A remarkable freak of lightning occurred some time ago near the small
village of New Salem, Vermont. Arent S. Vandyck occupies an old mansion,
in the parlor of which hung a collection of Revolutionary swords, one of
which was heavily plated with silver. On the night in question a terrific
thunderstorm burst, and one particularly heavy crash stunned every one in
the house.
Quickly recovering, the family hastened to see what damage had been done.
Suddenly the youngest Vandyck pointed to an old-fashioned sofa. There lay
what seemed to be a silver cat, curled up as comfortable as could be. Each
glittering hair was separate and distinct, and each silvery bristle of the
whiskers described as graceful a curve as if in life.
Turning to the sword on the wall just above the sofa, father and son
remarked that the plated sword had been stripped of all its silver, the
scabbard was a strip of blackened steel and the hilt had gone altogether.
The family cat had been electroplated by lightning. A round hole in the
window-pane, about the size of a half-crown, showed where the electric
fluid had entered. There was a charred streak showing the path of the
lightning as it made its way to the sword, down which it passed to the
sofa, carrying with it the fused silver, which it scientifically deposited
on that magnetic animal, the cat.
Of course, the cat was instantly killed, and therefore remained in the
position in which the lightning found her peacefully sleeping. It is
thought the plating of the cat's surface will prevent decay, and that she
may be retained permanently among the family curiosities. Local
scientists, the Bostonians say, are quite puzzled by the occurrence, and
the electroplated cat is being investigated by a member of the Albany
Institute.--_Newtowne Calendar._