THE CAT OF CONTENTION

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 99, 29 April 1939, Page 2 (Supplement)

THE CAT OF CONTENTION

('Sent In by Shirley Arnold, 83, Tnkapa Street, Sew Plymouth.) "Look what I have bought, my brothers," cried Wing Fu as he entered the warehouse which was owned by himself and three other merchants, and seated himself on a email bale of cotton. The three men hurried towards him as he took a lean-looking black cat from an immense pocket in his overcoat and held it up for inspection. "This will rid our warehouse of the rata, and we ahall prosper at last," he eaid. "But the cat was expensive. You shall each pay me one-third of what it cost, and then we will all have a share in its ownership. Yea?" The three merchants heartily agreed with him, for in China it was quite a common occurrence for several people to have a share in a fcmall thing, and they agreed to own one paw each. For a whole week the cat made war upon the rats; hiding behind the bales of cotton, and etill there were many left. One day it was bitten by a large rat in the right forepaw, and as that paw belonged to Wing Fu he was called upon to bandage it. "Wing Fu, the cat has hurt the paw belonging to you. Come and bandage it." "Very well, my brothers. Here, puss." The cat limped up to Wing Fu, who bandaged the paw and said: "There now, 3011 will soon be well again. Try to catch Aome of the smaller rats." He wa« about to turn away when he «aw the cat crouching dangerously near the fire.

"Silly puss, come away from the fire or you will be burned. (Dome away, I tell you!" The merchant ran towards the cat, which, frightened, jumi>ed up and put its bandaged paw into the fire. With an agonised howl it ran hither and thither all over the warehouse with the four merchants in pursuit. "Look out! Look out! The cat will set fire to the bales of cotton. Stop it!" cried Wing Fu. "Ah!" he shouted in dismay, as a yellow tongue of flame shot up from a nearby bale and rapidly spread from bale to bale. "The bales are on fire! There goes another! And another! We are ruined!" The four unfortunate merchants covered their faces with their hands and ran from the blazing building. The warehouse was burned to the ground, and when the merchants began to quarrel among themselves ae to who should pay the cost of a new warehouse and a fresh stock of cotton they all agreed that it wai the cat's fault, but, as they were part owners in the animal, three of them wanted to blame the cause of the fire on to the bandaged paw, which was owned by Wing Fu. The case was brought before the court. "Gentlemen of the jury," said the judge, "what is your decision? Do you think the three merchants are justified in their daim for damages?" "Most certainly, your Honor," replied the foreman. "I disagree with you. The injured paw was not the cause of the fire, but the cat's three «ound paws, which enabled it to limp to the bales of cotton and

set them alight. Therefore, oil merchants, you have no claim. If the cat had all its four paws injured and only one bandaged, and the bandaged paw had caught alight, it would not have been able to limp to the bales of .cotton and set fire to them. Also you would have had time to extinguish the flaming bandage if the cat had not been able to move. But, unfortunately for you," he said, turning to the merchants, '"this did not happen. It would l>e more correct if Wing Fu were plaintiff. I therefore dismiss the case."