The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1903-11-18
Buff" and "Bouncer.w

esH eHo DouHCcTs
Annie Willis Mccullough writes the
following interesting narrative in the
st. Nicholas:
The quaint old city of Boston has
many interesting sights, but specta-
Gle that would astonish boys and girls
as much as anything is a glimpse at
the home of Buff" and '-Bouncer."
Now, Buff and Bouncer are cats. not
OF fine breed, like the Maltese, nor es-
pecially beautiful, like the Angoras.
They are just common, everyday cats.
Bouncer Is a tortoise-shell with white
triangle on his nose, and Buff dis
like to tell 1t, but he is nothing in the
world but an ordinary yellow cat.
Somehow, yellow cats and dogs are
counted among the offscourings of their
kind, but Buff-well | have changed
my opinion of yellow cats since meet
ing himl
These Boston cats live-that is, their
master and mistress live-in a brick
house on street in Boston near ran-
road. But Buff and Bouncer have a
house all their own. 1t stands in the
little square homely city yard, which
extends out to the tracks.
You will understand that with noise,
SCOT, cinders and cramped quarters,
these city cats need some compensa-
tion for that lack of freedom which
their country brothers enjoy. Their
mistress is 50 fond of them and SO
afraid of losing them that they are
even deprived of the city cats chief
pleasure-back fence promenades--by
reason of a wire netting stretching fat
along the top of the fence, so tnat they
cannot climb up. AS consolation for
these privations, the mistress OF Buff
and Bouncer has built them a house
that no carpenter need be ashamed of.
She began 1t as a sort of shelter for
her pets when they wanted to be In
the yard in bad weather. But once
her fingers and the hammer got start
ed, the rough kennel grew and grew.
1t reached up until it became four feet
two inches high, and spread to two and
half feet wide. 1t took on some fan
cy shingles and a cunning gable win
dow. The work then became so fas-
cinating to the builder that she Just
could not help adding a piazza and q
bay window. She is very small wo-
man, SO she devised a way to get in
side in order to fasten in windows, to
tack up curtains. and to complete va
rious other arrangements for the COM
fort Of her cats. Nearly the whole
side of the house is swung on hinges,
so 1t can be pulled out, and as it comes
out, like a shelf table, some long, slen--
der jointed legs unfold, and lo sort
of port cochere, on the roof of which
the cats like to lie and sun themselves,
and underneath which their hammock
can be hung.
One day, when the cats mistress was
inside the tiny house, sitting on the
floor and hard at work, Buff came in,
jumped up on a crossbeam high up In
his house, and stretched his head up
as If to look out of the little gable
window.
We'll, Buff" said his mistress, you
shall have an upstairs, since you want
1t so badly" So she put in a sort of
floor up there, leaving an opening, of
course, with a shelf half way up, at
the back of the first floor room, to
serve as a cat stairway. When Buff
and Bouncer go to their second story
they jump up on this shelf stair, then
easily spring through the opening into
their attic room. There is a piece of
thick carpet for them to lie on, and
there they love to stay, doing or look
ing lazily out of their little front win
dow.
The little house is further fitted up
with movable flight of steps, which
stand sometimes at the front, some
times at the side of the piazza, but
which, you may be sure, Buff and
Bouncer do not stop to use. 1t also
has a hammock and a bedstead for
each cat. And Buff and Bouncer will
lie in the hammock, allow themselves
to be tucked in bed, or ride in their
carriage-a doll carriage-and seem to
enjoy themselves hugely. They will
also sit up in little chairs at a small
table and eat, though they much prefer
their customary way. One has his
dish set on the floor of the piazza and
generally dimes there; the other has
his dish on the upper balcony or root
Of the piazza.
They seem to like to lie and sleep
In or take ride in their carriage.
though, of course, they have to take
turns. And they like to lie in their
hammocks when their mistress puts
them there-that is, they will lie still
and pretend to sleep and have never
said they didn't like it. which is a pret-
ty sure sign that it is agreeable to
them, don't you think so?
In the winter tnis home of Buff and
Bouncer is closed and covered with
canvas and oilcloth to keep it from be-
ing spoiled by storms and snowdriits.
At that inclement season these wise
Boston cats prefer to live in the warm,
cozy kitchen of the big house, SO you
see what arlstocrats they are. They
not only have home all their own,
bat 1t is their summer home, their re-
sort IN which thev go no aeon nc Aha