Charlie, the Lonesome Cougar

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# Hello, Charlie

# Lonesome Charlie

# Talkin' about Charlie

It's a natural fact

#That cat didn't know

how a cat should act

# He figured he was a human kind

# When all the time he'd been designed

To be a... cougar

# Talkin' about Charlie

Good-Time Charlie

# Everybody's friend

# He didn't dig that nature scene

Those grizzly bears were too darn mean

# He figured his rightful fittin'place

# Was kicking around

with the human race

# Lumberjacks, mostly

# Talkin' about Charlie

Good-Time Charlie

# Everybody's friend

# How come he was lonesome?

Well, that's the story we're here to tell

# So let's get started right from the top

When we come to the end...

# We'll stop

# Talkin' about Charlie

Good-Time Charlie

# Everybody's friend

# Charlie, Good-Time Charlie

Everybody's friend

This is Timberland, USA.

The Cascade Range

in the Pacific Northwest.

A great big chunk of wilderness

that's best known

for logging, lumberjacks

and mountain lions,

commonly called "cougar"

in these parts.

Now some folks say

a cougar is just about

the biggest mistake

Mother Nature ever made.

200 pounds of tooth, claw and trouble.

But this is a story about one cougar

that was different.

You see, right from the beginning,

he didn't know he was a cougar,

because he didn't have

a mother to tell him.

A hunter took her for bounty

three days ago,

and he'd been walking

the lonesome trail ever since.

Right about now, though, fate came up

with a prime prospect for a soft touch.

A lumber company forester

by the name of Jess Bradley.

Jess had come here today to mark

some selected trees for a logging crew.

Well, there was a kitten

in his own pocket of poverty,

and not far away,

one innocent, unsuspecting human.

Fate was about ready to move in

and make the connection.

Now, Jess not only had

a college degree in forestry,

he was pretty well schooled

by Mother Nature, too.

Well, hello there.

Where'd you come from?

Right away, he read the signs.

This was forest land, and a female cougar

likes to den in the rimrocks.

So the kitten must have wandered

down here on his own.

No mother cougar would let that happen,

not if she was alive to stop it.

You poor little fella.

Come on. Come on.

Come on. Huh?

I'm not gonna hurt you now.

Looks to me

like you could use a square meal.

So, there was only one thing

for a nature-loving man to do.

Of course, Jess wasn't

planning anything permanent.

He'd have to turn the cat loose,

sooner or later.

Meantime, though, it might be kind of fun

having a kitten around the house.

Well, the fun started that very night.

Come on.

That's it.

Whoops!

Sloppy eater, aren't you?

Being a bachelor, Jess didn't have

any experience in this line of work.

But with a little thinking,

he came up with a formula,

and it seemed to serve the purpose.

You got a hollow leg?

You're gonna have to get on to a schedule.

Shh.

Easy.

That's a boy.

There you go, now.

Jess named his new pet

Good-Time Charlie.

And he soon got downright fond

of that little cat.

The little cat got right down

to living up to that name.

One thing about Charlie,

he caught on quick.

Wasn't any trick to taking trout -

all you had to do is play it right.

Hey, Charlie...

Charlie! Hey, Charlie!

You come back here with that fish!

Right from the beginning,

Charlie had made an acquaintance

with all the neighborhood critters.

But lately, a young raccoon

seems small for a playmate.

And so did a fox cub.

The pine marten never did see Charlie

as a real close companion.

So, being a friendly,

outgoing sort of cougar,

Charlie decided to explore

the whole wide forest world.

See if couldn't find himself

a bigger and better playmate.

Wow!

What in creation were these?

One sure was bigger, all right.

But it just didn't have

that fun-loving look.

For Charlie, that made the other one

look a whole lot better.

Now if Bigger would stay put for a while,

and if Better would just keep on moving,

there ought to be plenty of room for

two youngsters to have a friendly frolic.

There never was a kitten, or a cub either,

that could pass up a chance

to bed down in a hollow log.

Only difference is how they go about it.

With a cat,

it's a matter of instant relaxation.

A bear likes to prepare.

Well, that took care

of the itching and twitching.

He was all ready for napping now.

Find a good, comfortable position.

That'd take a little doing.

In one way or another,

they got in about 39 winks,

but they'd never make it to 40.

Because right outside,

a rude awakening was on the way.

One mean male bachelor bear.

He set a lot of store by this log.

It was always well-stocked

with mully-grubs, beetles,

and other delicacies

dear to the stomach of a bear.

And he sure wouldn't take kindly

to the Beat Generation

making a pad out of his pantry.

To Old Grouch,

the current crop of youngsters

was just a lot of nuisance and noise.

As it turned out, the noise

was an emergency call for help.

Well, Mother was already

halfway there.

It started out as a pretty even match.

Of course, the cub

was cheering for Mom all the way.

Charlie couldn't even tell them apart.

They were both wearing black trunks.

When Old Grouch

tried to tag up for a time-out,

the cub figured it was safe to shimmy

down and get himself a closer view.

Mom was losing a little ground

when Junior lowered the boom.

Heading for home, one small cougar.

And one sore-headed old bachelor.

And one mother bear,

complete with cub.

The Carbon County Mill

was Jess Bradley's headquarters.

And by the time

Charlie was quarter-grown,

he had full run of the mill yard.

Charlie made friends everywhere,

but come lunch hour

he always headed for one special place:

That little caf.

It was a hot spot for handouts.

It was also home base for a cougar-hating

fox terrier named Chainsaw.

Whenever he saw that overgrown

house cat fixing to invade his territory,

Chainsaw would set a trap.

Today, he decided to sort of make out like

he was going somewhere to bury a bone.

Like always, Charlie fell for the trick.

He figured is was safe now

to move in and mooch a meal.

Charlie stopped just long enough

to check all possible hiding places -

except the right one.

Then he put in a call

to his personal friend, Potlatch.

Hey, be right there, Charlie.

Of course, Potlatch liked his dog,

but he had a lot of sympathy

for a born loser, too.

Chainsaw?

Chainsaw!

Wherever you are, you beat it!

Come on, inside.

Quick!

You've come to see me

to get a little snack, huh?

Well, come on.

I got something nice for you. Look.

Chainsaw figured

he had that cat cornered for sure.

All he needed now

was a kindly customer heading his way.

That would be Jess Bradley.

OK, Chainsaw.

Go on in.

Oh, no!

Catch him! Charlie, come back here!

Don't let him get on the shelf! Charlie!

Aw, my new kitchen!

- Corner him!

- He's heading for the door, Jess!

Hey, Tim, grab the cat!

He's your cat - you grab him.

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