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VOLUME 8
NEW BERN, N. C., FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 1966
NUMBER 45
★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★
Few men in business would
tolerate a catty receptionist.
Frank Almon at City Fuel &
Tire Cb. is the inevitable ex
ception.
He not only tolerates Faith,
wearer of the best fitting fur
coat in town, but downright
adores her.
She comes and goes as she
pleases, following a routine that
has been self established. Un
questionably, she is the real
boss of the place.
Actually, Faith isn’t catty
in the manner of women who
extend their claws at teas, re
ceptions and even church meet
ings. She is affectlcHiately cat
ty, which is possible if you’re
a cat, and that’s what Faith is.
Her regal air notwithstand
ing, Faith obviously isn’t of
ro^ birth.' An authority (xi
felines, unacquainted with her
aristocratic qualities, would we
fear classify her as a plain,
run-of-the-mill alley cat.
Believe us, there’s nothing
ordinary abOiitFaith.She moves
around Frank’s office with the
majestic grace of a ruling mon
arch, and acceptance by her as
a visitor to the throne room
makes you feel like you’ve made
the grade at the Court of Saint
James.
Only Faith has endured from
an original litter that included
Hope and Charity. The three,
deserted by their mother, were
found on the verge of starva
tion underneath the company’s
building a couple of years ago.
Aside from being emaciated
and bedraggled, they had been
born without ears. Almon feels
sure that this deformity was
the cause of their abandonment.
No one who knows Frank
would expect him to decline the
role of Good Samaritan in such
a situaticm. He adopted the trio
(Hope and Charity were males)
and pampered all three until
they were the healthiest cats
in town.
The oil and tire dealer got
able and loving assistance from
his secretary, Matilda Jones.
She quickly learned each kit
ten’s personality, and catered
to their respective whims.
“They are all different,”
says Matilda, so she treat
ed them accordingly. Usually,
cats are included to be aloof
and somewhat disdainful, but
Faith, Hope and Charity re
turned the kindness shower
ed on them.
They responded to the atten
tion of visitors to the office,
after initial apprehensiveness,
and made it clear to Frank,
Matilda and company employ
ees that they were grateful to
their benefactors.
Hope lost all of his nine
lives at an early age, when an
automobile ran over him.
Charity, possibly the smartest
of the three, was killed by apack
of dogs as he tried to squirm
through the company’s wire
fence after an outdde tour.
Every animal lover who reads
these lines will deem it prop
er that the staff at the fuel and
tire company provided a ceme
tery for the two departed fe
lines. The grief occasioned by
their passing was genuine.
Faith mourned Charity’s
death particularly, since it left
her without living kin. For days
she roamed the office dejected
ly, tten became resigned to
going it alone.
It’s no secret that cats hate
water, and will fight desperate-
(Continued on page 2)
FIRST LOVE—^The way of a man with a maid may
have puzzled Solomon, but not Bill Slaughter, Jr. In
the first Eunice Wray photo above he discovers Cindy
Gilman is hesitant about accepting his Valentine candy
and portrait. Then, in the second photo she wonders
if she did the right thing. Bill takes care of that by
providing sweets for the sweet, and Cindy, with her
own mouth full, returns the favor. He is the son of
Bill and Judy Darnell Slaughter, and she is the daugh
ter of FYedoie and Judy Steinberg Gilman. Every ro
mance real or fictional is suppose to have the same
happy ending, and you’ll find proof on Page 8 that
we didn’t overlook this fact. Let this teach you to
plug up keyholes.
★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★