The Republican journal., 1871-02-02
AL ABOUT CATS.

The fact that Mr.. Oliver lived in a uniform
"v Of houses in the Fourteenth ward was
thr reason why he was unfortunate One
moonlight night last week the noise made by
iha cats on the roof was simply awful. Mr..
Oliver lay in bed, trying in vain to get to
~le1p, grinding his teeth with rage, until at
Hast the uproar overhead became unendura-
bic. Mr.. Oliver crept out Of bed softly, so
that his wife should not be awakened He
put on his slippers, seized Il boot with each
hand, and. clad IN the snowy robes of night,
lie opened the trap-door and emerged upon
ihe roof. There were thirty or forty cats out
there holding kind of general synod in the
cool OF the evening, enjoying the bracing air
and singing glees. As Mr.. Oliver approach
r'l the cats moved off to the next roof. Mr..
Oliver advanced and flung boot at them.
They then adjourned suddenly to next resi-
dence. Mr.. Oliver projected another boot
and went after the first one. In this manner
the whole synod retreated and Oliver advanc-
ed until the last row of twenty houses was
reached, when the cats arranged themselves
~ line along the parapet, rullled up their
iar curved their spines and spat furlously at
Oliver That bold warrior gathered up his
boots and determined to retreat. He walked
over dozen houses and descended throu oh
bedroom and opened the door. There was
= man in the room in the act of walking up
and down with a baby. Before Oliver had
recovered from his am tzement the man fluno
the baby on the bed, and Selling a revolver
began firing rapidly at Oliver. It then dawn
cd upon Oliver that he had come down the
wrong trap-door. He proceeded up stairs
again suddenly, the man with the revolver
practicmg at him in painful manner When
Oliver reached the door he shut the trap
quickly and stood upon it. The man fired
through the board twice and then hooked the
door upon the inside. A moment after
Oliver heard him springing watchman's
rattle from lhe front window
AS soon as the neighbors knew there was
I man on the roof they all flew up stairs and
fastened hers, with the firm conviction that
some predatory villain had entered while she
slept and stole her Oliver. When he tried
the door it was fast, and Mrs. Oliver was
screaming so tiercely that he could not make
himself heard. BY this time the street was
filled with policemen, all of whom were
blazing away at Oliver with their revolvers,
while the young men in the houses across
TIE street kept up Il steady fire with pistols,
shot-guns and miscellaneous missiles. Oil
Ver' with every advantage of forming an
opinion, said that Gettysburg was a mere
skirmish to it. He hid behind the chimney
and lay up against the bricks to keep him
self warm, while the policemen stationed
themselves all around the square to cant,,re
him when he would slide down one of tho
water-spouts. But Oliver did not slide
He sat on the. roof all night, with the bitter
air circulating through his too trifling gar
ments, listening to the yowling cats and oc-
casional shouts from the picket line below
and thinking of the old Jews, who used to
pray from their house-tops, and wondering il
Mussemen were ever shot at, or bothered
WIN cats and policemen, when they practiced
their evening devotions on their roofs. And
then he wondered how it would do to take
Off his night-shirt and wave it over the edge
as a flag of truce. He concluded not 80. be.
cause OF the danger of bullet from some
misguided policeman not familiar with the
rules OF war. When daylight came the