The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1884-11-15
THE CATS OF BROADWAY.
fot Animals in the Shops Which Are
j PoSite Ito Customers and Keen \
the Mice Away,

without cat" said a Broadway police
man. MY beat along the upper bar,
OF broadway takes me right throuyl
the shopping district, and when | gc
home at night ! have to walk down
slxIh avenue SO that | have pretty
fair opportunity to watch the cats.
Inc ilrst case that ever came TO NV
notice was about two years ago. when
went into acknowledgements store ON
Broadway TO buy collar. Well sir
went in and asked the man for some
collars, and he dumped a LOT on tbe
showcase. A big Maltese cat which
had oeen lying on the door-mat trotted
BACK to where stood, jumped on the
counter and then on the showcase. and
walked deliberately to where the col
lars lay. She was beautiful cat. with
big eyes and n soft, gray coat She
sat down quietly, looked in nv face.
and watched me while | selected The
collars. Every few minutes she would
put out her paw and gently touch
whatever collar Seemed to have in my
hand, Finally when | had chosen
one, aud it had been wrapped IN for
me, she gave the bundle a Gentle NAT
with her paw, then bounced back on
the iloor again, and went back to her
place on the door-mat. The shon-
keeper told me that every cpstomar
who came in received the same treat.
ment from the cat, and when a man
was buying big bill of goods the
Maltese would follow him around from
one case to another, and ALWAYS 40.
companied him TO the door when he
left, which was bit of po.iteness that
the cat never showed to small buyer.
Every drugstore on Broadway has
It's pot cat and they are all of them
fine, well-fed, and good-natured ami.
mails. There is one that lies in the
front window among a lot of sponces
in the winter time. When | FIRST saw
that cat l thought il was stuffed.
passed it three or four times every
afternoon for week, but never
thought 1t was alive. 1t lay in one no.
sition with its head curled down on its
paws, and never changed its position
during the afternoon. / stood watch
ing il once for a long time through the
window, and the clerk in the store, lust
to show me it was alive, poked il up.
The cat got up lazily, stretched itself.
rubbed It's nose against the clerks
hand, and then went TO sleep again.
"lhey say they are very useful about
as they keep the mice
away from the herbs and sweet tbinps.
There is big black cat in a druc-
store corner of Thirtieth street, which
knows as much us any dog | ever saw.
II Is q beauty, too. According to nv
mind, ii is the handsomest cat in New
York. It's as black as the ace of
spades and as shiny as ebony. 1t is a
young cat, but it has already learned TO
recognize the regular customers of tho
place. II has comfortable corner in
The doorway, where it sleeps in the
daytime, and at night it lounges around
ne soda fountain. There is not a
mouse in the place. The cat will move
'bout on the. shelves among delicate
bottles and fine glassware, but it has
leyer broken thing If you 70 into
he snop more Than once it will recog-
lize You. and after that will always
'ome forward TO meet YOU. The Gus
omers have got in the habit Of stop
'lng and rubbing its head when they
70 Ia the shop, and the result is it
rots out naturally to meet its friends.
hat cat is Irregular master of cere-
monies.
"On the corner above there is bio
elbow cat which is growing old and |
azy. 1t Is . great fayoritc with lady
and when they come in to |
I'VE an order and sit down in chair |
he cat always comes along, jumps up |
n their laps, and purrs allecloualely. |
mere Is hardly 4 shop along Broadway |
nat has not pet cat, and everyone of |
no shopkeepers can tell you fine stories
bout what his cat can do. | know for
fact that there are some very clever
ats in these shops, They are better
han dogs, because they keep the rats
nd mice away, and do not interfere
Nth the customers. No danger of their
citing mad, and it costs little or
othing to keep them. know a cat
n a butcher shop on Sixth avenue.
ear Thirty-third street, which has
aid out for itself place near the
ront door The butcher sprinkles his
loor with sawdust three times a day,
nd every time he does it the cat hops
p on the window-sill and watches the
peration closely. When it is finished
nd the floor is thoroughly covered the
at hops down and selects q spot IL
ectly in the middle of the wide door
fny and begins slowly to clear spot
here. 1t begins by moving its paw
round in small circle, and finally
rushes the sawdust away until clear
pace Is left. This spot is about two
Get in diameter, and always perfectly
ound. The carpenter couldn't make
more accurate circle. Ii is invariably
a the middle of tho doorway, and
'hen the cat has every bit of sawdust
II this particular spot it lies down
nth its nose toward the sidewalk, and
ozes. If man or woman comes in
nd kicks the sawdust into the charmed
ircle the cat, carefully brushes it out
gain.
"lhese amt very exciting stories,
ut they arc truthful. might tell YOU
bout q cat which went up to the sew
nth story OF u burning building and
arried n sick man down the water
ipe safely to the street, or give You
lany other fairy ,aes, but YOU
'ouldn't believe them, and SO what
,ould be the usep | had rather tell
4, a., 4. "a. 4. i