The Red Cloud chief., 1884-01-18

freedom. There existed, however, some
object or objects upon which he lavished
his love and, released access to these,
hs turns to the sparrow or the mouse.
To Whatever cause the passion may be
attributed. IL Is true that al are equally
ready TO avenge any insult offered,
and he would be Q rash man who,
Of malice aforethought, would iniure .
prison pet We have seen men. per-
!ectly tractable and well-behaved on
other occasions. behave like demons
when the favOrite sparrow or mouse
has suffered violence at the hands of .
warder. who, possessing more zeal than
discretion, has not been able 70 discover
anything in the affair save . breach Of
prison rules.
Whether or not the domestic mouse
) more cognizant Of the baseness Of
:. human nature than bis relative the
field-mouse, we cannot say; bat certain
it is that he rarely succumbe to the
Establishments Of the tanner, Is less
docile, and more apt 70 return to hi
normal state on the first opportunity.
A pet domestic mouse b . rarity COM
pared with the more tractable field
mouse, and the tanner Of the former il
looked at in the light q . professional.
His ability is requisitioned to assist the
amateur, and his proficiency IN the
profession thus becomes . marketable
commodity. A '.sixer'' or an ''eighter'
prison slang for . six Or IN eight
ounce Enthusiastically, ID payment
rendered for assistance in bringing q
domestic mouse into . state Of subjec-
ton.
A free man, with hundreds Of other
matters to engage his attention, could
not spare the time necessary to turn out
such marvels Of the tanning art as are
to be found among prison pets. Al
work in the fields, hsymaking Or bar.
vesting, a mouse Is seized. secreted in |
the breast-pocket, and kept in there BY
means Of q handkerchief which close.
the mouth of the pocket. Imagine with
what anxiety the man would 20 through
the customary ordeal of being searched
on his return from labor. fearful lest.
when the handkerchief ID removed for
. thorough search. mousie's bright eyes
should peep ovef the ridge Of the
pocket, and thus discover himself to
the searcher, very possibly to be ruth
lessly dispatched. Should some more
than usually amiable warder be the
searcher, he may-seeing that . mouse
cannot aid the prisoner in an attempt to
escape-willfully pass ovey him, or. in
hurrN fail to feel" the little soft
creature. Mousie's education i. hae
already begun. After having been
taken out Ito work. some two or three
days he learns to lie close" not, how
ever, bsfore he has received sundry
tappings on the nose, as warnings Of
what TO expect in case he should feel
disposed to. wander. Then the expert
ment Of leaving the little fellow At home
IS tried. A nest Of picked oakum has
been made In IN out-of-the-wsy corner
of the cell and into this nest he b put
With many i~njunctiOns not 70 stir while
he master is from home.
There is great perturbation Of mind
the convicts returning from labor.
or many things may have happened
his absence. Everything is
scanned to see Il it is in the
anne condition IS it was left On being
atisfied that it is, the little q~uadrupedf
. taken out for . share of the meagre
neal; that over. he Is put through
course OF training-taught to run up
he sleeve and come out at the shir
'ollar to beg for crumbs. and on the
'pproach Of the slightest danger to rusbl
hto the harbor Of refuge, tie breast
rocket Some unlucky day, tho prisoner
eturns TO find his pet gone {; and real .
re his secret lamentations yer his loss
far moro real. possibly. than when in
lis days Of freedom. he lost his child
y death. The unsentimental prison :
at seeking what she may devour. has ? :
melt out our little friend. and in . mo- .
nent this companion and solace il Q : =
hing Of the past Or seeking '.fresb !:
Toods and pastures new" but not y
roaming Of forssking his old homo Il. =
mOusie shyly wsnders Cd. and .
snapped mp by some other represent II
I've of the tanning fraternity. In either 9.
ase, he ID lost to bis old master, who u
inconsolsble at bis disappearance.
hOuld he be able to fix the cause Of his =
'ss on anything OF anybody; it is easy
see that he will become that thing or
lat body's ~implacsble enemy. A case T
/ point occurred at . London local i
rSson . short time ago. aud was re-,
orted in the public press. An order -
I'd been issued for the determination
prison pets. A warder attempted to
sTy out this order in. perhaps. not
le kindest or most judioious manner
and received . stab with
loemsker's knife for his pains. A n,
tai ARRAY at . convict prison, in che o.
nth of England was tbs cause of this lS
der being given. In . quarrel b. *
Veen two prisoners - to which should tr
} the possessor Of . certain mouse, h
ow was struck which resulted In The s.
'ath Of one Of the disputanta vi
Mice and spsrrows are oommos OF
ison pets; but what will b said Of er
t. as things to b desiredp We can We
the horror Of tho female DOE. he
N Of our readers, who would. doubt nc
consider pests . much more ap- "a
name than pets A prisoner ID
ven to pet-making viii tsl you that
Q rat is almost unteachable. the most
1t can be taught him being attach.
snt to tho person. He cannot Be
listed out Of sight bat must b alwsy1
rried out to work He evidently en-,
r. the warmth afforded by the tamsr's +,
dy. and being neither an epicure nor NJ,
in regard to lodgings. finds an
3 kind Of life preferable to days Of oa