Rensselaer Republican, Volume 16, Number 3, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 September 1883 — A Long Cat. [ARTICLE]

A Long Cat.

Young Pretzel attend d a Chicago theater and becanie quite interested in the performance rendered by the Orchestra during the interval between the acts. He plied the old man with questions concerning the drummer, the violini t and others belonging to the band. The Leader had occasion to play a Solo, and the boy watched the movements of the bow with breathless attention as it crossed and recrcssed the When the Violinist had finished his effort, the boy again commenced to question the old-man. “Papu,”jsaid tlie boy, “do you know what those strings are made out of that the man draws that bow over.” “Yes, my son, they are manufactured from ‘cat-gut,’” said the old man, with nin emphasis on the latter word, intending to strike the boy dumb, thereby silencing lum during the balance of the performance. It had the desired ef--feet; tlie —boy was —struck —speechless with wonder and astonishment, and for more than an hour kept perfectly quiet. At last Ibis eyes lit on the fellow with a dog-house in tbe corner, which in the more remote ages was called a Bass Viol. The boy gazt d upon it with admiration. He endeavored to speak but his tongue clove to tlie roof of his mouth; his eyes fairly sparkled as they" traveled up and down the mammoth strings of the instfument. At last his tongue became loosened, and he fairly yelled: “Papa! Oh, what a long cat that was!”— Carl Pretzel’s Weekly.