The evening world., 1888-04-13
ROMANCE OF A BLACK CAT.
No Amount of Strategy Can Drive Him
from His Self Selected Home.

No AWOuht VI StThteHy SHu DEINo liiU
from His Self Selected Home.
A few evenings ago a rather elderly married
couple. well-known in the upper society circles OF
Harlem, went down to see Fanny Davenport's
famous play "La Tosca." They had q nice little
supper after the theatre and reached the One Hun
dred and Twenty-tifth street station Of the west
side ''Ln road about 1 o'clock. No cabs were
about at that, for Harlem, d-eadfully late hour and
they started TO walk the seven or eight intervening
blocks to their home. A most cadaverous looking
covered a third of their journey. and seeming to
like their company commenced solemnly following
fhs@ Ep WITH f hG%swaEd M, Nay; worthy ns di eoupi content a. a
sober and sedate distance. but he would ever and
anon rise on his hind feet and waltz solemnly in
fr ont OF and around them.
The lady. whose nerves were rather unsteady
from the excitement Of Fanny's tragedy. screamed
GUS animal, and her husband made two or three
Well-directed iunges at him with MS heavy walk
blows, however, and only circied around in its
strange waltz more rapidly than before. He seemed
to know where his victims resided perfectly well,
and ran up the stoop before they had got within
twenty-five feet OF the house. Here he stood, rub
hing his lean, attenuated sides against the hall
and gentleman, remembering the old superstition
about the frighttully bad luck that inevitably be-
doors, were afraid to deny the weird beast the hos.
great han doors, invited him to enter. He politely
IT fused TO precede the lady, and after carefully
cleaning his feet on the mat came into the nall.
The gentleman took him into the kitchen, broke
some bread In a bowl of milk, and after securely
closing the door left Mr.. Cat to enjoy himself as
best he might, and went upstairs with a clear con-
days. He absolutely refused to eat any scraps
before him but delicately broiled chops and the rich.
est of creamy milk. When his meals were not
forthcoming promptly, or were not cooked or
served to suit his emnently fastidious taste, he
mad u grim way OF showing a white and glistening
dOublc row of needle pointed fangs and unsheathing
some two-score curved and cruel scimitar-shaped
claws that usually brought the delinquents to
terms. Matters grew from bad TO worse. The i'm
pudent feline as the spaces between its ribs grew
tlled became more and more insolent and exact
ing. lie refused TO rise from his couch-the serv-
ant girls Sunday shawl that 1t had dragged under
the wash-trays-unti nearly noon and began to
could not go on In this highhanded way forever,
and the heads Of the household began TO cast about
Tor the best means OF dispossessing their unwel-
After a number of schemes had been discussed
and dismissed as being entirely too tame for the
blood OF this ''seyigrous" animal, It was finally
decided at a grand council of war that cremation
was the only feasible way of destroying the cat. A
the centre OF the back yard and nled with paper,
s~havings, tar and other ~innammable substances.
that would have been a credit to the great Napo-
leon, and the lid was firmly jamnted down. The
saturated with kerosene and set anre. A most In
tense blaze was the result, and the neighbors won
dered greatly at the bonfire that burned so merrily
In the yard Of this particular house, and at the ac-
tions Of the whole household, every member Of
which Joined hands and danced q wild minuet
around the funeral pyre.
All this occurred In the early part Of last Saturday
forenoon. just as the sun was slowly seeking his
crimson couch and the shadows were beginning to
creep along the darkening sky, the butler tptoed
out into me yard, and, with a long pair of tonRs,
derlng trunk. He gazed into Its nery depths, and,
with O piercing scream, fell ~headlonR to the ground.
The rest OF the servants rushed out. followed by
the, family, ana saw, instead Of . neat little heap Of
gr~ayish-white asher, the 1nfernhi animM, stretched
out negligentV a. fulllenkth Along a few bhaVings,
and intently admirtnE his surroundings. He 10
stu tue eane Of this once happy household, and a
! and thoroughly do away with him.