The Winslow mail., 1898-09-10
Ia the Chamber Of Cats



Blackstone. "Only one, and that's
enough, goodness knows!"
''The cats?" inquired Mr.. Blackstone
''The darned cats!" rejoined his wife
with vindictive emphasis.
"I'll tell him about the cats when
write," said Mr.. Blackstone. He did
Here is the letter:
''Dear Regulus:-Of course, we want you
OF come, and, of course, there is plenty OF
room, though it isn't the best kind of room,
the good wife fears. You must know our
fiat is as narrow and long as the lane be-
tween your own mansion and that where
you house the COWS. Our guest chamber Is
the last room of all at the rear. 1t is the
biggest and the liShtest, but we don't use
it to sleep in because CT the cats. The in
ternational cat dueling ground for the
borough of Manhattan is under the win
dows. Why don't we kill 'em? When one
dies six come to bewail his death. SO we
evacuated the room for night use and live
in the place the landlord calls the guest
chamber. There isn't time before you
come to take the bedsteads down and
transpose them. 1t takes ten days to do
that, including the time spent in hospital.
$50 if you can stand the cats come, and
we hope you will win your case. Sincerely,
"WILLIAAf BLACKSTONE.
''To Hon. Regulus McShane, District At
torney's Office, - County, N. Y"
Hon. Regulus McShane arrived on a
Saturday evening, and was conducted
to his room. There were windows on
two sides of the room. The bed ran
obliquely into the room between them.
On each OF the unwindowed sides was a
closet door. One closet ran through to
the bedroom of the Blackstones. 1t
contained Il fixed washstand and the
family medicine shelves. The shelves
of the other closet were piled high with
discarded shoes. empty mineral water
bottles, and fragments of broken fur
niture.
"There!" said Mr.. Blackstone, as he
opened the door Of this closet and
pointed with pride to the display on
the shelves. THAT is your only RELIEF
from cats. That is the magazine.
When they begin to howl lombard
them. Use 4 he Spanish method. Don't t
hit. If you do they'll only make twice
as much noise"
The district attorney smiled grimly.
81 rather think I'll stay awake for
fear shouldn't wake up when theg
begin to sing"
Then he went out and showed Mrs.
Blackstone his new shoes. They were
wonderful shoes. Very large they
were, because his feet were large, and
the larger because the soles fared out
beyond the uppers. They were yellow
as quarantine flag and shone with
the soft radiance of the setting sun.
81 wish you would tell me-" the law
yer said, plaintively, to his hostess,
what you really and honestly think
of them. I'm feeling little doubtful
about them myself"
"Why?" asked the young woman,
with magnificent innocence Il don't
see why"
''Wen, you know" he explained, 81
bought them in Syracuse. 1 had to
stop over an hour and half there be-
tween trains. The man who sold them
to me told me that everybody in New
York was wild over this breed Of shoe
or would be as soon as enough of
them were sold here to begin to sup
PLY the demand. I don't see much to
so wIid over about them"
ooh, don't you?" said Mrs. Black
stone, increasing the proportion of
the innocence in her surprise. II DO
Mr.. Blackstone retired carelessly be-
hind door jamb and shook his fist at
her. But the district attorney was
too much pleased with her comment
20 onnci1oz, IN o1
I'm greatly relieved" he said, with
q sigh of relief that proved his sin
cerity. Il am, indeed. You see, they're
tie only pair have with me- The ones
| left at Syracuse weren't worth saw
ing. And, besides, there wasn't any
room for them in my bag"
Mrs. Blackstone's lips parted as ii
to utter more innocent comment.
Don't you think, my DEAR" her hus-
band put in, hastily, don't you think
ii is time to let the weary traveller
within our fiat go to the chamber of
cats? You trot to bed and III take
Regulus and show him what beautiful
decorations there are inside the re-
frigcrator."
She went her way and they went
theirs. So well did the up-country dig
ritary appreciate the refrigerator
that it was near midnight when he
parted with his host at the door of
the chamber of cats. AS they passed
her door Mrs. Blackstone noticed that
the district attorneys feet seemed to
drag : little.
Poor thing" she said to HERSELF AZ
shH Tshlieal s9isnTair d her pillow
"He is tired. Perhaps he can't help
dragging his feet, the responsibility
Of carrying those lovely shoes is heavy
heavy
As she dozed she heard her husband
saying:
If you can, old man, you better un.
dress in the dark. The mosquitoes are
awful up here. We would have put in
screens, but if we had you couldn't
have got az the cats"
1t was perhaps an hour later when
Mrs. Blackstone awolie. The night was
very still. She wondered what had
walked her. In a moment she knew.
"Pr'r'r'ow-wow!" came a challenge
II ON a half block away, "Pr'r'r'ow!' .
"Er-wowu." came the answer from
under the back window.