Weekly graphic. [volume] (Kirksville, Adair Co., Missouri) 1880-1949, 1881-04-22
The Weatherwise Muskrat.

am at last convinced that we need
not go to Canada for good weather
prophet. One of my neighbors-who, l
am sure, never reads the papers, and
never gossips with the wiseacres about
him-gave warning of the past early
/ and severe winter while the fall weather
was yet mild and fair. I have before
referred to this Vennor of a muskrat in
these notes, and l have now to adduce
still further proof of the truth of his
fcrecastings. As have before said, the
! high wafer and severe winter of 1889
found him prepared, as far as muskrat
could be prepared, though the floods
finally overwhelmed him. When the
next fall came, he was very tardy about
beginning his house, laving the corner
stone-.or the corner-sod about Decem-
ber l, and continuing the work slowly
and indifferently. On the 18th of the
month the nest was not yet finished.
This, said, indicates mild winter;
and, sure enough. the season was one of
the mildest known far many years. The
rats had little use Tor their house.
Again, in the .ah of 1880, while the
weatherwise were wagging their heads,
some forecasting mild, some severe,
winter, watched with interest for a
sign from my muskrats. About Novem-
ber l, a month earlier than the previous
year, they began their nest, and worked
at it with will. They appeared to have
just got tidings of what was coming. If
/ had taken the hint so palpably given,
my celery would not have been frozen
up in the ground, and my apples caught
in unprotected places. When the
cold wave struck us, about November
goth, my four-iegged 'I-told-you-sos"
had nearly completed their dwelling; it
lacked only the ridge-board, so to speak;
it needed a little stopping out" to give
it a finished look But this it never got.
The winter had come to stay, and it
waxed more and more severe, till the
unprecedented cold of the last days of
December must have astonished even
the wise muskrats in their snug re-
treat. approached their nest at this
time, white mound upon the white,
deeply frozen surface OF the pond, and
wondered if there was any life in that
apparent sepulcher. l thrust my walk
ing-stick sharply into it, when there was
q rustic and splash into the water, as
the occupant made his escape. What
damp basement that house has, l
thought, and what a pity to rout a
peaceful neighbor out of his bed in this
weather, and into such state of things
as this! But water does not wet the
muskrat; his fur is charmed and not a
drop penetrates it. ......... ...-....
Where the ground is favorable, the
muskrats do not build these mound.like
nests. but burrow into the bank long
distance, and establish their winter quar-
,ers there. Ea l ...a
Shall we say, then, in view of the
above facts, that this little creature is
weatherwise? The hitting of the mark
twice might be mere good luck; but
three bull's-eyes in succession is not
mere coincidence: it is u proof of skill.
We shall see if they do as well in the
future John Burroughs, in Scrijner's.
II Safe blowers in Philadelphia have
hit upon new plan. Two men work
the game. They enter offices and ex-
hibit patent lock, resembling q safe
lock, and request the loan of a safe key
just for second, because they have
lost their own key. They are such we'll
dressed, bland fellows that the request
was generally complied with. A man
with lock takes borrowed safe key,
inserts it, twists it around little, and
in minute remarks, "Confound it, it's
too bad, it won't fit,' and then returns
the key to the owner, with many thanks,
ard departs. The lock is dummy,
and is ingeniously contrived, so that a
wax impression Of the borrowed safe
key IS taken in the operation of attempt-
Ing 10 unfasten it. The office is visited
by night soon afterward, the safe opened
and robbed, and relocked, in the most
mv>teriiu manner. There have been
two rob5eries reported to the police al.