Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1871-02-22
4 slidnieht Chase after Cats.

The fact that Mr. Oliver lived in uni
form row of houses IN the Fourteenth
ward. says the Philadelphia Sunday Dis
D1tcI was the reason why he was unior-
tuuate. One moonlight night last week
the noise made by the cats on his roof was
simply awful. Mr.. Oliver lay IN bed try
ing IN vain to get to sleep, and grinding his
teeth in rage, until az last the UprOar over
head became uncomfortable Mr.. Oliver
crept out of bed softly. 50 that his wife
could not be awakened. He put on his
slippers. seized boot 10 eaca hand, and
clad in his snowy robes oi night, he open
Cd the trap door aud emerged upon the
roof There were thirty or -1rty cats out
there. holding Kind OF general synod IN
the cool of the evening. enjoying the brac-
ing arr and singing gees. As Mr.. Oliver
approached, the cats moved ON to the next
roof Mr.. Oliver advanced and flung
boot at them They then adjourned sud
denly to the summit of the adjoining resi- I
deuce Mr. OWer projected another boot,
aud went over after the hrst one. In this /
manner the synod retreate1 ana Oliver ad /
vanced until the row of twenty houses was /
reach, d, when the cats arranged them /
selves in d .ine along the parapet, rutfied /
up their fur. curved their Spines, and spat /
furiouslv at Oliver That bold warrior 1
gathered uD his boots ana determined to F.
retreat.
He walked over q dozen houses and de- /
scendoj Through a trap door. lie went
down stairs to his bed room and opened .
the door. There was a man in the room,
in the act OF walking up and down with
baby. Before Oliver had recovered from
his amazemcut. the mau flung the baby on
the bed, and seizin- revolver began fir
ing rapidly at Oliver. 1t then dawned up
on Oliver that he had come down the
wrong trap door. He proceeded up stairs
again suddenly. the man with the revolver
practiciug ut nim In most painful man
ner When Oliver reached the door he
shut the trap and quickly stood upon It.
The man fired through the boards twice,
and then hooked the door upon the inside.
A moment after Oliver heard him spring /
ing watchmans rattle from the iront
ioor. q
As soon as the neighbors knew there was {
a man on the roof they few up stairs and =
fastened their trap doors, and Mrs Oliver !
fastened hers, with the firm conviction {
that some predatory villain had entered
while she slept, and stolen her Oliver. t
When he tried the door 1t was fast, and /
Mrs. Oliver was screaming 50 fercely that
he could not make himself heard. BY this {
time the street was filed with policemen, 7
All OF whom were blazing away at Oliver /
with their rev0lyers, while young men IN :
he houses across the streets kept up a U
steady fire with pistols, shooting guns and c
missiles. )
Oliver with every advantage for form t
ng an opinion, said that Gettysburg was a
mere skirmish to it. lie hid behind the
,himnev. and lay up against the bricks to
Keep himself warm, while the policemen i
stationed themselves all around the square o
% capture him when he should slide down Y
,ne Of the water spouts. But Oliver did i
lot slide He sat on that roof all night, i
With the bitter air circulating through his q
90 trihing garments, listening to the howl C
ng cats and the occasional shouts from the b
picket line below, and thinking Of the old S
ews who used 10 pray from their house d
ops, and wondering If 3lUss.emen were t
sver shot ut or bothered with cats or police Q
nen when they practiced their evening de- {
-otions on the roof. And then he won a
lered how it would 20 to take of his night ]
.hirt and wave it over the edge as flag of c
ruce. He concluded not to, because ofthe !
LANCER ola bullet from some misguided po- c
ieeman not familiar with the rules Of war.
When daylight came the neighbors rallied I
n a crowd armed with all kinds Of weapons !
from howitzers down, and mounted to the {
roof t
Oliver was taken down and put to bed, {
and he now has more influenza for a man I
Of his size than anv other citizen Of the !
Fourteenth Ward He says he is going to
move as soon as he gets well-he Is going
to move into a house that is next door to
nobody, house that stands in the middle 4
of prairie of some kind, and he intends
to stencil his name in white on the trap
door.