Eastern times., 1855-10-04
Uarittp.
Breaking up a Cat Convention.

fANNNS
Albany State Register
We stated long time ago that there would
be troublesome moonlight nights among the
cats that congregate on the long shed in the
rear Of our dwelling. We gave notice that
we had wasted more wood on them than we
were able 10 spare-that we had used up all
the brick-bats that we could lay on- hands
on-that we had thrown away something less
than ton of coal-and had smashed a win
dow on the opposite block. All this proving
Of no avail, we said we had got double-bar-
relied gun, and percussion caps, and powder
and shot !; and some morning after moon
light night, somebody's cat wouldn't come
home to breakfast, or if it did, ii would be
troubled With the dumps. We gave fair no.
tice of our grievances, and what We intended
to do about them,
Well, the moon came up on Monday night,
with her great round face, and went walking
up the sky with queenly step, throwing her
light. with a mantle of brightness, over the
whole earth. We love the calm of moon
light night in the still spring time, and the
cats Of our part of the town love it too for
they come from every quarter-from the sheds
arannd the National garden-from the kitchens
and the s,ables-creeping stealihily and softly
along the tops of the fences, and along the
sheds, clambering up the boards, that lean up
against the out-bnildings, they sat themselves
down, more Or less of them, in their old iryst-
ing place,-right opposite our chamber win
dow. To all this we had. in the abstract, no
objection. II cat wishes to take quiet walk
by moonlght-if he chooses TO go out for his
pleasure or his profit, il is no particular busi-
ness of ours, and we hav'n a word TO say
Cats have rights and we have no disposition TO
interfere with them. But they must keep the
peace. They must get up no disorderly meet
ings, no unlawful assemblies. If they choose
10 hold convention they can do it for all us
but they must go about it decenlly and in
der.
They must talk matters over calmly there
must be no rioting, no fighting. They must
refrain from the use of profane language
They mustn't swear. There's law against all
this, and we warned them long ago that we
would stand no such nonsense. We said we'd
let drive among them with double-barrelled
gun, loaded with duckshot, and we meant il.
But thase cats did mt believe word we said
they 6idn'l believe we had any powder or
shot. They didn't believe we had any CUR,
or knew how ta use it if we had And one
great Maltese with eyes like tea plates, and
tail like Bologna sausage y erinned and,
spuuered, and spit, in derisive defiance at our
threats. Very well,' said we, very well,
Mr.. Tom Cat. Try it on, Mr.. Thomas Cat,
and see who will get the worst Of it,
We said the moon came up on Monday
night with her great round face; and all the
huie stars hid themselves as if ashamed Of
their twinkle in the splendor of her superior
brightness. We retired after the baby had
been put asleep in his crib, and the rumble of
the carriages and carts had ceased 10 the streets,
and the screams OF the ten O'Clock train had
died away into silence, with a quiet conscience,
and in the confidence that we should 6nG that
repose, 10 which one who has wronged no man,
during the day is fully entitled. 1t may have
been eleven o'clock, possibly midnight, when
we were awakened from pleasant sumher by
p babel Of unearthIy sounds in the rear of our
chamber. We knew what those sounds meant
they had cost US fuel enough to have lasted
q rai> tbo ,irdo md hpr
as Of elS, right oppMi,e us, on the north end
Of that long shed was an assemblage of all the
cats in that part of the town. We won't be
precise as to numbers, but it is or honest be-
lief that there were less than 300 of them and
if one amoag them was silent, we didn't snc-
eeed IN discovering which il was. There that
same old Maltese, with his great saucer eyes
and sausage tail, and over against him sat a
monsirous brindle and off at his right was an
.old spotted ratter and on his left was one,
black as VOLTS mouth, all but his eyes, which
glared with suphurious and lurid brightness;
and dotted all around, over a space of thirty
feet square, were dozens more, Of all sizes and
eolors-and such growing, and splitting and
shrieking and swearing, never before broke,
With hideous discord the silence of midnight
We loaded our double barrelled gun by can
die light, we put plenty Of powder and hand
Inl Of shot into each barrel. We adjusted The
caps carefully, and stepped out Of the window
upon the narrow roof on which il opens We
we're jnss eighty rods from The ca, convention
and we addressed ourselves TO the chairman (tht
old Maltese) in distinct and audible voice, ans
cried 'Scat!' He didn't recognize our righ
10 the floor, but went right ON with the bust
lress Of The meeting. Scat = cried we again
more empha,ically than before, but were a,
swered by 40 extra shrek from The chairman