A Black Cat Farm

"1 had heard ot skunk farms, rattlesnake farms and other novelties in the farming line," said Nick Hansen yestei--day to a party of friends who were congregated about the stove in the court of the Exchange building. "but I never heard of a black ent farm iintil I went out to Washington. The year that I went ont there Jim Wardner, an old timer wbo used to stage it with Fred Evans in the early days, and who is quito well known to many Sioux Cityans, conceived the idea of raising black cats for their fur, and proceeded to organizo a stock, company to push the entérprise. "A company was organizad with a capital stock of 0200,000, and an island of about 1,000 acres in extent located in Bellingham bay in the upper part of Puget sound was obtained to carry on the farming. Then a grand skirmish was made to get black cats. The Pacific coast states were ransacked, and nearly every incoming train was loaded with black cats, wmch were immediately taken to the island or 'cat factöry,' as we called it. They were in charge of a number of men, who frrmished them with food by seine fishing in the bay, and a certain ntunber were killed during the year to pay the curreut expenses. When I left, a good black cat's pelt was worth $2, and the company was making a mint of money. Cats' f ur makes up elegantly