The story
A commuter was hastily gulping down his breakfast one morning, when his children entered from the garden with the news that ‘poor pussy is dead,’ and produced the cat to prove it. The commuter’s mind was on more important things, so he did not evince much interest. His wife, however, believed in hasty burial, wrapped the cat in brown paper, and directed her obedient husband to give the feline a Viking burial by hurling her into the East River while crossing on the ferry boat. The husband, like many other husbands, promised and forgot. Crossing to his office he was so busy talking politics that his errand never struck him. All day long the cat was with him, in body, if not in spirit. He tried to remember to lose pussy while crossing the water homeward bound, but again it slipped his mind, and he boarded the train still with his bundle. When leaving at his home station, he tried to forget pussy, but a watchful passenger reminded him, and he took the bundle home again. There the wrappings flew open, and he found, to his surprise, that instead of pussy he had a large, excellent and juicy steak. That evening there was sorrow and lamentation in the home of another commuter. He gave his wife a package, saying, ‘you see I remembered, here is the steak you ordered.’ She opened it and found the dead cat. The husband was unable to explain anything, was accused of being intoxicated, and for the rest of their married life the skeleton in their family closet was that of a poor little cat, who traveled far before he was finally buried.
Summary from The Moving Picture World · 25 January 1913
