Year: 1861

"A Shy at the


The following graphic picture is from the
Albany State Register:


We stated long time ago that there
would be trouble some moonlight night
among the cats that congregate on the long
shed in the rear of our dwelling. We gave
notice that we had wasted more wood on
them than We were able to spare-that we
had used up all the brickbats that we could
lay our hands on-that we had thrown away
something less than ton of coal, and had
smashed window on the opposite block.
All of this proved of no avail. Said We had
got double barrcled gun, and percussion
caps, and powder and shot and some morn
ing, after moonlight night, somebody's cat
wouldn't come home to breakfast, or If 1t
did, it would be troubled with the dumps.
We gave fair notice of our grievances, and
what we intended to do about them.


Well, the moon came up on Monday night
with her great, round face, and went walk
ing the sky with a queenly step, throwing
her light like maatle of brightness, over
all the earth We love the calm OF moon
light night, in the spring time, and the cats
in our part Of the town love it too, for they
come from every quarter-from the sheds
around the National Garden-trom the kitch
ems and from the stables-creeping stealthily
and softly along the sheds, and clambering
up the boards that lean up against the out
buildings, they sit themselves down, more
or less of them, in their old trysting place
right opposite our chamber window. To all
this we had, in the abstract, no objection.


If cat chooses to take quiet walk by
mooulight-if he chooses to go out for his
pleasure or his profit, it is no particular
business of ours, and we havn't word to
say. Cats have rights, and we have no dis
position to interfere with them. But they
must keep the peace. They must get up no
.disorderly meetings, no unlawful assemblies.
If they choose to hold convention, they
can do it for all us-but they must go about
1T decently and in order.


They must talk matters over calmly; there
must be no rioting, no fighting They must
refrain from the use of profane language
they mustn't swear. There's law against all
this, and we warned them long ago that we
would stand no such nonsense. We said
we'd let drive among them with double
barreed gun loaded with powder and buck
shot, and we meant it. But those cats
didn't believe word We said. They didn't
believe we had any gun, or knew hoVto use
it if we had. And one great Maltese with
eyes like tea plates and a tail like Bologna
sausage,) grlnned and sputtered, and spit in
derision and defiance at our threats. every
well' said we, "very well, Mr.. Tom Cat,
very we'll indeed On your head be it, Mr..
Tom Cat Try it on Mr.. Tom Cat, and see
who'll get the worst of it,


We said the moon came up on Monday
with her great round face; and all the little
stars hid themselves as if ashamed of their
twinkle in the splendor of her superior
brightness. We retired after the baby had
been put to sleep in his crib, and the rumble
of the carriages and carts had ceased in the
streets, and the scream Of the ten o'clock
train had died away into silence, with
quiet conscience, and in the confidence thai
we should find that repose to which one
who has wronged no man during the day is
Justly entitled. 1t may have been eleven
O'Clock, possibly midnight, when we were
awakened from pleasant slumber by ba-
bel of uneartbly sounds in the rear of Sur
chamber. We knew what those sounds
meant-they had cost us fuel enough to
have lasted US week. We raised the win
dow; and there as of sid, right opposite us,
on the north end of that long shed, was an
assemblage OF all the cats in that part of the
town. We won't be precise as to the num-
bers, out it is our honest belief that there
were less than 5000 of them; and If one
among them all was silent, we didn't sue
ceed in discovering which one it was. There
was that same old Maltese with his great
saucer eyes and sausage tail; and over
against him sat monstrous brindle; and on
his left was one black as VOLTS mouth, all
but his eyes, which glared with a sulphur
GUS brightness and dotted all around, over
a space of thirty feet square, were dozens
more of all sizes and colors--and such growl-
ing and splitting, and shrieking and swear
ing, never before broke, with hideous dis
cord, the silence of midnight.


We loaded our double-barreled gun by
candle light; we put plenty of powder and
handful of shot into each barrel. We ad-
,justed the caps carefully and stepped out of
the window upon the narrow roof upon
which it opens. We were then just eighty
rods from the convention, and we addressed
ourself to the chairman, (the old Maltese,
in distinct and audible voice, and cried
tsSeatr' He didn't recognize our right to
the foor but went on with the business of
the meeting "Scat," cried we again, more
eniphatcally than before, but were answered
with an extra shrek from the chairman, and
"a fercer scream from the whole assembly.
uScat, once!" cried we again, as we brought
pur gun to present. "Scat, twicei' and
we aimed straight at the chairman, and
covered half dozen others in the range.
sScat three times!'' and we let drive.
Bang went the right hand barrel-and
bansl Went the left. hand barrel. Such
scampering. such 1eaping off the shed, such
running away over caves of the out-build-
ings, over the tops of the woodsheds was
never seen before. The echoes of the firing
bad scarcely died away when the whole as
semblage was broken up and dispersed.