Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1886-12-23
rns MAYOR rnIrs oo1srrva.


WAttAAA ALVIN OhA1hIlA Qnhti tn0 uhto
of December 9Th, ''H- @. o. who some
months ago was 80 eloquent In the New
York Times over botheraome fiy, says
The blizzard ran things its own way here
yesterday. Even in the summer the wind
does pretty much as IL pleasss among
these hills, but when autumn has pillaged
the trees and left their limbs naked to the
wrath to come, there ia nothing to break
the sweep over the bleak slopes and the
brown fields, and the shrieking furies of
winter find nothing to resist them. So
the blizzard swooped from the skies,
smote concerted vail from the writhing
trees, covered and smothered them with
his frozen pail, turned the brook to stone,
and the once beautiful fields to waste OF
whlteness aud death. Then, having got
In the general features of his work, he
turned his attention to specialties, and
went for the cats
We all hnew there was going to be
trouble when the fall crop of oats COL
lided with winter. When the weather
was half way mild these panpered
animals were enabled to get into the Gel.
lar through basement window and holi
concerts and warming pan sociabies by
the furnace. The moment a cold snap
came our cook, who has touch OF
nature and rheumatism combined,
slammed the window and nailed II up,
leaving 81 cats to wrestle with their
shivers under the piazza as best they
could. The result was that we had two
kittens frappe next morning and an Inn
provised feline hospital with seven cases
of aggravated cat bronchitis. Then the
Greene County Benevolent Cat Feeding
and Expert Society took the matter in
hand and deluged the country with cir
eulars setting forth the enormous virtues
of our cats, and promising to ship them
free to all applicants from Buffalo to
Staten Island. Answers came and cats
went, and in few days probably not
more than dozen cats remained. Tho
prize cat went to Staten Island-a huge
gray with tigers skin, eyes like jewels,
purr like planning mill, and the
| disposition of the devil be-
came deeply attached to that cat
he was so reckless and unprincipled
Every morning, although cats are forbid
lien the dining room on pain of death, he
came regularly to my table meaowing for
| his breakfast, then went out and stole the
cream from the kittens, spent the bright
forenoon In feloUious attempts on the life
of canary that dwelt In the third story;
generally succeeded purloining chop
| from the wrathful cook about midday i;
cuffed juvenile cats right and left all
afternoon stole his supper of evenings
in preference to acquiring it honestly,
and then generally managed to slip into
the parlor and get under the chair of an
old lady who like cats about as well as
cats like hot water, and there, confident
that he done his duty nobly and beer as
much Of o nuisance as could reason. =
be expected, curled up and lapsed into q
long and luxurious feline dream. He has
gone to Staten island. His new owner is
u lady OF great simplicity and goodness OF
heart, and took him on faith withoutper-
sonal knowledge. Some day she will
know him feel that sooner or later the
cussedness of the cat will come out.
Meanwhile going to send him a brass
| collar for Christmas with the motto Micat
inter omnes. He was the cat among all
cats here.
| The doctor arrived here yesterday, and
witnessed the first snow storm he had
seen for years, having devoted his time to
the Improvement of cemeteries in the
neighborhood of San Francisco. He
went out with the major in the thick of it,
and both came home blue with cold and
enthusiasm, and after / had thawed out
the doctor by propping him against the
stove, the major suggested that we all 20
ooasting in the morning None of us
had ever coasted ON anything but o
steamer, but the major said it was both
easy and delightful, and as he had art
fully suggested to four small boys that il
they would lend MS their bob sleds they
would probably see fun, the materials
were at hand. So we brewed mighty
tropical jorum; the doctor told us some
OF those simple little tales of California
which make us respect wanderers from
the west, and we all retired in glorious
spirits.
1t took us half an hour to get the sleds
to the top of the hill selected by the
major. It was about 1870 feet in perpen-
diculRr hight, with slope probably $50
feet in length, which ended in plain.
The major asked one of the boys il he
had ever coasted down this hill, and the
boy grinned and said "Nawln Another
boy started in to say something relevant
to his opinion that he "guessed de fat
feller'd git enough before he"--hera tht
othsr boy nudged him anu lh,U tley hati
whispered together and grinnea benin
Dicks back, and had nisgivings. Well
we got to the top of the hill at last. Il
was marked from top to bottom witt
drifts packed as smooth aud IS solid o.
ice, and the bottom looked about a mile
away, but the major laughed and said the
slope was barely sufficient to give n.
Roadway with a bob sled, but perhaps il
, was better to begin mild. Dick said tht
major could grease his runners if he
wanted to and coast down the side of ,
house, but he'd be hornswoggled if h,
! himself was going TO try any expert
ments with gravity and bob sled unit
, he saw how it Went with somebody else
He suggested that we send DO,
down first, and if the boy didn't breal
his neck either the doctor or | could q
next, and thus work gradually up to hi
own avoirdupois. But as the boys come
how didn't feel like coasting Just at tina
time, aud the major was 10 positive il
his conviction that Dick was tomfool
and the doctor said in his rash San Fran
cisco way that o man has to die sooner o
later anyhow and he was as ready to q
now az any time-so Dick gritted hi
teeth ana said he would follow the major
{ Then the major beaned with delight an
, said that although the hill was not stee
enough to afford much chance for spec
1t was long and smooth, and perhaps
, would be better il we all got in line o.
, the brow, each with small boy to be-
hind to push, start at the word, and sc
who would get to the bottom first. Thi
motion was unanimously carried, and th
, small boys promised their assistance wit
, a Joy which should have served as
!. warning but didn't. We got the sled
in poaition. about 10 feet apart, and the
: the major showed ms how to steer wit
our feet by giving kick 10 the right c
left, and then n.id If 1T any time "
wanted to stop all we had 20 do was I
dig our heels in aud put on brakes. !rhi
. was all siWpie and pleacanf, mud so "
mounted the blbs ard took firm gri
and were ready Then the major yelle
"Gol" tn" small b w gnvs u viciou
shove, and we went.
!. have never baan shot GU OF gun c
Z dropped fron balloon, tu think no,
. the sensation IN either case would not L
: new to me, | remember tho shove.
remember going down tho first 100 fet
: not nHch faster than the average Unite
Z express when it is trifle behind time an
Z trying to make up But at this point III
" hob suddenly seemed to have walked frol
its Hath fsy and determined to beat a
riflebail records or smash something i
: the attempt. My hat departed. let
4 60, thankful my heat wasn't blown o
y with it. reached tho bottom of the hi
= = in seconds later, shot over 800 feet {
: the level in about as much more, au
= would have gone mile or two further
70 barbed wire fence hadn't kindly ii
/, serted itself in the way. or course nj
= being slammed into the post and fe