Ellis Parker Butler (1869-1937) was a contemporary of many big names in American fiction straddling the 19th and 20th centuries, but today heâs almost completely forgotten. The selections in âMike Flannery On Duty and Offâ book include three humorous stories, âJust Like a Cat,â âThe Three Hundredâ and âFleas Will Be Fleas,â by this American humorist, whose first success, âPigs is Pigsâ (1906), remained his greatest. Nevertheless, the Mike Flannery stories are among his best. âJust Like a Catâ is a story of Mikeâs problems when a dead cat arrives at the express office where he works. Mike tries to think of a word to replace âdeadâ in his report and that sets off a series of problems for him. The further stories of Mike Flannery, a character made famous as the agent of the Interurban Express Company in Butlerâs short story, âPigs is Pigsâ.