New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-08-15
CATCHING A MOU&E.
EY GARRY MOSS.

Il
EY GARRY MOSS.
have an Uncle Yellovmoss. Like hi
| nsmesake, he has chung to the slaty side 0
| = New England hill tor sixty-uine years
He never could say merciful.
my friends" ho would exclaim at III,
weekly prayer meeting. the penny dip Of
the shelt making an aureole about his bale
gray head-"my friends, we must be mousi
tul if We would obtain mOusey." An(
speaking Of that reminds me of eomethipf
else. 1t happened at dinner time, and BIZ
youngest grandchild was present. He in
voked Q blessing upon the food in this man
ner:
MAKE us thankful for mousey received
(g0Od Lord, Sara, tina: baby is swallowing
a spoon)-and bless what Thou has sec be.
fore us-ttripe again, vow Jim, where's
the carving knife y"
But l was going to tell You how We caught
the mouse-in other words how we obtain.
ed mousey. He was little fellow and q
gymnast. In the wink Of an eylash be
would be nibbling cheese in my neighbor'e
back closet, or gnswing through . brick
chimney on the other eide of the street.
One night ! was writing theme for the
Pun Mel-Em.Well Association, OF which !
am the secretary. ! have the honor 10
write A. s. s. after my signature. The p
NJ. E. W. A. has q gOodly number OF A. 5.
SEES, of which am chief, the degree having
frat been conferred upon me.
But wander.
While ! was scratching away heard a
was that mouse. He had scaled mountains
OF folios and tumbled down q cataract OF
writing paper. was startled but only for
moment. The sharp. small, intelligent
eyes were fastened upon me. The rascal
actually winke6 as much as to say. lyon
don't know that ] know that you don't
know what you're writing about" In fact.
the little fellow looked SO wickedly wise
that laid down my pen and took up my
flute. thought would charm him. Al
the first bar mousey cleared my head at one
bound; a. the second my wife came in, de.
clarDg that J had walked mp every child in
the neighborhood with my footing; a, the
third l had blown tears into my own eyes:
ct the fourth my breath gave out.
Tha. night ! dreamed that had been
scalped. Waking up in terror, I found nv
wife pulling my hair.
''Jvhn.' said she. THAT mouse doth mu,-
der sleep"
Then call him Macbeth, nv love, said I.
John, wiN you wake ups just listen"
] did. distinctly heard tho scratching
OF a small and particularly pertinaclous
cav. IL vas cling away somewhere by the
bureau.
What shall / do!" continued nv othe.
halt, with helpless mosne. Il cans get q
wink Of sleep, and there's . large wash TO-
'1f can hit him with one of B-li's
leaders," muttered, half awake, as seized
D newspaper, ''it will be sure to kill him. for
it's double leaded"-and forthwith l rolled
il up in ball and threw it-some where.
No effect. J overturned chair-increase
If sawyer. Finally ] picked up one Of my
boots and hurled it through the air. There
was shrek. The son OF his mother gave
me terrific yell. ] had taken first class
'im and hit that infant. - I supposed,
'xactly between the eyes. on the bridge Of
they called nose. It wasn't q
bridge OF size. but OF snuff1es. There was a
ow after that which couldn't distinctly
but at the Termination of which / |
an mile and u half in my stocking feet |
or the doctor, and delivered harangue at
he NJ. DIS window, to the effect that a |
mouse had killed my child with one Of bis |
oOts, and then, growing Ineligible after |
waxing up half the family, made him
nderstand that my youngest born was ". !
1g. at the point Of death, and took him
ack with me loaded down with camphor.
curt plaster, pills. liDimens and q box of
nrgical Instruments. Mrs. JOh1 let us in.
he smiled peaceful smile and said she
uessed it was only c"lic as 40 bruise could
e found. although the boo: could on the
theI side of the room. and Johnny. Jr.. Law
eeping peacefully. ! shall never forget
le look on the face of that venerable M. d.
wouldn't have been alone with him for
l0OO. The sOlemni:y of hi. countenance
} he prepared to 60 back in the dark sent
IN a. l
zen 70 see him to the door. NV dog Tin
Informed that office, barking ali the way,
lille l slunk of to bed to hide nv shame |
Id distress under the blankets.
NO sooner vas quiet restored than that
terestlne saw commenced again. got
, and tore out whole plank, but couldn't
ID him. The next day l purchased some
rychnipe. Putting it ON a bit of cake |
lietly lett 1t TO work its own sweet will.
10 mouse didn't get it, but orc of nv
lgh0Or Q ehlldreR-S cross eyed little bow.
No had . nose, and was SO homely he
uldn't look himself in the face-did. His
40 was set down - cholera. remained
home during the funeral.
Io cap the climax, offered $500 if some.
dy would tell me how TO catch that | :
ouss. A msn-s wise old man, = sage :
ID me he could dc it, and asked me if /
'ald give him $500 in ease he did. told
ID had been nueing while the Ere ! y
rnfd, and thought, on the whole, it was .
worth over five. After meditatine for c
ne moments the venerable sage said he G
'koned he could do it for that. He came .
the mouse. He went upstairs alone. He
ne down, not alone, for be had nv wite's il
ten and chain in his pocket. +
~ you hear strange noise in the night
q nc, don't be AFRAID Thus fortified ! :,
tied. l kept awake till twelve. Sad. h
aly It sounded. sprang up with an In d
N war whoop. We commenced the ! =,
reh, and moved everything into the mid. .,
of the room. The bureau was the LAST. Al
,ause heaviest. Ny wife SPRAYED her St
mt arm, and the thing came down on Inv o.
g, but there was the mouee, And what I re
you think had caught ita A mouse trap.
ted with cheese-cOst. fifteen cents. We IN
ked ut each other,my wife and I, and +, ~
pit silently and sorrowfully to bed. She fe
MT even cay Il told you 60" Ate, I'm fe
atiDg an hour, spoke >,
Any fool might have thought of thst,"I Sc Sc
|. hu
Ave." retorted she, 'but here be two liz
9 who didn't" %
e never saw that venerable sage again, i m
never called for that IS, and though
I'd for the watch it never csme-Nesc
4 Graphic. a,