Introducing Shrdlu!

Updated: January 14, 2023

The Corner

Same Ol’ Routine

Last week we committed Shrdlu our Office Cat to do hard labor in the back shop until Ground Hog’s Day because he had made some irreverent remarks about our New Year’s dish of blackeyed peas and hog jowl.

This week, His multitude of friends—subscribers of this newspaper—came to us and asked us to forgive our feline office boy inasmuch as even cat can make mistakes. His many friends asked us to reinstate him in the freedom to which his position entitles him. After about the 100th person asked us to forgive Shrdlu, we did, and so on Tuesday, he was back in his old routine. We’ll go to great lengths to please our subscribers.

Shortly after Shrdlu had settled himself at our typewriter where he said he was going to write our editorial this week (see editorial page please), a rat leaped upon the desk, climbed atop the filing cabinet, and proceeded to soap-box Shrdlu in a terrific barrage of squeaks. The rat waved a business-like document in front of Shrdlu and demanded our Office Cat’s undivided attention.

The document the rat was waving was a petition. It was signed by a whole nest of rats. It said, in brief, that the management of The La Feria News was too had on the rats. It said that the management of the La Feria News only this week had set traps and caught two rats—two rats who no longer would be able to sign the petition.

The document demanded that Shrdlu, in his influential position, take steps to see that the management set no more traps, thus making the life of rats around the place easier.

Shrdlu, recovering from his amazement, did a very, very ordinary thing—ordinary, at least, for a cat.
He seized the cocky rat and ate him.

Then he proceeded to write the editorial on page 2, about other kinds of rats who want something for nothing.

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