The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1870-06-03
COL. DEM. -. VOL. XXXIV. mo. Is

laileu, IL ulu HOt tne less lall 10 make
deep impression upon my fancy. For
months l could not rid myself of the
phantasm of the cat; and, during this
period, there came back into my spirit
a half sentiment that seemed, but was
not, remorse. went so far as to regret
the loss of the animal, and to look
about me,among the vile haunts which
L now habitually frequented, for anoth-
or pet of the same species, and of some
what similar appearance, with which
TO supply its place.
One night as l sat, half stupefed, in
a den of more than infamy, my atten-
tion was suddenly drawn TO some black
object reposing upon the head of one of
the immense hogsheads of Gin, or of
Rum, which constituted the chief fur
nitule Of the apartment. L had been
looking steadily at the top of the hogs
head for some minutes, and what now
caused me surprise was the fact that
had not sooner preceived the obje ct
thereupon. | approached itand touch
ed it with my hand. 1t was a black
cat--a very large one-fclly as large as
Pluto, and closely resembling him in
every respect but one. Pluto had not
white hair on any portion ofhis body;
but this cat had a large, e,although indef.
mite splotch of white, covering nearl Y
the whole region of the breast.
Upon my touching him, he immedi-
ately aros, purred loudly,rubbed against
my hand, and appeared delighted with
my notice. This, then, was the very
creature of which L was in search l
at once ofle red TO purchase it of the
landlord; but this person made no claim
to it-knew not hing of it-had never
seen it before.
CONT nued my caresses, and, when l
prepared to go home, the animal evinc-
ed dispo sition to accompany me. l
permitted it to do so; occasionally stoop.
ing md patting it as proceeded. When
it reached the house it domesticated
itself at once, and became Immediately
a great favorite with my wife.
For my own part, 1 soon found a dis
like to it arising within me. This was
just the reverse ofwhat l had anticipat.
ed butt know not how or why it
was its evident fondness for myself
rather disgusted and annoyed. me BY
s low degrees, these feelings of disgust
nd annoyance rose into the bitterness
of hatred. 1 avoided the creature; GER
tain sense of shame, and the remem-
brance of my former deed of cruelty,
p reventing me from physically abusing
it. did not, for some weeks strike, or
otherwise violently ill use it; but grad
ally-very gradually came to look
upon it with unutterable loathing, and
to flee silently from its odious presence
as from the breath of pestilence.
What added, no doubt, to my hatred
of the beast, was the discovery, on the
on the morning after brought it home,
that, like Pluto, it also had been de-
priv ed of one of its eyes. This circum-
stance, however, only endeared it to
my wife, who, as have already said
p ossessed, in higher degree, that hui.
manity of feeling which had once been
m y distinguishing trait, and the source
of many Of my simplest and purest
pleasures.
With my aversion to this cat, how
ever, its partiality for myself seemed to
increase. 1t followed my footsteps
with pertinacity which it would be
difficult TO make the reader compre-
hend. Whenever l sat, it would crouch
beneath my chair, or spring upon my
knees, covering me with its loathsomC
caresses. If | arose TO walk it would
get between my feet and thus nearly
thrO w me down, or, fastening its long
and sharp claws in my dress, Chamber
n this manner to my breast. AT such
times, although l longed to destroy il
with a blow, | was yet withheld from
so doing, partly by memory of my
former crime, but chiefiy-let me con
fess it at once--by absolute N5sad of the
beast.
This dread was not exactly dread
Of physical cvil-and yet l should be
at a loss how otherwise 10 define it.
am almost ashamed TO Own-yes, even
in this felon's cell, l am almost ashamed
to own-that the terror and horror with
which the animal inspired me, had been
heigh tened by one of the merest chi
m@ras it would be possible to conceive.
My wife had called my attention, more
tnan once, to the character of the mark
of white hair, of which have spoken
and which constituted the sole visible
difference between the strange beast and
the one l had destroyed. The reader
will remember that this mark although
lar ge, had been originally very indeh-
mite; but, by slow degrees-degrees near
ly imperceptible, and which for long
time my Reason struggled to reject as
fanciful-it had, at length, assumed a
rigorous distinctness of outline 1t was
the representation of an object that l
shudder to name-and for this above
all, loathed, and dreaded, and would
have rid myself of the monster had
ddred-it was now, say, the image OF
hideous-of CHASTITY thing-of the
GALLONS oh, mournful and terrible
engine Of Horror and Crime-of Ago
ny and of Death!
Aud now was indeed wretched be-
yond the wretchedness of mere HUI
ma nifty. And a brute 6east-whose fell
low had contemptuously destroyed
a brute beast to work out for me-for me
H., ~
High God so much of insufferable wo
Alas! neither by day nor by night
knew the blessing of Rest any more
During the former the creature left me
no moment alone; and, in the latter, !
started, hourly, from dreams of unut-
terable fear, to find the hot breath of the
thing upon my face, and its vast weight
an incarnate Night-Mare that l had
no power to shake Off incumbent en-