Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1856-11-06
A Shv at the Cats.

would be trouble some moonlight night
among the cats that congregate on the long
shed in rear of our dwelling. We gave
notice that we had wasted more wood on
them than we had to spare-that we had
used up all the brick bats that we could lay
our hands on-that we had thrown away
something less than ton of coal-and had
smashed a window on the opposite block
All this proving to no avail, we said we had
got double barrelled gun, and percussion
caps, and powder and shot; and some morn
ing after a moonlight night, somebody's cat
wouldn's-come home to breakfast, or if they
did, it would be troubled with the dumps.
We gave fair notice of Our grievances, and
what we intendee 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 mantle of brightness over the
whole earth. We love the calm of mocn-
light light in spring time, and the cats Of
our part of town love it toe; from the sheds
around National Garden-!rcm the kitchen
and the stables-creeping stealthily and
softly along the top of the fences, and along
the sheds, and clambering up the boards
that lean against the outbuildings, they sit
themselves down more or less of them, in
their old tristing places--right opposite our
chamber window. To all this in the ab-
stract we have no objection. If cat wish
es to take quiet walk in the moonlight; if
he chooses TO go cut for pleasure or profit,
it is no particular business of ours, and we
havn't wJrd to say. Cats have rights, and
we have no disposition to interfere with
them: But they must keep peace. They
must get up no dIso:defiv meeting, no un-
lawful assemblies. Il they do hold con-
veniion, they csn do it for all of US, but they
must go about it decen,ly and in order.
Taey must talk their matters over calmly;
there must be no rioting, nor fighting -
They must refrain from the use of profane
language; The mustn't swear. There's law
asainst all this, and we warned them long
ago that We woulg stand no such nonsense.
We said We ouid let drive among the m
with doubled gun, loaded with powder and
duck shot, and we meant it. But these cats
diGn't believe We had powder and shot
They didn'; believe we Aad any gun or knew
hos to lse it, o@e had. And one great
5Iaitese.(with eyes ike two plates and tail
ike u bologna saasaee.) grinned and splut-
tered, and spit in derision and defiance at
oCr threats.
"Very WELL s>id VIC, ''very well, Mr..
Tom Cat, very WELL indeed. On your
head be it, Mr. Tom Cat. Try it on, Mr..
Thomas Cat, and see how you'll get the
worst Of IT,"
We said the moon came up on MONDAY
nigh with her great round face, and ali the
little stals hid themselves, as if ashamed of
their twinkle in the splendor of her bright
ness. We retired, after the bacy had been
put asleep in its crib, and the rumble Of the
carts &carrages had ceased in the streets,&
thescream of ten o'clock train had died away
in silence, with quiet conscience, and the
confidence that we should find that repose
TO which one who has wfonged no man du-
ring the day is justly entitled. 1t may have
been eleven o'clock, possibly midnight,
when we were wakened from pleasant
slumber by babel of uneartly sounds in the
rear otssour chamber. We knew what these
sounds meant--they had cost US fuel enough
to last US week.
We raised the window, and there, as OF
old, right opposite US, on the north end Of
that old shed, was an sssemblage of all the
cats in that part of town. We won't be !
precise to the number, but it is our honest
belief that there were no less than three
hundred CT them, and if one among them
was silent we didn't succeed in discovering
which it was. There was thet same Nal |
tese, with his great saucer eyes and sausage
tail, and over against him was monstrous
brindle, and off at her right was an old spot
ted ratter; and on his left was one black as
a VOLTS mouth, all but his eyes, which
glared with sui lphurous and iurid bright
ness; and dotted al. around over space of
thirty feet square, were dozen more, of all
sizes and colors-and such growling,an spit
ting and shrieking, and swearing, never be-
fore broke with hideous discourses the ST. |
lence of Midnight.
We loaded our double barrelled gun by
candlelight; e put plenty of powder and a
handful of shot into each barrel. We ad-
insted the caps carefully, and stepped out
Of The window upon the narrow roof upon
which i: opens. We were then just eighty
feet from the cat conventions; and we ad-
dressed ourself to the chairman-the old
MaI;ese-in a distinct audible voice, and
cried ''scat."
He didn't recognize our right to the floor,
but went on with the business of the meet
ing. Scat cried we, more cmphatically
than before, but were answered by an extra
shrek from the cairman and fercer scream
from the whole assembly. "Scat once we
cried again, as we brought our gun to a
rest. "Scat twice!" and we aimed straight
al the chairman, covering dozen others in
a range "Scat three times!" and we let
drive,
Bang went the right hand barrel and bang
went the left hand barrel. Such scamper-
ing, such leaping off the outbuildngs, over
the top of the woodshed, was never seen
before Tho echo OF tho firing had hardly