The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1856-10-22
A SHY AT THE CATS.

would be trouhle some moonlight night
among the cats that congregate Oh the
long shed in the rear ofour dwelling We
gave notice that We had wasted more
wood on them lhal we had 10 spare
that we had used up all the brick bats
that we conld lay our hands on-thas
we had thrown away something less than
ton of coal-and had s,nasheda window
on the opposite block. Al this proving
Of no avail, we said we had got double
barrelleL gum, and percussion cars, aud
'owd,r and shoi; and some morning, after
Il moonlight night, somebody's cat woalln't
come home to breakfast, or if they did, i
wend be troubled with the dlmus We
gave fair notice of our grievances, and
what me intended to do about them.
Well. the moon came up on Monday
night. with her great rOun1 face, and went
walking UP the sky with a qneenly. step,
throwing her mantle of brightness over the
whole earth. We love the calm Of NOON
light night in the spring tine and the cats
Of cur part Of town love it, too; from ths
sheds around National Garden--from the
kitchen anl the stables stealth
lily AND softly along the tops of fences.
and along the sheds, and clamhering up
the boards that lean against the outhuii.
iings, they sit themselves down. more or
less of ,hsm in their old tristing places
right opposite our chamber window To
all this in the abstract we have no ohiec-
ten. If eat wishes to take quiet
walk in the moonlight; If he chooses to GO
out for leasure or profit, it is no partic-
nlar business of ours, and We havn't
word to say. Cats have rights, and We
have no disposition to interfere with them.
But they. must Keep leace. They mnst
get up M III orderly meeting, no lawful
assemblies. If they do hold aconven ion,
they can d. it for all of US, hut they mus,
goai.ouf it drcently and in order. -,
They must talk their matters over calm.
"; there must be no rioting, no fighi ing
They must refrain from the use of profane
language; they musu't swear. Ther.'s law
against all this, and we warned them long
ago that WE would stand no such nonsense.
We said we would let drive among them
with double barreiled gun, loaded with
nOwder and duck shot. aud we meaut it.
But these cats didn't believe we had any
20 der and shot They didn't believe We
hal any gun, or knew how to use it, ifw
had. Aud one great Maltese with eyes
like to plates aud tail like bologna
sassage) grinncd and spluttered, and
spit in derision and defiance at our
threats.
Very WE'LL said we. "very we'll, Mr..
Tom Cat, very well. indeed. On your
head be it, Mr. Tom Cat Tryit on. Mr..
Thomas Cat, and see how you'll get the
worst of X"
We said the moon came mp on Monday
night, with her great round face, and all
the little stars hid themselves, as if
ashamed of their twinkle in the splsndor
of her brightness. We retired, after the
baby had been put asleep in its crib, and
the rumble Of the carts and carriages had
ceased in the streets. and the scream of
len o'clock train had died away in silence,
with u 4niet conscience. and the confidence
that We should find that rrpose to which
one who has wr"nged no man during the
day isajus,ly entitled. Ii may have been
eleven o'clock, possibly midnight, when
we we're awakened from II pleasant slum-
ber by babel of unearthlv sounds in The
rear of our chamber. We knew what
these sounds meant-they had cost us fu.
= ough to 'sst us week.
| We raised the window, and there. as 81
old, right opposite us, on the north end
of that old shed, was an assemblage ei
all the cats in that part of town. We
won't be precise a. to the nun ler, hut it
is our honest helief that there were no less
than three hundred of THIN, and if one q.
mong them was silent We didR't succeed in
discovering which it was, There was
that same Maltese, with his great saucer
eyes and sausage tail, and over againsi
him was menstrOus brindle. and off a,
her right was an old spotted ra;ter; and
on his left was one black as wolf Is mouth
all buL his eyes, which glared with sui
phnrous and lurid brightness; aud, dot
ten all around over a space of thirty fee
square, were dozehs more, Of all sizes ant
|, colors-and such growing, and splitting
and shrieking. and swearing, never hefor'
, broke with hideous 1disconrses the silene'
Of midnight. 1
! We loaded our double barrelled gu'
t by candlslight; We put plenty of powde
and a handful Of shot into each barrel
: We adjusted the caps carefully, snd step
j ped out of the window men The narros
) roof upon which it opens. We WEI thel
D Just eighty feet from the cat cnnyeptiol'
Z and we addressed ourself to the Chairman
!; the cid NJ ,ltess lii y distinct audibl
v voice, and cried ..seat."
i He didn't recognize our right to III
q. door, bus went on With the business of ID