The sun., 1884-10-12
roysH YARNS AMOUR WOoD RATS.
A. Animal TINT I.Ies L,w by Day and Plays
Practical Jokes BY Ntsh'.

Practical Jokes BY Ntnh'.
"I don't know whether people out In Col
orado are bothered yot with what We used to
call wood rats, ;" said u forinor resident OF that
State. but q few years ago. when first went
out there. they kept us In perpetual stew.
The wood rat Ii natural-porn. irreclaimable
thief. What he steals for no one had over found
out while was there. for ho don't crib things
to cat. and he distributes his booty about tho
country without any regard to his personal
bsnelt. When he steals something from one
spot he will put In Its place some article he has
fichsd from another. / remember onco was
building shanty out In Pueblo. and had keg
Of naih ssnt In from Denver. Work had bcen
At standstill for q day or 80 for want Of thein.
knocked tho head out. and left them In the
shanty over night. Next morning there wasn't
q nall In tho keg. but in their place was q mis-:
stones. stone a n1mbsr OF chirs, . bIckskin glove.
"ns Sssv % ss .Ss rats
had besn at work. and SGT out to see u could
gather up at ieast u portion Of my nails abou!
his kit. Tho owner Of thy bpckskin giovo had
but some ones woollen sock lny IN lts Elace.
BY and by the whole community was out look.
my shnnty. xot back about hall oi them. and
the articles that had Deen left IN their plnce
% y IN sT the
had lost nnv teeth. The finding Of the tootl
came to DO the talk Of the country. and r. "a u
few weeks q Judge ovor In town twenty miles
away sont IA man over to look at them. as he
thought they might be a bet Of teeth Of his
water. In, .hieh they had been placed g, 9vcr q.
ts sn " RI. afs" s"b pro pro~sa to be e
Judges. These rats must have had a high
old time with the Judges teoth ,efore they
r,tap pl,ftI M ,lup nm, al m
lit used to he favorite pnstime with tho
wood rntS to curry al sorts OF refuse and gar
wakol up more ihan once 70 md some moist ,
sisf s oS @s's t"s bad I eosors a Ths % peeuarty o
snces S sane and Observation-Disclosures and newcomers
into the region. uhacdunintel with the ways Of
the n sSpsn'y myssa and
where ,Ihey ,IIhey h hnd parchased ad % little rrop:
Denny Ryan; ne head Of the family:
To- bed one night. When he arose in tho morn: !:
ing ing his pibe WIS WIS gone: and lying who're be had
,hns ~ "w ow ss as in % III. house. "S no and
one in the house had touched tho pipo. This
aroused his superstitipus nature He related
store ior them. d d not Inform him rs to the
boot: and tio sock he mad loft thcry when he
there were ghosts In his house. He was thor
ouRhlye frightened and wanted to sell his prop
"A number OF Eastern men had got possession
OF soine land ncxt to Dennys. and his holding.
thoy believed. would In time be highly valuable
to them. Unknown to any OF Denny's ac-
Quaintapces. thoy made him nn offer for his
property IT was less than he had paid. and in
spite OF his supOratitous fear about his house.
be declined TO- take 1t. A day or two after that
Denny found his stove half full OF potatoes not
ono Of which had been IN tho house before. and
tho night before was piled on tablS in the sit-
ting roum. Without waiting TO entirely dress
himself he hurried to tho parties who wanted
to- buy hts property and closed and
elinched the transaction at once. When
his friends. who had been keeping Denny in
ignorance Of the ways Of the wood rat for the
joke Of the thing. hoard OF what he had boon
induced to do by the sharpers. they attsmp pied
TO force them to cancel the sale but AZ every
thing they had done was regular. they refused
to do 1t. Denhy's friends. however chiprrd in
and made NJ quite sum OF money for him.
II the wood rats hadn't bothered Denny he
would havo becn rich man in year or so. for
his property became worth thousands Of dol
Tho wood rat Ia about tho size OF our common
house rat. with n tail nine inches long 1t Is
gray on the back and white the bell y.
There's deviltry enough in ON to fill wood
chuck. You seldom SEQ one OF them. plenty as
they are. for they lay low In the day time. and
won't come fooling around at night II there is
Any ono stirring about the house."