Catman reading comprehension and answers

Catman

(American) Roger Dean Kisser

I like fishing. My favorite place to fish is on a lake near a small gas station in a town in the mountains of California, three hours from where I originally lived.

Every year, as soon as the winter snow melts, I load my fishing gear into my station wagon and go out to fish for trout for a day.

At one point I crossed the small dam of a beautiful man-made alpine lake, pulled over to the side and started unloading my fishing rods. Suddenly, I heard a gunshot roaring over my head. I was shocked to hear someone shooting, as this is a game reserve and hunting is not allowed. In addition, in the area where I have fished for many years, apart from a few trucks pulling lumber passing by, this was the first time I encountered people.

I squatted behind the car and looked around carefully to see if anyone was there. Two more shots were fired. The bullet hit the big rock with a bang, but I still didn't see anyone.

Subsequently, four young people walked up the dirt road. One man raised his rifle and fired. A cat ran across the dirt road and into the bushes.

"Hey, what the hell are you doing?" I asked them as they approached, "No hunting allowed here."

"Just hunting a damn cat." some young people said. Another young man slowly raised his gun and fired another shot at the cat, which was still hiding behind the big rocks.

"No nonsense, guys. Why kill for no reason?" I asked.

"Let me see, how much is that cat worth?" said a young man.

"How about ten yuan?" I said.

"Bang!" Another shot was fired in the direction of the cat. "How about a hundred yuan? This price is acceptable." The oldest of the four young people said, and he shot another shot in the direction of the cat. A shot was fired.

For weeks I have been saving up money to buy an old boat and motor so I don't have to fish from the shore. I have one hundred and ten dollars in my wallet and twenty dollars in my pocket.

"Okay, I'll give you a hundred dollars to buy that cat. Just please don't kill it." I took out my wallet, took out a hundred dollars from the secret compartment, and put it on the inside of the brown station wagon. on the hood. Four young men came over and stood staring at the money. They had very serious expressions on their faces. The older young man leaned over, picked up the money, and put it into the pocket of his jeans.

The four young men disappeared around the corner of the road, and I started looking for the cat.

A few minutes later the boys drove past me in an old pickup truck, heading back to the town up the hill.

It took me more than an hour to give the cat enough trust to catch it. I petted it for about five minutes, then put it in my car, along with my fishing gear, and drove back to the shop on the hill.

I asked the owner if he knew anyone around here who had a lost cat. He walked over to my car and looked at the cat. He told me that the old man who lived next door had lost his cat about a week before. The old man was very sad because it was his wife's cat. She had died a few weeks ago and that cat was all she had left to remember her.

The owner of the small shop went to the phone and made a call. When he came back, he gave me a cup of hot coffee and we talked for about ten minutes. I heard the door open behind me and I turned around.

An old man with gray hair, hunched over and looking at least a hundred years old, walked slowly to the corner. He sat in a rocking chair but said nothing.

"That's his cat." The shop owner told me.

The old man tapped the floor three times with his stick. The owner came out from behind the counter and walked over to where the old man was sitting. The old man whispered something to the shopkeeper and then handed him a piece of paper. The store owner took the old man's arm and helped him stand up, and they walked toward the station wagon outside.

I saw through the window that the old man reached in, picked up the cat, and held it against his chest. Then, the two people walked to a mobile home next door and walked in.

A few minutes later, the shopkeeper came back.

"It's time for me to hit the road." I told him.

"There is a reward for finding the cat." said the shopkeeper.

"I don't want a reward." I answered.

The shopkeeper took out a piece of paper and I took it from his hand. I opened the folded paper and saw that it was a personal check, redeemable for "cash", with 2,500 yuan written on it!

I raised my eyebrows in surprise.

"Don't worry, that check isn't valid. The old man has been insane since his wife died," the shopkeeper said.

I folded the check in half and threw it on the counter so he could throw it away. Afterwards, my heart told me to keep the check. I took the check back and put it in my shirt pocket.

"I think only a fool would think a cat is worth that much," he said, laughing.

"Yeah, I know. Only fools think that." I said and smiled.

I walked out the door, got in the station wagon, and drove home. Boys and their guns made me decide to postpone my fishing trip for another time.

When I got home, my wife gave me a note from a visiting friend. The note said he knew a man who would sell me his boat for monthly payments. I called the guy who was selling the boat. After talking about the boat, I asked him how much he wanted.

"Two thousand five hundred dollars. If I raise the money for you, it will be three thousand dollars." He told me. I told him to call him again in an hour.

I took the check out of my pocket and called the bank where I had deposited it. I told them about the cat and asked them if there was a way to find out if the check the old man gave me was valid. I gave them my check number and waited for their reply. Ten minutes later, the call came back.

"Mr. Kiser, the check is valid." The lady on the other end said and smiled.

"What's so funny?" I asked her.

"Oh, I called the bank and asked if the check was real, and the gentleman laughed. He told me that the old man who gave you the check was extremely wealthy. He owned a bank in California. Most lumber companies operating. "

That's not the only surprise. That evening I drove over to look at boats, engines and trailers for sale. When the canvas was lifted, the boat was like new. It was a good deal and I knew I wanted it. But, I saw the name of the boat and I was sure I was destined for this boat.

The words painted on the back of the boat are: Cat People.

This article?