The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1889-03-14
PRICE THREE CENTS.
CARS AFRAID OF RATS.
A COLONY OF RODENTS THAT PUSs
DON'T WANT TO EAT.


It May BE That Belief in spooks IL
What Saves the white Rats-A Citizen
Who w..nt sure About His Vision. and
n. W.. . a., 49,.
A citizen who had lost his reckoning
and who was pursuing tortuous course
along Mulberry street very early in the
morning CHANGED to look down into the
basement office OF noctural worker near
police headquarters. He seemed to be
somewhat alarmed by what he saw. A
froicsome kitten was apparently giving
boxing lessons 10 score OF oig and little
"hite rats on the top OF coveriess pine
tanle' Inc rats took the cufhng OF the
kitteh very amaply' ana came up Ior
more as i they rather enjoyed IL. Inc
coh'i'iai ei'i~eh erasPeu Ihe iron raii-
ing III iioht Oh the oaseinent cohVuisiVeiy,
alu' WIN al. ih'ensi'y oi purpose tnat
was eVideht from .he corrugations on ms
ioi1heao' soush. W convince hihseh' oy
haroer gazing .hat he was 'he Victim OF
"A young man oi serious aspect came
gu. Q, an ONCE heA' uooi anu saw 'he
peiuduieu stranger peer,hs ih'o 'iie oase-
ment' Inc stranger a,so ooserVeu .he
young man. whose sliieiess expression II
gave no il.ioa''on Vi 'he gay oeoei'
lurking IN ms souu. - ~,
ocuse me- salu 'he stranger, pu'
lsi, tnere e. d lou oi WINE ra~A anu d Ai''eii
there.
j" nite rats ana d klt'eh' rrepos'et-
Gus. NY GEAR sir' you neeo ineolcai at
,ention' i MAJ, suspect 'na' you nave
oeen orinklhg.
The strangers face grew pale. He
brokenly murmured his thanks to the
good hearted young man, and saying he
was going down town to get DR.. Perry
to straighten him up, he meandered
away.
WHAT THE CITIZEN SAW.
He had seen, as anybody may who
passes the basement, just what the face
tious young man led him to believe he
had not seen. If he had been sober and
had gone into the basement and had a
talk with the owner of the rats, Mr..
Frank Hastings, he might have heard
some interesting things about them. Mr.
Hastings has bred over hundred of
them. Only one developed vicious
spirit 1t bit its owner whenever he put
his hand near it, and fearing its exam
pie of ferocity might be initiated by the
rest of the snowy colony, Mr.. Hastings
decided to give it to the giant tom cat of
| his guileless next door neighbor. This
cat had often looked through the base
ment window, devouring the rats with
his eyes and apparently longing to make
more substantial meal Of them. The
wicked rat was TAKEN next door ana put
down IN front OF the tanoy' VINO sur
prised the oniookers oy packing away
from the trembling little creature winch
made no eHort 10 get OUT OF the way.
Tom surveyed 1t 1ew moments ana
cautiously approach ana sniHea around IL.
linen ne turned MS oack on II ana am-
oled INTO corner ana lay down. ne
was not permitted TO stay there undls-
turbed. The rat was taken over TO nun
| ana placed on MS oack. ne gov up ie1-
ting 1t slide to the moor. and trotted lnto
anothef CORNER. a iean anu huiss
LOOKING 'asrant ca' was huh'eu up anu
orouSn' Ill., anu ..e ra' was se' uown ~, ne
1ore MN. ne relused even 10 sileh .iie
rodent, ana escaped from IL lhto tiie
street the moment the ooor was opeheo'
A Dull terrier was Drougnt In ana he'
too, wouldnt toucn the httie amman.
Mr. Hastings asked MS gulleless neiSn-
Dor, who has reasons tor everything
why 1T was that whlte rat seemed 70 Do
sacred to cats and dogs, ana tne nelsnDor
said that he guessed tne white rat oe-
longed to the same iamiiy as the "hite
elephant worshiped by the Slamese; Or
maybe, the cats and the dog thought the
rat was merely the specter OF an every
day rat they mad Killed long ago. MT.
Hastings restored the rat 10 It's com,
rades, hoping the fright 1t mad received
might cure 1t OF biting 1t bit him again
fifteen minutes later, and he gave u 10 q
tough boy In Mulberry street VINO was
not as sentimental as the cats ana the
bull terrier. Inc boy Killed II with a
stone.
THE LION AND THE LAMBS.
The peaceful disposition of the cats to-
ward the bad white rat suggested to Mr..
Hastings the idea of getting kitten for
them. 1t is a female kitten, and was
presented to Mr.. Hastings by Baker John
Brandemoor. around in Houston street.