Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1885-05-28
Destructive Work of Mouse.

The performance at a museum on
Fulton street, Brooklyn, on Wednes-
day night, was over, the audience had
departed. and nothing broke the still
ness of the place but the hollow tread
of the night Waterman on his rounds,
and the irregular breathing of many
animals. The three-legged dog, curled
up in corner of his apartment, in
dulged in spasmodic dreams of another
leg. The sacred bull thought COM
placently of his hump and made no
noise. The tailless balloon gazed
longingly, but silently, on a neighbor-
ing monkeys appendage, and the surly
elephant allowed the end Of his sniff
ing trunk to wander noiSeleSsly over
the floor in front of him. Suddenly
from around the corner of the box
where the sacred" mice are kept,
there peeped little white inqu;sitive
face. The face was surmounted by lit
tie pink eyes. 1t was soon followed by
little body which by SLOW degrees
appeared from around the corner, and
the little gray and white, timid, and
frightened mouse stood revealed. A
slight noise startled it, and with a
whisk of its tail it disappeared. The
fright over, back it came, slowly and
timidly, and ventured little way out
on the floor. Unfortunately it wan
dered too near the lazy elephants NOV
ing proboscis. Creeping slowly along.
the little animal suddenly encountered
this shifting trunk, and its little sense
was all gone in a trice. The little
mouse was so scared that it didn't know
what to do, but seeing the open nos
trils of the elephants trunk, it darted
into one with the rapidity of lightning.
With roar that shook the building
and drove all thoughts of repose from
the minds of the other animals, the
elephant threw his trunk high in the
air and waved it wildly to and fro,
emitting all the while the most terrible
believing. The animals Immediately
lost all presence of mind and the roar
ing, bowling, and screaming became
something terrific The upr0ar struck
terror to the soul of the Waterman,
who, with his big Newfoundland as
sistant, were in another part of the
building. Pictures of loosened lions,
of infuriated tigers, and of bloody and
lacerated limbs foated before his horri-
fed imagination, but with the deter
mination of martyr he whistled to
his trusty dog and marched boldly to
the demoraiized museum Finding at
a glance nothing more formidable than
an infuriated but securely chained ele-
phant to encounter, the Waterman
pursued his way with more cheerful
heart. But his dog, quicker than him.
self, was before him. The brave brute
made a rush for the elephant and grab
bed at one of his legs. Just then the
imprisoned mouse was dropped to the
floor, and scudded for its formerly de-
spised home, and there rested, emil
nently satisfied with the seeds of dis
cord it had sown. But the elephant
was not to be appeased, and turned its
attention to the dog, which was indus
triously, but fruitlessly, biting at the
elephants legs. The elephant caught
him around the body with his trunk,
and. after waving him for few Sec
onds, slammed him violently against
the opposite wall Stunned for a mo-
ment, but undismayed, Nero the dog
staggered about and then renewed
his attempts to disable his big antag-
S44AoL' hC 1ctGlCL W 90 Oii4S w NI1l1uO
to keep up the fray, and, to an accom-
paniment of ear-splitting yells, bowls,
and roars, it seiz d the dog, beat him
on the floor, and when Nero was anx-
ious to call it quits and stop, calmly
stepped on him with both fore feet and
held him there Nero screamed with
pain, the Waterman prodded the ele-
phat with goad, bat it stubbornly
held the dog, bearing all the weight of
his immense body heavily on his pros
trate form. The dogs cries grew
weaker and weaker, and the watch
mans prods grew harder and harder.
The proprietor himself appeared on the
scene with red-hot poker and prod
ded the obstinate animals legs with it.
The elephant gave up the contest and
the dog was extricated, but he lay still
as stone, and was dead