The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-08-13
THE STUFFED CAT.

Do you not know this study? That is
natural because / never have introduced
you to it. Perhaps you would not like
it. like it very much-first of all be-
cause it is mine, and then because l have
arranged it according to my tastes.
There is Il little of everything in it-a
colossal writing desk with an infinity of
drawers and pigeonholes. bookcase,
some shelves for books, two tables, one
large and one small; n divan, an arm
chair, on the floor rugs and cushions
thrown down everywhere, pictures on
the walls, gas lam2 in the center. In
one corner OH top of II column of black
wood is u stuffed cat-a magnificent
tiger striped cat with sparkling green
eyes that seems ready to spring down
from its pillar, tired probably of acting
Simeon Stylites.
In this den or study, as you please to
call it, L pass beautiful hours, day or
evening, writing, reading, meditating,
smoking and doing nothing.
1t is here that l retire in hours of the
blues, in those hours of unconscious. in
stinctive ill humor which one cannot ex-
plain or justify and which exactly on
that account one translates into an ex-
traordinary nervous irritation.
This den is the despair of my wife and
the rest of the household because they
are positively forbidden to touch, to
even move book or u paper under that
pretext of putting into order which re-
solves itself into real disorder. | will
wager that if my wife, my sister-in-law,
my nieces, could arrange my den accord
ing to their tastes, turning it upside
down. they would be happy. But they
do not venture for fear of me- Only
when l speak of my study all those
feminine lips curl with smiles, disdain-
full, ironical or compassionate
1t is especially the stuffed cat that jars
upon their nerves. My wife absolutely
wished to throw him away, give him
away, destroy him. was obliged to de-
clare TO her that such an outrage would
immediately provoke on my part de-
mand for legal separation pending the
approval OF divorce bvvotc of the Italian
chamber of deputies.
Now that have presented, So to say,
the surroundings. will go on TO relate
the fact, the terrible, frigltiul fact that
has taken place in my delicious den and
to winch | am indebted for the gray
hairs that cmbcllish my 3G-vcar-old locks.
One evening III the autumn MI my
family was in the country. | only had
staid in town 10 attend to some urgent
work.
was all alone III the house. \ wunl-
an came every morning 10 clean, to
sweep and aIr the rooms and went away
after noon. dinel at :, restaurant.
Now, for sone days thousht that
noticed i'll my study something strange,
odd, unaccustomcd. 1t had the same
i'll its place. | would have taken my
oath that certain books had been moved,
certain papers had been rummaged.
IquestiOned the domestic, who swore
and perjured herself to the effect that,
faithful TO her trust she had touched
nothing, but had limited herself to
sweeping the floor and busting the furn-
ture. And no one else ever entered the
room.
One morning it seemed to he that tho
stuffed cat, my good cat with the green
eyes that called Tic when he was alive,
had been touched. Certainly his attitu 10
was not the same or l was dreaming.
Yes, yes. his head was turned another
way, and the expression of his face, that
Of an honest feline, was different from
that which l WAS accustomed to have
before my eyes. How III the world had
such strange phenomenon happened?
But this was nothing. For two or
three evenings, shut up in my study,
writing-alone i'll the large apartment
l thought 1 heard singular noises here
and there. | arose from the desk, went
out of the study and all through the
house, carefully examining every room,
stopping now in this one, now in that, to
listen. Nothing. The rooms were de-
serted; the silence was complete pro-
found.
Then | returned to my study and set
to work again. But the noises persisted
and became more decided and frequent.
l would have sworn that some mys-
terious and invisible being was scratch
ing in the walls or forcing some lock.
One evening indeed it seemed to me
that the noise was just behind me, and
turned mechanically.
Well, l would have taken my oath
that saw the cat Tic move almost i'm
perceptibly, and his eyes CLEAN brighter,
and his back arch, and his bold, majestic
tail stretch itself in an act of defiance.
But surely it was an hallucination, be-
cause the cat was still in his place, i'm
passible, and gave no sign of moving
from his column.
All these small things, insignificant and
extraordinary at the same time had i'm
pressed and disturbed me- By instinct.