The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1894-01-13
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out in the water where they had risen.
| listened TO the owls uttering weird
cries; and, from high above, the ripe
horse chestnuts would come suddenly
humping down, with rustic through
the autumn leaves and thud on the
ground, breaking the deep silence OF
night. The ducks kept respectable
hours too. When they saw me they
would hurry with loud nocturnal quack
lngs across the lake. A duck will eat
at any or all times.
And here 1 am on the threshold of
my mystery; Triggs' cat. We met a
few evening after my arrival. He
Jumped from the darkness one night.
rubbed himself against my leg, raised
two green, moonlit eyes to mine, and
mewed. He was queer johnny, and
understood me perfectly. But the
extraordinary thing was that 1 under
stood him. Night after night he sat
by me while l smoked. | told him
all about my private concerns, and he
curled his whiskers and reasoned quite
differently from Triggs. His idea was
not to commit yourself to anything: to
keep free, and gather ye roses while ye
may. For sheer worldllness tomcats
come after men, with this difference,
that many men are not worldly all
tomcats are.
Here, then, was Triggs urging one
thing all day and Triggs' cat arguing
for quite different course by night. l
sometimes wonder if any johnny, since
the world began, ever deliberately
asked for a bit of advise and took it
when he'd got it. Personally, I'd
pretty nearly made up my mind about
Edith but I'd made it up myself,
| don't you know, quite unaided. So,
again and again, the worldly cat with
green eyes took his midnight stroll
with me. 1 asked him, as we pream'
bulated the ghosts walk, if he had ever
seen the spectre. He replied that he
had not, and didn't believe in it. l
didn't either. | don't fancy that when
men die they simply go through some
process OF being made transparent. and
then get sent back here to worry people
and spoil the value of house property.
When 1 60 to heaven Gf l go), and |
find I'm expected to return and maun'
der round and haunt chappies, shall
argue it out, don't you know, and
explain what a mistake it is.
The longer l stopped with Triggs,
the more l yearned to get back to
Edith. There was no doubt about it {:
| | loved her all right-ln fact, more
than ever. l felt | really couldn't live
without her. She was in my minds
eye all Gay long, and l heard her voice
as | paced through the tremendous
silence of the night. At such times l
contrasted the silver mists, rustling
leaves, soft nocturnal voices, black
shadows, and air of mystery and
soemni,y and peace that filled Tnggs'
place after dark with the scenes OF
London life knew so well. saw the
Strand and my "Vampire" johnnies
troopipg out of their haunts, l saw
the CLEAN of electricity and the glare
OF gas. | heard the roar and rattle and
rush and hustle of it all, don't you
know, and | almost doubted if it was
really good enough. People don't
think I'm sentimental chappie, but
AN and nearly every night, as Triggs'
cat and l watched the moon dip
behind the trees, l got grand and beau
tiful ideas, which l might have remem-
bered and written down on this page,
but for the absorbing thought thai
filled my mind and left no room fol
anything else to stop in it.
One night, indeed, my feeling:
became too much for me. l repeated
her name three times out loud, anc
looked up through my eye glass, ana
waved my cigarette at the moon
Thereupon Triggs' cat sneaked ovel
from the other end of the garden seat
where he was sitting, and stood up or
his hind legs and poked his nose in my
ear, and said,
Put her out of your mind; give he
up; forget her.
| Aud the ducks quacked out, "gt
back, go back, go back to her."
And an owl hooted, "Of course, &c
back OF course, go back.
Triggs' cat advised me not to mint
the old owl, He knew what owls were
he'd eaten them. They weren't wortl
climbing for, and their knowledge o
the world was intantile.
Then I laughed, and told Triggs
cat that his advice was useless, that IL
made up mind, that | was going bacl
to her. l wanted to marry, and &c
away from electric lights and noise.
! desired to buy place with trees, an
owls, and ghosts walk. But even i
that moment, when the happy idea
having Edith all to myself, in an envil
onment of fish pond and ghost wal
and owl, was strongest upon me.
heard Triggs' cat sneering CYNICAL,
and saying:
Remember the War Office johnn.
The girl wouldn't stop in place lik
this a week. Don't fatter yourse
> your company will be all she wants.
she's what think, she won't care
! straw about owls, except as fire screen
she'll want life and society and a thol
sand things.
d was getting irritated with Trigg
cat, and this finished it. l said,
= You clear out, you hard hcarte
= Ai.aASQphical beggar, or MIdl