The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1897-01-21
The Lady and
the Golden Cat.

Several years ago was stationed, a
assistant surgeon, with my regiment a
Orleans. In that ancient city, in spit
of its many mansions of the old nobil
ity, suitable apartments for bachelor
are few and far between. l alwayi
want plenty of air space about me, ant
so | installed myself in building OIL
ahe outskirts of the city.
/ rented half of the floor, compris'
ing four rooms. | made my sleeping
chamber and work-room of the two
which faced on the street; in the thirC
i put plants and flowers the fourth was
left empty. A great balcony ran along
the entire front of the house, on which
] could stroll up and down-or rather
on half of IT, for it was divided in the
middle by an iron fence so low that one
could easily step over.
l had been living there about two
months, when, one July evening, as
approached my rooms, | was surprised
10 see a brilliant light streaming from
the windows of the uninhabited apart.
ment.
"Ah! l have a neighbor," thought l.
and / was not especially pleased. Going
to my room, stepped noiselessly out
upon the balcony; but the light had al
ready been extinguished. l returned &c
my bedroom, and read for an hour OF
two. From time to time | seemed to
hear about me in the building sound
as Of light footsteps. At last | went tc
bed and to sleep.
In the middle of the night | suddenly
awoke with distinct sensation that
some one was walking about near me.
got up and lit my candle. This is
what l saw:
In the middle of the room stood a
great cat, it's back slightly arched, Its
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 it its
fur cleaned like spun gold. / ap.
preached me with velvet steps, and
softly rubbed its flexible body against
my legs. ! stopped to caress 1t, which
it permitted. purring gently. and then
as | got back into bed, 1t leaped up on
the counterpane. 1t was very young
cat. and she seemed we'll disposed to let
herself be caressed. put her back OIL
the floor, and tried to send out out OF
tut IOOul, Dul Sllt tNdutu anu lOOh
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 | woke again, and the cat was
nowhere to be seen.
The human mind is a delicate instru-
ment. easily thrown out of gear. Recall
the facts that | have just told you: a
light seen, then eXtingushed, in an un-
inhabited apartment an Angora cat OF
singular color which appeared and dis
appeared in mysterious manner-there
is nothing very startling in that, is
there? Very well. Imagine, now. that
this same program was repeated every
night and under identically the same
conditions for week. Believe me, there
is enough in that to effect the thoughts
of a man who lives alone, and to give
him those little shivers that herald the
present of the unknowable. The human
mind is so constituted that it uncon-
sciously holds to the principle of a suf-
ficient reason For all series of ident.
lcal phenomena, it demands cause, a
law. And it becomes uneasy if it does
not discover that cause.
/ 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. | resolved
then. to investigate this matter, queS.
toned my orderly. He did no. know my
neighbors. Every morning an old wo-
man 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. | easily accounted for
The first strange fact-the extinction OF
the light when l returned home. | had
noticed that the windows next to mine
We're masked simply by great lace
curtain; moreover, the two balconies
communicated. My neighbor. man OF
woman, therefore dreaded indiscreet
glances and extinguished the light on
hearing me return. To verify my sup
positions ! had my orderly bring me
from the mess cold supper, early one
noon, and I did not leave my
rooms that evening, When night had
fallen, | took my stand near my win
dow. Soon | saw the balcony lighted
up from the window of the neighbor-
ing apartment. l gently opened the
sash, and stepped out upon the balcony,
AT that moment, knowing that | ex-
posed myself TO a positive danger.
either of breaking my neck or of en-
gaging in a hand-to-hand struggle with
some flesh-and- blood person. my
nerves were perfectly calm. | reached
the lighted window without having
made the least sound. The window
was half open. The curtains, transpar-
ent for me who was on the dark side,
made me invisible to any one in the
Interior of the apartment.
| saw large room filled with quaint.
old-fashioned furniture. lighted by a
hanging-lamp. At the back OF the room
was low divan, on which lay young
and beautiful woman. She was clad in
loose wrap of some filmy material
and her uncontined hair fell about her
shoulders like n golden garment. She
gazed at herself in handgass, barred
her arms, and pressed her lips to the
smooth, white flesh, and her supple
body writhed with the graceful, langu-
orous movements Of great feline.
w every move she made, she seemed