Year: 1879

went over to Blifkins, our Sheriff, til


other morning, to attend to little business


and after ii had been finished, he got t.


telling me about cat he once possessed


Il tell you, Vox, said he-as he discharet


about quart of tobacco juice at a SOLITARY


ty that was slowly and laboriously making


it's way across the WALTZ tell you Yox


that cat of mine was a wonder; yes, sir,


she was bigger curiosity than a whole


side show; she was feline, Vox, that hoot-


ed at the doctrine of total deprayity.


sneered at religion and virtue, and hadn't a


particle of belief in a hereafter or the sur


vival of the fittest.' For pure unadultera-


cussedness and intelligent wickedness,


she'd put to shame any cat that ever claws
| ed fence. She was Captain Kidd, Dennis


Kearney, and blue lightning all rolled into


one. l can tell you stories about that cat,
Vox, that are mighty hard to believe. I've
known that cat often, sir, often, to take
screw driver and unscrew the closet door
for the purpose of gulping down the fami-
ly cream; and I actually caught her one
day endeavoring with perseverance
worthy of the highest commendation to
open a can of preserved meat with my razor
fact sir-pd be willing to swear to it in
every court in the land! She didn't let us
see bit of peace sir-she'd gouge the
children, open my wife's casket and steal
her jewelry, and fight the dog til his life
became burden to him. And, by George! |
Vox, I've watched her actually sitting with
her eyes closed for hours at the time,
plotting destruction to me and my house,
hold! If the devil ever did get into any
living creature, he got into that cat. 1
'ried to kill her til got sick of it-shed
lodge bullet slick as you could wink your
'ye! See that door over there? its a perfect
cad mine-chock full of bullets that shot


it that cat Well, sir, instead of reforming


nd preparing for eternity as she grew


lder, she became worse and worse. One
lorning she dragged off our Oldest boy
ulled him out of bed, sir, and carried him I
bout half q mile down the road, and then
terally peeled his clothes from his body!


went down and got my offspring, and
hen I returned, Mrs. Blifkins met me at '
le door, and vowed If didn't dispose of ,
lat animal in some way she'd pack up I
1d return to her fathers. Iknsw that she g
as a woman of her word, too, and so :
Immediately went out to interview the cat :
ace more. 1 found her sitting in the a
srd at the corner of the house, with a q
icked leer on her face, and amusing herr I
II with some of the buttons OF my poor .
lids shirt. When she saw me she shot Il
n back up about half mile into the air v
ID growled like fourth of July cannon. =
irGw out my pistol, aimed it carefully, a,
d shot at her five times right straight Il
'ng, aud blame my hide, vox, if the $
,sted fool didn't sit there and laugh at


}. But got her at last: that evening l is
Itened large meal bag to the side of the "
use, hung a big hunk of fresh beef in ;.
, bag and the cat waded in. Then l n
she'd up and grabbed the end of the bag. is
was pretty warm work holding that bag oil
en- that animal WAS kicking up old Ned ~ y,
ide, but I knew if she got ont She 70
ock the universe into chaos and 80 l be
tied my teeth and kept my grip. Then R'
OF a man to roll half barrel of powder co
into an old field, put the bag and the ee
in the barrel, nailed up the top, bored a ~
e in one side, fastened one end Of q or
& slow match to the hole, and applied tn
to the other end Then il q man had va
n listening right careful, he might have he he
rd something like a noise, and when the ly.
yments of that barrel parted company wi
cat concluded to leave the world" @ es'
rose up and left Blifkins still musine tol
r the life and death of his certainly dr.
Il remarkable cat cal


VALENTINE Vox.