Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1874-04-15
che family Circle.
For til e Freeman.
About q Rat.

The rat is a sly fellow. and delights " in
ways that are dark" He attaches himself
with most offensive pertinacitv to civilized
man, domiciling himself with him in every
house he inhtbits, and voyaging with him
IN every ship he sails, yet rarely permitting
his protesting and disguised companion to
catch more than II furtive glimpse of him,
in his daily or nightly walks, or rather
runs; for on such occasions be always
seems to be- in hurry, us if bound on
some pressing business too momentous to
allow of delay. even for a passing salute,
or for the ordinary courtesies of social
life.
Helping himself with impudent GOODNESS
to the choicest viands, and most delicate
bits of his unwilling entertainer. he never
invites him to share them with him, OF per-
mlts him to be u spectator of his reyel>,
when he holds high links" in the store
house or larder.
Either by nature OF by acquisition from
his intercourse with mankind. he shows a
good deal of human nature; for while for
the most part, as if conscious of his evil
deeds, he keeps dark, and We come to a
knowledge ofhis doings only when it is too
late to repair the ruin he has wrought.
sometimes, like some men, he Stumble>
upon an honest act; and then he is neither
( afraid nor ashamed TO be seen; but as with
! his human prototype. these cases are 81
| lnfrequent that it is not surprising thlt in
these rare displays Of integrity. he some
/ Zines slops over a little in enactng the
lntccustomed role of honesty.
| | S;lw one last summer, making Il square
meal in an honest way; and it was refresh
no to see the calm assurance of the fellow.
Is if he WAS conscious that he WAS engaged
N Il perfectly legitimate transaction, which
no one would or could call in question
| | was sitting in the evening in a lower
room of "A two-story house. over the front
of which spread Il beautiful wooodbine,
oveTing the windows below and above.
| All the windows being closed a lump was
| lighted, and great numbers of miller>
q tttcred upon the window and among the
| lr.nChcs Of the Woodbne. Attracted by
slight noise, | turned and saw a half
grown rat darling in and out among the
branches of the wOodbne, and across the
! win low sill from sile to side. with Il rapid
| jty which the eye could h trlly follow, >eiz-
ing with unerring precision every miller
hat came within his reach, stripping off
the wings and legs, and eating the body.
| watched the operation for half an hour,
/ tnd then carried the lamp up 10 the room
,bove; the light had hardly struck the win
| low before the rat appeared AMI be gan
operations there. 1put the lamp on the
| windowSill and sat down us near it Is |
could. He paid no attention to me; no
movement of mine diverted him for "a mo
nent from his business. His eyes sparkled
| like diamonds; his whole frame quivered
with excitement. No miller approached
unseen on escaped his grasp; for Il full
hour watched him there; and to the lust
moment there WAS no abatement of his
activity. In that time he must have eaten
many hundreds of millrS, and he seemed
to relish the last one just rs keenly us the
| irst
The lady of the house said She had noticed
urge numbers of millers wings in the I'M
.iniohed attic; these were undoubtedly
,he debris of the rats nocturnal feasts