John Paul Jones and His Birthday

by Lady Blue

John Paul Jones was a very famous person. He was born on July 6, 1747. He was the captain of several ships, one of them being in the Revolutionary War in America. He came from Scotland, was always very well dressed with a sword at his side, and very intense about his honor and his duties. He wrote poems and many letters, he spoke a little French and had many ladies swooning at his feet. Because of his daring to fight against England, he was often thought of as a pirate. Since he loved the sea and had held his ships in very high regard, I was his next most prized possession. He carried me everywhere. If he himself could not, then he made sure that one of his seamen carried me. Why was I worshiped so? I was a Maine Coon cat and a very large one at that. I was there to keep the mice and rats away from the cloth bags filled with food for his men. I was there to keep the mice and rats away from the barrels of gun powder and ammunition. And I did this special job very well. Now, on his birthday and since he did not know mine, we always celebrated together. We were either below deck if the weather was not so good, or if it was, then we were up above with the wind and salt breeze seasoning the delicious food. His men always brought up a large table and chairs for the guests. They put out a very large spread of fish, lobster, crab, and of course, all of the bones and shells had already been removed. That food was for me. Then he had another huge spread of chicken, turkey, deer, fresh vegetables, and pies for his men and perhaps some for his lady friends. I was allowed to stay topside as long as I liked. His lady admirers allowed me to stay in their laps to be petted and pampered. Then, as evening turned to night, there were fireworks to help close the celebration. The noise usually hurt my ears, but over the years, I had gotten used to it. The night sky was brightly lit with huge flashes of different colored sparkles, trailing tails of rockets that had burst into glorious color. When the display was over, he carried me to his cabin and placed me in my own bed of soft fluffy fur that remained at the end of his bed close to his feet. I went to sleep instantly as it had been an exhausting day. I needed to get a good night’s sleep as on the morrow I would begin work again.