IT WAS THE CAT.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume VII, Issue 1023, 25 May 1880, Page 2

IT WAS THE CAT.

A. rather good story is told of how the congregation of a Scottish church, within a hundred miles of Wellington, was on a certain occasion involved in real and not figurative darkness. The learned divine who occupied the pulpit was warmly engaged in the delivery of a forcible sermon to his flock, and had reached one of the most thrilling points, wherein he painted the woeful fate of the benighted ones of earth, when suddenly the gas went out ; the minister and congregation were wrapped in utter gloom, and "in an instant all was dark and, chaos reigned." All was confusion and divers voices in anything but congregational unison were heard demanding and receiving no explanation of the cause of the mischance. A general but cautious movement to the door, and the preacher abdicated the pulpit, whilst others procured candles, several elderly ladies, of a superstitious frame of mind in the meantime imputing the visitation to the machinations of the " evil one." On a search for the delinquent, it was found in the corporeal shape of an old tomcat, that had, in its endeavours to reach a higher position, jumped on the turncock of the meter, and cut of the gas in an effectual manner. This discovery was a source of considerable amusement, and some of the junior members of the congregation, with rather a profane fondness for "Pinafore, " were hoard humming as they went home, " Goodness me ! Why what was that ? Silent bo : It was the cat ! "