, 1896-08-10
THE LADY AND THE GOLDEN CAT.
"a French Physicians Tale.)


CT its many mansions Of the old nobil-
ity, suitable apartments for bachelors
are few and far between. I always want
plenty of air and space about me, and
so l installed myself in a building on
the outskirts Of the city.
l rented half of the first floor, COM
prising four rooms. I made my sleep
ing chamber and work-room Of the two
which faced on the street; in the third
I put plants and flowers; the fourth was
left empty. A great balcony ran along
the entire front Of the house, on which
l could stroll up and down-or rather
on half of it, for it vas divided in the
middle by an iron fence 50 low that one
could easily step owe
had been living there about two
months. when, one July evening, as ]
approached my rooms, l was surprised
to see a brilliant light streaming from
the windows of the un~ilhabitant apart
ment.
"Ah! l have a neighbor." thought l,
and l was not especially pleased. Go
ing to my room. l stepped noiselessly
out upon the balcony; but the light
had already been extinguished. l re-
turned TO my bedroom. and read for an
hour or two. From time to time, l
seemed to lear about me in the build
ing a sound as of light footsteps. AT
last | went to bed and to sleep.
In the middle Of the night, sudden
ly awoke with a distinct sensation that
some one was walking about near me.
I go up and lit the candle. This is
what l saw:
In the middle of the room stood a
great cat, its back slightly arched, It's
tail erect, and its phosphorescent eyes
fixed upon me. 1t was a superb Angora
with long, yellow hair Of the color OF
raw silk. As the light shone upon 1t.
its fur cleaned like spun gold. 1t APP
preached me with velvet steps, and
softly rubbed its flexible body against
my legs. l stopped to caress 1t. which
it permitted, purring gently, and then,
as | got back into bed, 1t leaped up on
the Counterpart. 1t was a very young
cat. and she seemed we'll disposed to let
herself be caressed. l put her back on
the floor, and tried to send her out OF
the room: but she evaded me. and took
refuge under the furniture.
AS soon as | had blown out the light,
she leaped up on my bed again. but
paid no further attention to her. and
soon went to sleep. 1t was broad day
when l awoke again. and the cat was
nowhere to be seen.
The human mind is a delicate instru-
ment, easily thrown out Of gear. Re
call the facts that I have just told you:
a light seen, then ~extinguished. in an
uninhabited apartment: an Angora cat
of singular color which appeared and
disappeared in a mysterious manner
there Is nothing very startling In that.
is there? Very we'll. Imagine, now.
that this same program was repeated
every might and under identioally the
same conditions for a week. Believe
me, there is enough in that to ahect the
thoughts OF a man who lives alone, and
to give those little shivers that herald
the presence of the unknowable. n
human mind Is 80 constituted THAT 1t
unconsciously holds to the principle OF
a sufficient reason. For all series Of
identical phenomena, 1t demands a
cause. a law. And 1t becomes uneasy II
II does not discover that cause.
I am not a coward. But / know that
fear feeds and grows upon uncertainty,
while attempts to discover its cause re-
duce 1t to simple curiosity. l resolved,
then. to investigate this matter. ques-
TONED my orderly. He did not know
my neighbors. Every morning an old
woman came to take care OF the other
apartment. He had tried to draw her
into conversation; but. whether she was
completely deaf or not, she would
~vouchsafe no reply to him.
Nevertheless, l easily Tor
the first strange fact-the extinction OF
the ueht when l returned home. had
noticed that the windows next to mine
were masked simply by a great a c
curtain; moreover. the two balconies
communicated. My neighbor, mar or
woman, therefore dreaded inddscreet
Rlances. and extinguished the light on
hearing me return. To verify my sup
position, had my orderly bring me
from the mess a cold supper. early one
afternoon and I did not leave my rooms
that evening. When night had fallen.
/ took my stand near my window. Soon
T. saw the balcony lighted up from the
window of the neighboring apartment.
I gently opened the sash. n stepped
out upon the balcony. AIT that moment
knowing that I exposed myself to a
positive danger. either OF breaking my
neck or Of engaging in a hand-to-hand
struggle with some iesh-and-biood per-
son, my nerves were perfectly calm. l
reached the lighted window without
having made the least sound. The win
dow was half open. The curtains,
transparent for me who was on the dark
aide. made me invisible to any one 10
the interior of the apartment.
,aw a large room hlled with quaint,
od-fashioned furnitured liehted by q
banging lamp. At the back OF The room
was q low nivan, on which hay . younl