The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1874-06-25
A Horrid Tail.

been tod
! 1t was New Years Eve; thirteen Of Us
were having good time" New Years
comes only once IA year; 10 honor Of this
| Important fdse We were celebrating its
eighteen hundred and fifty seventh ami
yersary.
| Was assisted to my apartment; but /
was rot inebriated ] felt slight dzzi
ness, II swimming of the brain; bot IL nas
owing entirely to the oysters. | retired TO
my. couch without disrobing myself; ALEC
with my boots CD. These facts would
| seem 10 Indicate disorderly state of mind:
a. said before, the fault was with the
oysters.
tried tn vain to sleep; the dr.wsy god
was on a spree himself and would not visit
me. Something mewed outside my door;
! arose and looked out. 1t was cat;
had an impression it was cat when / first
heard the noise. TWAS black cat: was
net surprised. 1t was very cold night
without aud the snow was falling so let
her, the black cat, in.
There vas comfortable fire in the
CRATE; before it stood my great easy chair.
Seeming to approve of the arrangement,
the black cat jumped into ttls chair and
with self satisfied purr disposed herself
for nap. | retired to my bed again with
IL H.
my eyes of that cat, but lay gazing at her
half an hour; she all the while doing
easily,
She was very large, magnifeontly pro
purtioned animal; and her fur was as
smooth aud as glossy MS silk. More than
all this, she had very long tail; it hung
over the 81 lie of The cushion anG nearly
touched the floor.
The fire h I'd almost gone ont and the
room was becoming chilly; the black cat
-lowly raised her head 1nd with look OF
lame, such as cat never gave before, mani
Tested her di>fleasure. | knew that che
wished me to rebuiiI the, fire; but with an
unnccountable dread of something, could
not ritz. Not for ar instant did | take nv
eyes from that tlnck cat; expecting every
colder that she would make another mani
festation.
Good Heavens. my eyes almost burst
from their sockets my. hair arose, perpen
dicular With alright. For as am living
man, | hehell with 10y own vision that
gradually HER TAI. WAS swELLING.M
She gave Ge another book; ! understood
her. ! jumped from bed and threw into
the CRATE bucket of coal; 1t WAS all /
expect
The fire roared Justify; | crept back 10.
derneath the led clothes more dead than
alive, As the warmth difuSed itself
throughout the room, the black eat doze1
away comfortably as before: her tail had
resumed lts natural size. lay in an agooy
at suspense aud watched with longing eyes
ny fuel as it vas slowly consumed; for
vi hen 1t was gone ! knew not what would
he my fate from the dispieasure OF that
monstrous black cat. All this While | was
without tie power of motion; my entire
some mysterious power against W hich | had
no means of RES ssanse.
At last the tiRe eutae the blaze hSd
died away and tie cold air without was be-
g'nIii,g tn IA ke itself familiar with the in
,iaor atmosphere, Tie black cats tail was
sl>iAly Increasing il size; Icrawl led back
TO tbe rem test eorner Of the led and
awaited results tremthugly. As the raoR
bsca pe collier the tailex elled more rapidly
until In forty minutes that ROOM was all
ane vast tail; | felt horrible feeling, that,
we'll knew, Of s.. focation stealing over
me. l tried TO veil; my ton cue refused t.
net.
A happy thought struck me baneath my
pillow | knew there Was Il Colt" with six
fiyss Ia is. Ey ryeaieu,., Us Effort If ,he
! i'll etched and gra>yed it ughtly$ it
| was the orl: of an instant 81 disc! aSge II
six 'Snes toward he ventie Of the mass of
/ black fur. heard q how! ofrage and pnin :;
I ! smet burnt huir.
aweke; had ia llsn asleep with I
face buried in my large Ut cap and had
actually di, charged six h:iA> fsom a revol
/ yer which lad undern, aIh the pillow, IN
( 20 the ineffsnsiye eap viii. 40 other ,Biury
/ 10 myseli then Il >coreI,ed cheek.
Since than ! have been very careful of
one thing: always when Ieas oysters to
have them prarerly seasoned