Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1892-12-01
CATS FOR COMPANY.
A wATCHMAN HAS TWENTY-THREE
AND He LIKES THEM.

Visiting a Nex York Night Watehman
Who Would BE Lonely but for His De-
voted and Loving Pets.
Whee, wheeti Whee. wheeti
1t was such a whistle as the Pied Piper
Of Hamlin may have given when he
called the rats from the famous old city
to a waterv grave in the river Weser.
But instead of rats there came from
little shanty in Alderman Duffy's coal
ward at the foot of East Twenty-sixth
street the queerest colony Of cats to be
found perhaps in Christendom. They
gathered about the watchman of the
yard, Charles Melville, a short thick
set man with bristling brown mustache.
who walked with a slight limp and is
familiarly known as doc" because of
his veterinary skill, in answer TO his
whistle.
Great family, amt it," said the
watchman after moments pause, dur
ing which he counted them to see if the
cats were all there. ''Ain't another like
it in the city. The black ones Mig. He's
years old, and the most intelligent.
Larry, the brindle, is the same age, and
is the biggest of the lot. That black and
white small sized cat is Cinders.
Klinkers, over there, is black and white
too. She's the dead spit of her mother,
is Cinders. Most people can't tell them
apart. That staid looking old woman
over there is Minnie. She is years
old, being the oldest of all, and
~. l.. e e
babies. The lively little lady with the
five liver colored kits is Ginger. They
think they are going to get something to
eat. See how disappointed they look
when they find they amt"
Nothing today" he said sharply.
''Trot back: the gentleman has seen
you"
The twenty-three cats were for mo-
ment irresolute. Then they blinked
their eyes as if to wipe away the tears,
and turned about and went with droop-
ing tails and bent heads into the shanty
whence they came. The watchman
followed, leading the reporter to the
shed, which was built in the corner of
the coal yard. 1t was not more than
dozen feet square and as many high, and
was built of old boards 1t stood at the
entrance to the yard. At the street end
was door, in the bottom of which was
cut hole about three inches square.
Hanging over the little hole was a flap
of wood suspended from piece of
leather. Two windows lit mp the inte-
rior of the shed. On one side was
raised bunk, where the watchman sleeps,
and on the other, under the windows,
was a long shelf. Coils of rope, shovels,
pickaxes, tools, odds and ends of iron,
pulleys and blocks, lanterns and empty
boxes Uttered up the rest of the interior.
Upon the bunk, shelf and floor and i'll
hooks and corners the cats were max
ing themselves perfectly at home. The
watchman picked up a small piece of
meat from closet and began to chop it
up. Instantly the cats were all atten-
ton and watched him intently. When
he threw down what he had cut each
cat picked up piece and took it off to
corner to eat it. There was no scram-
bling or fighting save among the kittens.
81 keep the cats for company" said
raised from kittens which friends gave
me. used to have tribes of them, but
good many died of distemper. There
used to be so many of them that when |
went through the yard at night with
lantern / was almost afraid of stepping
on them. You can't teach them any
tricks except to jump over sticks and
tIro11rrh ho1ndS ond tO
you call and to stick to you like a broth
er. A dog las got more intelligence. A
cat lives about twelve years. The talk
about their having nine lives is rot.
They are awfully delicate creatures and
catch the distemper very easily. You
mustn't overfeed them. l don't believe
in giving them milk: it's too heating. A
little meat once day is all they need.
They catch rats and mice enough to
keep them from being hungry. Be kind
to them. Bob Ingersoll says kind word
to dumb animal is better than kick.
'Some of my cats are great fighters.
Minnie is a perfect John l.. Sullivan.
She will tackle anything in the shape of
a dog that comes along. A big bull ter
rier chased Cinders the other day. 1t
was great to see Minnie go to her aid.
Those two cats got that dog down and
clawed him until he howled. When
they let him up he had hardly any hair
on him. He put his tail between his
legs and ran away as if the old boy was
after him. When cat fights, you know,
he lies on his back and paws with his
hind feet. Wherever the claws strike
the fur flies.
IF strange cat comes around they
will chase him away if they don't like
him. If they think he is a pretty good
fellow they will bring him in here when
call them to feed. Cinders has almost
turned Protestant through kindness.
She runs off to the female training
school up the street and the nurses make
great time over her and feed her. !
have forbid her going there, but she
won't pay any attention to my orders.
Then Melville went on to tell what a
comfort the cats were to him the long
winter nights. When he reads in his
little home the cats climb on the bench
where the lamp stands and sit there, on
his shoulder and about the arms of his
chair for hours, quiet as lambs.-New
York Press.