Little Falls transcript., 1886-07-02
THE LINKS TIE CAT FORGED.
BY w. y. HENDERSON.


the door and the black cat walked slow
ly out and down the steps waiting to
see if I followed. turned up the col
lar of my coat, for the air was chilly,
and went out again into the beautiful
October night. The street was as ST.
lent as the footballs of the 1.-the animal
softly walking down the steps. The
black cat led the way, and I followed.
Why, I do not know. &c..
Two nights before had walked up
from my Office late with friend. It
was long past midnight when we turn
eel into the quiet street where I lived,
talking. about know not what. Sud-
denly there stepped out Of the shadow
of a huge tree a black Cat. Looking
neither to the right nor the left, she
walked deliberately before us.
''Ha!' said my friend. with a tragic
air, "a cat!-a black cat! Let US fol-
low the cat!''
And then he laughed, and even as he
walked the echoes down the street,
can not tell why-I shivered. The cat
walked silently along past the lower
steps of the fiji ghts leading down from
the houses, keeping pace or two ahead
of us. My friend left me at his door,
saying, "Good-night Beware of the
cat. I went to my house not far be-
yond. At the steps the cat stopped,
hesitated for moment, and then walk
up to the door. Somewhat surprised,
followed.
lido not like cats. They seem to me
to be treacherous, dangerous brutes,
and am even half afraid of them. But
when the black cat stopped at my door
i determined, for some lnexplicable
reason: to admit her. She seemed to
know my room, for she walked up the
single. flight Of stairs before me and en-
tered the room as I opened the door.
found her stretched out on, the floor
when had lighted the gas, and if she
had lived in my room all her life she
could not have appeared more at home
For the same inexplicable reason that
admitted the cat to my honse I allowed
her to remain in my room.
The next evening I came in earlier;
it may have been 10 O'clock The
black cat met me at the door and dart
ed by me as stepped over the thres-
hold. Then, as I turned to see .whith-
er she had gone, / felt pull at the leg
Of my trousers, and saw that the cat
had fastened a claw there and was
certainly trying to draw me from the
house. stopped down and softly
stroked the animals back, at the same
time disengaging her claw. Then I
turned and entered the house, and the
| cat, after a moment of apparent ire
solution, followed me, mewing strange
ly. "
The next night she again met me at
| the door, and the effort to draw me
from the house was repeated. The
desire was so apparent that was puz-
lied, and, own, a little disturbed.
The cat went with me to my room, and,
sitting there in the fre-light, with her
| bright eyes starring at me, I formed a
| purpose to yield to this curious whim
if it We're again displayed. I tried to
| reason with myself, but reason seemed
to have given way to an impulse as
uncomfortable as it was mysterious
| I.passed an uneasy night and then a
day, half hoping that when evening
came my unbidden and unwelcome
I guest would be gone. I heard the
| clocks in the houses along the street
| where lived strike II as l walked
down toward my door. AS I stepped
over the threshold 1 saw the fiery eyes
| of the cat in the dark hall. A cold
shiver passed through my frame. !
trembled with an excitement as intense
as it was sudden. My heart began to
beat so loudly that I involuntarily held
my hands over it as if to still it. Then
summoning my resolution / followed
the Cat down the steps and strode after
her as she fitted down the street. 0
It was 2 black night Heavy, swol-
len grayclouds had been hanging low
| in the sky when darkness came on, and
now they draw an impenetrable veil be-
tween the earth and the stars. The
| old, winding streets Of the quarter OF
the town in which lived were silent
and deserted. Now and then gust Of
wind swept down and swung some shut
ter, back upon its hinges with hoarse,
1 grating sound. The moaning of the
wind was full Of strange meanings to
me. My thoughts wand dered OFF through
the black arches of that dismal night,
and as strode down the street dawn
irresistibly after the noiseless black cat,
there came up before me vivid picture
Of the tragedy which had come into
my life only year before, when had
completed my college course.
white building, surround nd BY spacious
i piazzas and standing in the middle OF a
velvet-like lawn. saw nv faith
er sitting in his comfortable library,