The Western advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1872-1874, 1874-05-09
Anecdotes Of Rats.

AneCQOCeS OF R0CSs
Perhaps at no time is the sagacity OF
rats exhibited In so remarkable degree a.
when an attempt is made to poison them.
A somewhat singular incident, which
shows the possession of something very
nearly akin to reason on the part of these
pests, happened in Wayne County, New
York, some years ago. A certain distil-
lery was almost overrun with rats, which
we're attracted thither by the malt, upon
which they Jared sumptuously. All ef
forts to get rid of them were unavailing.
Traps Of every sort were set and baited
with the most tempting morsels, but the
rats gave them W wide berth. All the boys
and dogs in the neighborhood paid peri
odical visits to the distillery to engage in
grand hunts, but the rats increased and
multiplied and grew familiar in spite of
them. At last the proprietor, in despera-
tion, determined upon grand coup detdt
He poisoned the malt that was one day
sequence was that some OF the outbuild~
ings had to be removed in order to clear
away the bodies of the victims For
while after that there was less noise
about the distillery of nights, and the
OO1o WVAV OOAA4VA W 6AsV Wy eASAA Ae3sNA-
day afternoon rat hunts; but in six
months matters were as bad as ever
Boys, guns, traps and terriers, as before,
had no effect Another general poison.
ing was resolved upon, but this time the
result was far different There was not a
single victim that could be found, and,
more than that, at the end of two days
there was not rat about the distillery.
And now comes the strange part of the
story. The proprietor was present when
the poisoned malt was thrown out. and
prompted by curiosity waited to see what
was going to happen. During that time
but one solitary rat made his appearance
I'm old fellow, gray with age, which
came creeping from his hole, and with an
air of distrust and cunning went to the
malt, and after smelling Of it scampered
away in great haste. Was he one Of the
few who survived the general slaughter,
and did he discover the danger and warn
the others?
The rats in our country are quite as
fond of cream as their transatlantic
cousins, and exhibit the same ingenuity
in securing it. If the Scottish rats were
smart enough to skim pans of milk with
their tails, so were those who fiourished
in Livingston County a few years ago;
only they did not conf1ne themselves to
cream, but fished butter out of deep jars
in the same way. The rats no doubt ap-
preciated the lastnamed article, and we'll
they might, for better butter maker than
Mrs. Sackett never lived, not even in
Livingston County.
The neat old lady fretted and scolded
and set traps and tried various devices to
protect her milk pans, but all to no pur
pose. One morning waggish young fel.
low, Charley Hosmer (peace to his ashes !
he went out with the gallant Seventh, and
never returned), happened in, and after
listening to the story of the lady's griev-
ance offered, in consideration of the
plate of doughnuts which she was then
| frying, to rid her of the rats at once and
forever. The doughnuts were placed be-
fore him, and Charley ate them with a
roguish twinkle in his eye. The lady
watched him with evident satisfaction, it
never occurring to her, good soul, to in
quire how she would get the doughnuts
hack again in case the boys plan failed.
When the last one was gone Charley dis
appeared through the cellar door. De-
scending the stairs about halfway, he
seated himself upon them, reflected few
minutes, and then delivered himself after
this fashion:
"Now, rats" said he, II think it's a
shame the way you're acting" Here
Charley paused a moment for one OF the
thrust his head from his hole, and looked
at him meditatively). "I'll talk to you,
old fellow, and I want you to tell the
others what I'm saying" he went on.
1T is q shame the way you're doing.
Here you have been getting your living
off Mrs. Sackett all these years, and I
want it stopped. She's hard-working
woman, and needs the cream and butter
you steal. Now, there's Neighbor Mark.
ham. He is rich, his corn cribs are full
there are more milk k-pans in his spring
house than there are here, and if you want
good living you had better 60 there. You
toiN go there, if you know what's good
for you. When I come back l don't
want to hear of rat on this farm"
Charley arose to his feet, and the old
rat whisked back into his hole. The boy
went up stairs, took another doughnut
and walked off after assuring the lady
that she would never more be troubled
with rats. Ind she soasn't Perhaps
Charley was quite as much surprised al
the effects of his speech as the lady; bu1
it is a fact that in week from that time
there was not rat about the house, anl
Neighbor Markham had more than he
wanted. There at least two persons still
in existence who know this to be q tru.
statement.-N. ?. Weekly.
A Novel Way to Detect q Falsehood
MuLr1TuD1NoUs are the ways on recort
, for detecting a thief, but there is on
species of sinner that often de1es detec
ton. A light finger may beicrippled, bu
light tongue is hard to stop. The blusl
! of conscious guilt does not ALWAYS follov