Evening star., 1924-10-09
THIS AND THAT
BY c. E. TRACEWELL

The cats of Estey alley are some
thing like the snakes in Ireland.
| Every one has read of the book, but
nobody has ever seen it, in which
there is a chapter headed, 1.-THE Snakes
Of Ireland" Beneath the chapter head
| ing is tho sentence, There are no
! snakes I'm Ireland"
Similarly, one might almost say
there are no cats in Estey alley, If 1t
| were not for Jack Spratt, alley cat
de luxe, and dog hater par excellence,
who has the distinction of being the
only residing feline.
Jack was born with an indignant
mind. Like H. l.. Mencken, Spratt
| looks upon the world askance. He al
| ways has been that way. and we guess
he always will. Large platters of
! beef steak, huge bowls of cream, en-
| ticing cans Of salmon have no effect
upon him except to increase his ap-
petite.
Daily Jack Spratt, like another Puss
in Boots, assumes an Oliver Twistian
attitude. stands up on his hind legs,
and meows Justify for more. He is
that kind of Il cat.
! Much as Il soap manufacturer lives
from year to year in order to sell
more and better bars of soap, Jack
| Spratt endures the rest of us in order
to consume better and bigger beef
steaks.
lie was an alley cat once, that is
why he is so hungry. When a feller
never has enough 10 eat as child
he is very apt to try to make up for
it in his early manhood.
Jack $ great aim in life seems to be
to put as much grub between him and
starvation as possible. What Il
changed creature h. is. TO be sure,
from his salad days. when his tail
was like that OF a rat, and his counte-
nance expressive of supreme disgust.
Now year has passed, and Jack
Spratt is sleek and fat. well fed and
hearty, sporting d fat tail, indicative
of feline health. much of his sorrow
ful look gone, content mantling his
whiskers.
If it We're not for Capt. Kidd and
Old Whitley, j. Spratt, alley cat de
luxe, would count himself the luckicst
OF felines. As il is. these big tramp
cats make night n nuisance for poor
Spratt
Capt. Kidd is twic, as big as the
! her" of this tale. past master at
cans, easing himself away from
thrown brooms and tilted pals Of
( water. and making The grand spring
upon an enemy.
When Kidd comes sailing down the
alley, as he does regularly every
evening in search of that upstart
Jack Spratt, there is trouble in the
oifing. Capt. Kidd. his white body
cleaning dirtily. his coal-black tail
stuck straight out like "a rudder.
skirts the fences and turks behind
the garages.
on Capt. Kidds off nights Old
Whitley turks in the flower beds for
th" alleys favoritc feline. Whitley
and Kidd seem TO think that Spratt
is putting on airs because he now is a
house cat, and their aim. if one may
judge from their actions. is to put
/ the fear of God in his heart and teach
him who is the real boss OF the alley
There are many who scorn cats.
but when / contrast this little ami
mails daily life with that OF many
persons / know, Spratt comes out
clean as snow, az white as his snowy
shirt front, by comparison.
Let us go through twenty-four
hours with this pocktt-sizc tomcat
and see wherein he lives u life Of in
nocence, one that might be taken as
model by many two-lecged animals
who krow more and therefore ought
to act better.
About 6 o'clock in the morning
Jack Spratt comes up out OF his den,
where he has spent the night SUM
hering away in content Like any
gentleman. Jack has spacious cham
bers. He can take his rest on top OF
n trunk, or on n chair. or in the bot
tom of the clothes basket
While cats Of lesser breed are our
in the alleys Jack is sleeping quietly
in his basement. Surely. as TAR as
hc can see, the house is entirely for
his benefit. Upstairs. for instance,
there Is a treasure chest from which
meat appears at regular intervals.