, 1899-01-03
CHAMBER OF CATS.

"There's only one reason | hate to
rave him come, " said Mrs. Blackstone.
"Only one, and that's enough, goodness
knowsl'
1.-THE cats?" incurred Mr.. Blackstone.
"The darned Catsi' rejoined his wife,
with vindictiye emphasis.
"I'll tell him about the cat when /
write, said Mr.. blackstone. He did.
Here is the letter:
DEAR REGULUs-Of course We want you to
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 mar
row and long as the lane between your own
mansion and that where you house your cows.
Our guest chamber is the last room of all at
the rear. 1t is the biggest and the lightest, hut
we don't use 1t to sleep in because of the cats.
The internntional cat duclinG ground for the
borough of Manhattan is under the windows.
Why don't we kill emf When one dies, six
come and bewail his death. So we evacuated
the room for night use and live in the plRce
the landlord calls the guest chamber. There
isn't time before you come to take the bed
steads down and transpose them. 1t takes ten
days to do that, including tho time spent in
hospital.
90, II you can stand the cats, come, and we
hope you will win your case. Sincerely,
WILLIAM BLACKSTONE.
To the Hon. Regulus McShane, District At.
torney's Office, - County, N. Y.
The Hon. Regulus McShane arrived
IN a Saturday evening, and was con-
Quoted to his room. There were win
dows on W. 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. Ii
contained a 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 furni-
ture.
"There!" said Mr.. Blackstone, as he
opened the door of this closet and point
ed with pride to the display on tho
shelves. THAT is your only relief from
cats. That is the magazine. When they
begin to howl, lombard them. Use the
Spanish method. Don'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 I shouldn't wake up when they
begin to sing"
LIZ I Sou tnLhh NY utui, me-
husband said. "'don"t you think it is
time to let the weary traveller within
our fiat go to the chamber of cats? You
trot to bed and I'll take Regulus and
show him what beautiful decorations
there are inside the refrigerator"
She went her way and they went
theirs. So well did the up country dig.
nitary appreciate the refrigerator that
it wal 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 at
torney's feet seemed to drag q little.
Poor thing, " she said to herself, as
she winked solemnly at her pillow.
"He is tired. Perhaps be 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 I'M
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 at the cats"
1t was perhaps an hour later when
Mrs. Blackstone awoke. The night was
very still. She wondered what had
walked her. In a moment she knew.
"Pr-r-r-ow-wowl' - came the chal-
lenge from a half block away. "Pr.r-r-
OWL
~"Er-wowu!" came the answer from
under the back window.
"Will," said Mrs. Blackstone hoarse.
ly to the next pillow, will, wake up.
They're coming" She sat up and clap
ped her hands softly in her glee.
"LemnIe know when they get here
mumbled Blackstone as he dug his head
into the pillow again. Mrs. Blackstone
sat up and listened.
"Pr-r-r-ow-wow!' The challenger
vas drawing nearer. Not one, but three
voices answered him. For a moment,
as they converged, all was silent. Then
came a mastery battlecry. 1t was like
that Of a 6-months-old infant who has
swallowed his bib pin.
"Will, (" said Mrs. Blackstone, wake
upi They've come" He sat up and
kubbed his eyes.
In the next room they heard the
bump and pounding of bare feet ON the
floor. They heard q door open and the
clinking of glass.
Goodness, WILL" whispered Mrs.
Blackstone, ed forgotten that yen
could hear things in that room so clear
ly."
Its a very still night" her hus-
band mumbled wisely.
The footsteps moved softly across the
room again. "Slum. chunkr' The frag-
ments Of bottle tinkled on the hard sui
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