The Portland daily press., 1882-12-23
Jimmy Brown.
His Adventures With Rats and Mice and
Such Small Deer.
[Harper,s Yonnc Peonle.l

lHarper's Young People]
It's queer that girls are SO dreadfully afraid
of rats and mice. Men are never afraid of
them, and 1 shouldn't mind if there were more
hamilton mice in my bedroom every night.
Mr.. Travers told Sue and me terrible story
one day about woman that. was walking
through lonely field, when she suddenly saw
field mouse right in front of her. She was a
brave woman; so after she had said, "Oh, nv!
save me, somebody" she determined to save
herself If she could, for there was nobody
within miles of her. There was tree not
very far off. and she had just time to climb ur
the tree and seat herself in the branches. when
the mouse reached its foot. There that amman
staid for six days and nights, squeaking In
way that made the woman's blood run cold
| and waiting for her to come down. On the
seventh day, when she was nearly exhausted,
man with gun came along, and shot the
mouse, and saved her life. don't believe this
story, and told Mr.. Travers so, for woman
couldn't climb tree, and even if she could,
what would hinder the mouse from climbing
after her, if he liked her SO much.
Sue has new young man, who comes every
Tuesday and Thursday night. One day he
said, Jimmy, If you'll get me a lock OF your
sisters hair, Ill give you nice dog" told
him he was awfully kind, but didn't think it
would be honest for me to take Sue s best hair
but that I'd try to get him some of her every
day hair And he said "What on earth do YOU
mean, jimmy" And / said that Sue had cot
some new back hair a little while ago. for
was with her when she bought it, and l knew
she wouldn't like me to take any of that. So
ne said 1t was no matter, he'd give me the dog
anyway.
told Sue afterward all about it, Just to show
her how honest l was, and instead of telling
me was good boy, she said, "Oh, you little
torment, go way and never let me see you
again. and threw herself down on the sofa
and cried, and mother came and said, "Jimmy,
If you want to kill your dear sister, you can
just keep on doing as you do" Such is the
gratitude of grown-up folks
Mr.. Withers-thats the new young man
brought the dog as he said he would. He's a
beautiful Scotch terrier, and he said he would
kill rats like anything, and was two years old,
and had had the distemper; that is, Mr.. With
ers himself never had the distemper.
L wanted to see the dog kill rats, so I took
him to the rat hole in the kitchen, but he
parked at it SO loud that no rat would think of
coming out. If you want to catch rats, you
mustn't begin by barking and scratching at
rat holes, but you must sit down and kind of
wink with one eye and lay for them, Just as
cats do. told Mr.. Withers that the dog
couldn't catch any rats, and he said he would
bring me some in box, and [ could let them
out, and the dog would kill every single one of
them.
The next evening she sent me down to the mil
liners to bring her new bonnet home, but the
bonnet wasn't done yet, and ss l passed Mr..
Wither's office, he said, "Come here, Jimmy;
I've got those rats for you" He gave me a
wooden-box like tea-chest, and told me there
we're dozen rats in 1t, and I'd better have the
dog Kill them at once, or else they'd gnaw out
before morning.
When got home, Sue met me at the door
and said, "Gve me that bsndbox this instant
you We been moranour about it'' / tried 10
tell her that it wasn't her box; but she
wouldn't listen, and just snatched it and welt
into the parlor, where there were three oths r
young ladies who had come to see her, and
slammed the door but the dog slipped in with
her.
In about minute heard the most awful
yells that anybody ever heard 1t sounded
as II al the furniture in the parlor was being
smashed into kindling wood, and the dog kept
barking like mad. The next moment one girl
came flying out of the front window, and an
other girl jumped right on her before she had
time to get out of the way; and they never
stopped! crying, "Help! murderl let me out
oh my!''
/ knew, of course, that Sue must have op-
ened the box and let the rats out, and though
wanted ever so much TO know if the dog had
killed them all, thought she would like it
bettar If went back to the mlliner's, and
waited there few hours for the bonnet.
brought it home about nine O'Clock; but
Sue had gone to bed, and the servant had just
swept up the parlor, and piled the pieces of
furniture on the piazza. Father won't get
home till next week, and by that time Sue will
get all over it, l wish did know if the dog
killed all those rats, and how long it took him,
but it is just my luck to be always outside
when any fun is going on in the house.