The star. (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1874-1875, 1875-02-17
o satisfy the wants of Tom and ro,,v

to satisfy the wants of Tom and Tabby
AS the visitor chambers up the dark. cob.
webbed stair-cases, evidences Of oats ara
perceptible on every hand; cats Yell0w.
cats black, golden and dingy, Cats taw..
| ny, whitc and dubious; cats ring-tuiied
d0ye-tailed and no tailed; Cats with
eyes, without eyes, earlesss, and oats of
every description skulk lii the black
hooks or rush out and disappear in sud
den panic. And all the time, from sun
rise TO sunrise, an aromatic and yolumi.
nous cloud Of feline eXhalation is waited
down the stairs into the street.
Mrs. Goodman began four years ago
with her good work Of reclaiming the
abandoned feline denizens of the gutter.
the garret, and the cellar, and opening to
them the pain TO more ennobling fife.
She took in at hrst "leetle wee kitten"
as she said, homeless street Arab.
which she nursed and Christianized.
This small waif of charity. which she
named Tiger, was benevolent, like his
mistress, and he went over into Essex
street and told all his INDECENT friends in
that neighborhOOd Of the good tare that
could be found at ITO Division street,
He invited them all over, and they &C.
cepted and had the first SQUARE meal
they had seen in years.
They went back and told their oompau.
ions; and since that little incident cats
of all classes, the blind, the deaf, the
lame, the paraiytic, and the hump pbacked
have been thronging from the vicinity of
Essex, Norfolk. Suffolk, Clinton, Or
chard, and Ludlow streets, and East
Broadway to Mrs. Goodman's scrap dish.
She has over eighty regular partakers at
her board. Ihey sleep by dozens on the
floor of the kitchen, they abound In the
alleys, hang on the cave troughs and to
the window sills, and romp anu play tag
in the back yard. At night those that
are virtuous and happy retire to their
beds, which are comfortably fitted up in
the third story of the house; while 9TH
ers, that are still given to the dissipation
OF fast lite, amble along the hOusetOps
in the pale moonlight and sing street
ballads.
Mrs. Goodman naturally thinks more
of her 80 pets than her neighbors do, VINO
have taken every means to break UP the
growing monopoly. Lately they called
The attention OF the Board OF Health to
the matter, but the officers after an in
spection of the premises Informed the
petitioners that the good German lady
had violated no law by her humanity to
the suffering. The nelghbors were crest
fallen. while Mrs. Goodman, beaming
with triumph, gathered her nets still
closer around ner. Since then the former
have cOntented themselves with finginy
showers OF gravel upon the animals in
the yard or shying bootjacks and old
crockery at them whenever an opportu-
nifty is given.
The yard in the rear Is the special play
ground OF the museum. 1t is spacious,
dirty and abounding in sly hooks that
are just the thing Tor cats. At the back
are half dozen patched wooden build
ings similar to the one inhabited by Mrs.
Goodman, each with an opening upon
the enclosure. To make the place Still
more retired it is surrounded by board
fence ten feet high. While the reporter
was present Mrs. Goodman took a large
iron kettle from the stove and poured
warm boiled dinner upon piece of oil
cloth, which was speedily surrounded by
half 4 dozen cats, who ate daintily, as
though used to good living. The rest Of
the group slept, or opened lazy eye to
see that nothing was passing that they
could afford to miss.
Mrs. Goodman moved around her pets
like q queen among her subjects. "Thls |
cold weather has driven them all in,"
she continued, "and can't refuse one of
them q good dinner or place to sleep.
l give some Of them away, but they are
generally badly treated. gave one to
a washer woman in Canal street some
time ago, ana when went round to see
how it was getting along, it was nearly
frozen and starved, and came running to
me with joy. l took it back home
again."
just then tumult arose in the yard,
and Mrs. Goodman ran to the back win
dow in time TO see a shower of gravel
rained from the roofupon score or more
of her cats, that set up yells of terror,
and scattered to their hiding places.
She held an excited dispute with some
young roughs, and when she returned,
with an inflamed face, she added: 81 sup
pose Pm a fool, but 1 won't allow any one
to trouble 'em, and if they do they'll have
trouble, that's ALL" Mrs. Goodman buys
the best cakes, sausages, and beetsteaks
she can find in the Bowery for her pets,
and spends about $l.5O a day for their
food.