cats will return to their llowly matched birthplaces like bread on the water after many days. It did not need any more explaining, but 1t set me thinking.
 "This wasn't much of cat as far as I could see Kind of mangy and | dyspetic looking. I know form in horses and racing dogs, and l could see that If this cat wss winning races l he was running with lot of selling platers So I pulled out my roll, 1 "'Friend.' l sas, This five hundred says that racing cat l got at my house will come home from given spot quicker'n yourn, weather condi- tions being alike. How about it?
 "'Done.' says the man.
 We put up the stake at bank down the street and I went out to find me q cat.
 After lookin' up all the alleys got a good rangy cat with hard feet | and plenty O lung room l spent week putin him into shape, arrang- | in with the man he lived with for him to keep his old home. There wasn't time to accustom him to new votin' precinct.
 After I'd fed him up on meat and rubbed him down with alcohol 1 every day I'd take him out tc harden his feet by road work-dropping him | farther and farther out in the sub urbs every day.
 .sHe was little slow at range | finding, but after a couple of days l he's beat me into the wickieup un- ! less I got a good trolley connection coming home.
 I've set the day for the race on Tuesday when there wouldn't be toe much automobile traffic for the cats i to dodge and early in the morning We both started out in the other guys Ford to plant the cats in a l town 25 miles away. Meanwhile I'd l transferred my lodgings to the house where the cat lived sos to be there when he got in.
 ] My cat sort of winked at me when set him down as if to assure me | that bettin' on him was like betting we went
 You Got to Know Everything 'I almost forgot to tell you that I'd sawed out panel in the door of i the shed where the cat slept. and 1 put it on hinges, so he could come 1 in. but not out. A I'd got him used to coming homo that way when bod been out at night attending concerts and fights and the diversions that cats amuse them selves with. I knew he'd slike in like snake when he got home.
 That night I walked the alley l looking for him, getting worrieder and worrieder when 10 hours had passed and he hadn't showed.
 'On trials he'd made his good nine miles an hour homing, and l couldn't