The carcass was lying in the dooryard when Tom's mother waked us.
"Get up and see your striped catamount!" she called up the chamber stairs.
Hastily donning our clothes we rushed down.

Truth to say, the "monster" of so many startling stories was somewhat disappointing to contemplate.
It was far from being so big as we had thought it in the night--indeed, it was no larger than a medium-sized dog.

It had coarse black hair with two indistinct, yellowish-white stripes, or bands, along its sides.

Its legs were short, but strong, its claws white, hooked and about an inch and a quarter long.

The head was broad and flat, and the ears were low and wide apart.