Year: 1867

The story of q cat in one OF the con-
vents of the Rue de Sevres is the Paris
town talk just now. 1t is curious ex-
ample of instinct Cats, you know, are
ecclesiastical animals. They are re-
served They show friars the proper
face to wear demure, discreet, sancti-
monious and astute, though silent. Then,
their paws are the true paws ecclesiastic
velvet with poisonous claws beneath.
Besides they attain rotundity of form
which the dog never gets, and nothing
becomes a iriar more than an ample
paunch. The cat in the convent of the
Rue de Sevres is worthy of the church.
You would take it for Cardinal were it
dyed red, because its obesity is pricely
1t has become terribly gluttonous of
late another weakness of the church,
and not satisfied with the rations given
it by the friars, it has turned thief The
friar charged with the kitchen had no.
ticed for some time past that dish
always disappeared at dinner time, just
after he had divided dinner into as many
dishes as there were brethren. de
scarcely knows how to account for it.
In these days friars are as skeptical
about the Intervention of Old Nick in the
affairs of men as Bishop Celenso or your
Rev. Mr.. Alger. Thick as conve mt
walls are, the light of science has pen
etrated them. So Friar Cook set to
work to discover the cause of this won
derful effect, because whatever freaks
cheese at a certain stage may be guilty
of. meat never walks off from the table.
The friar remained in the kitchen one
day until the brethren came for their
dishes, and upon the occasion not dish
disappeared. He determined to make
this his rule, as it was evident his pre-
sence kept the thief at distance. But
the following day, while he was keeping
watch and ward over dinner, the door
hell rang, and as it was his duty to open
il. he hastened thther. Nobody but,
on the other hand, one dish had disap-
peared from the table. The friar was
greatly annoyed; who would not be?
A double trick had been played on him


"a dish had been stolen, his resolution
to keep watch had been discovered and
broken. Next day the door bell was
heard at the same time, but the friar, IN
stead of answering it, hid in large
press whose door he left ajar that he
might see everything which occurred IN
the kitchen. A moment after the bell
rang, the cat of the convent bounced
through the window, leaped on the table,
seized the contents of dish, and made
out of the window before the friar could
eiaculats devil of cat or anything like
Jack Robinson. The thief was known,
but the friar wished to discover the i'm
pertinent bell-ringer who sent him on
sleeveless errand to the door. At dinner
time the.follewing day he posted himself
at a window which commanded a view
of the door-bell. At the proper time the
cat ran to the bell-rope, leaped up to it,
let il 90 almost as soon as it clutched 1t,
| and scampered off to secure the un-
guarded dish. The friar did not fail to
report the proceeding of the cat to the
| Father, and it was at once noised about
among the brethren. They amused
themselves with the cats dexterlty and
cunning, and now invite their friends to
witness it. The friar's cook takes care
TO prepare an additional dish for the cat
/ benefit.