Tama County Republican. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1867-1872, 1867-04-12

lence 10 its own nature-ts do wrong for
wrongs sake only--that urged me 10 continue
and finally 10 consummate the injury had
inflicted upon the offending brute. One MORN
ing, in cool blood, slipped moose about its
neck and hung it TO tie limb of a tree--hnng
/, with he tears streaming from my eyes. and
with the bitterest remorse at my heart-hung
il L.coass knew that it loved me, and teenuys
| fel, il had given no reson Of oHence-hnng
il berGuse knew thai in 50 doing was com
miiting II sin-a deadly sin, that would so
j,ora' disc my immortal soul a. to place it-if
such thing were ross ble-even beyond the
reach of the infinite mercy Of the Mos, Merci-
ful and Most Terrible God.
On the night of the day on which this cruel
deed was lone, ! vas d, ouscd from sleep by
the cry Of fire The curtains Of my bed were
in flames The whole house was hlazin II
wa with great difficulty that my wife, ser.
conhagra,ion The destruction was complete
My entire worldly welth was swallowed up
and res gn~,l ihcncefo, ward TO despair.
am above the weakness Of seeing to es-
'ablish sequence of cause and effect, bet
the disaster and the s,rocity. But | am de-
failing chain Of facts--and wish not to leave
even possible link imperfect On The day
succeeding the f e, | visited the ruins. The
wa Is, with one exception had fallen in. This
exception was found in a conn ar,ment wall,
no. vel thick, which stood about the middle
Of the house, and sga;nS which rested the
head of M bel. The plastering had here in
a reat measure, resisted the action of the FIRE
"a fact which attributed TO its having re
Gently been spread. About this wall a dense
c. ovid we're collected and many pei sous seemed
TO he examining particular portion Q. il with
minute aid eager attention. The words
"stranpe, singular aud othes similar ex.
pressions excited my curiosity. approached
and saw, as it craven in Aas rcicf upon the
white su, face, the figure of gigantic cat
The impression was given with an accuracy
truly marvellous. There was rope about
the animals neck
Mh.n frs, beheli this appari,ion-for
could scarcely ,ega,d il as ie>s-my wonder
and my terror were extreme. But at length
reflection came 10 my aid. The cat, remeni-
beied, had been hung in garden dacen, to
the house. Upon the alarm of fire, this gar
den had been immediately filled hy the crowd
by some one OF whom he animal must lave
been cut FROM the tree and thu own through an
open window, into my chamber This had
me from my sleep The falling OF other walls
lad compressed The victim of my cruets into
the substance of the freshly spread plaster:
the lime of which. with the flames, and the
on,mon,a from the carcass, had then accom-,
plished the portraiture as saw it.
Although had thus readily accounted to
my reason, If not altogether to my conscience.
for The startling fac, just detailed ii did n,i
the less fail to make deep impression upon
my fnhcy. For months could not rid myself
of the phantasm Of til, cat; and. during this
period, there came back into my spirit that
half sentm MT that seemed hut was not, ,e
morse. went so far MS to regret the loss Of
the animal, and to look about me, among the
vile haunis which now habi,ually frequen,ed,
for another pet Of the same species, and of
somewhat similar appearance, with which to
supply ,s place.
One uight as SAT, half stupihed. in den
Of more than intamy, m; aueniios ives sud
denly drawn to some black object reposing
upon the head of ono Of the immense hogsheads
Of Gin, or of Rum, which constituted the chief |
fulni ure of the apa rtmcnt. had been look
ing steadily at the top Of this hogshead for
some minutes. and what now caused m. sur
prise the fact that had not sooner per-
ce.vel the object thc,eupon. approached it,
snd touched it with my hand. ltwas a black
cat-a very large one-fully as large as Plu>
to- and closely resembling him in every re
spec, but one. Pluto had not white hair upon
any portion of his body but this cat had
large, although indefinite splotch of white
coyern nearly the whole region Of the |
breast. Upon my touching him, he immedi- |
ate a, ose purred loudly, rubbed against my
hand and appeared del GIFTED with my notice.
This, then, was the very creature Of which |
was in search Il, once offered 10 purchase
/. of the landlord, but this person made no
claim to it-kncw nothing Of it-had never
seen it before.
continned my caresses. and, when I pre-
pared to go home, the animal evinced lispo-
sition 10 accompany me. permitted it TO do |
20; occasionally STOPPING 10 Pat it AS I pro-
seeded v hen it reached the house it domes>
licat ed at once, and became Immediately a
great favori,e with my wife.
For my own part, soon found dislike to I
Il arising within me. This WAS just the re-
rerse Of what had anticipated; hu,-l know
not how or why il was-iis evident fondness
ior myself rather dsgusted and annoyed
By slow degr, es, these feelings Of disgust and
annoyance rose into The bitterness Of Latred.
avoided the creature; q certain sense OF
.hame and the remembrance Of my forme
Iced of cruelty preventing me from physically
rom abusing it, did not, for some weeks
'trike, or o,herw Sc violently il use it; hu
gradually came to loo
lpon it with unutterable loa,hing. and to H..
silently from its odious presence. as from til.
ire: :th Of a pestilence.
What added, no doubt, to my hatred Of th'
,casi, was the discovery, on the morning at.
er brought it home, that, like Pluto, it ais