The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1891-12-31
'manitomof pilot.
THURSDAY. DECEMBER 81 1891. /
MISSED HIS CALLING.
lie Couidn't Ex.Iitn The Difference Be-
tween Kat-Traps and Potatoes.

tween Rat-Iraps and Potatoes.
A woman sat by the omen basement
window Of a house on West Thirty
fifth street when a man came along
with seven rat-iraps and eight mouse
traps slnng over his shoulder on Il
cord. saws The \. Y. EUening W0Tld.
He leaned on the fence. wiped his
perspiring brow with a crippled
handle ~chief. and said:
Madam. no lengthy explanation i
demanded. | am selling mouse and
rat traps. Nv stock is right here.
Sell yen IA trap warranted to catch the
culest old rat in New York city for n
quarter These mouse traps. war;
ranted TO enLice tie most bashful
mouse in the state to his destruction,
are only u cents. Might make the
two 81 cents TO you.
The woman was darning hole in
the heel Of long handled black stock
ing. She darned and looked up. and
darncd and looked down, bat she made
no reply.
Of course" said the man, as he de-
tachcd one of the traps from the cord
aud held it out, If YOU have no rats
here you want 10 traps; but | take it
YOU have rats. We all have 'em.
That's where the rich can get no adj
vantage over the poor | don't say
that it isn't cheaper to lay for a rat
with slcdstake.. but as a matter of
convenience the trap is cheap. Savoy,
ma'am?'
She looked up again, turned the
stocking wrong side out and back, and
said nothing.
"A person not in the rat-and-mouse
business gives little or no thought to
Statistics continued the man as lie
rested one foot on the fence. Have
you any idea of the appalling increase
of the rodent population? Probably
not. | have met poets editors. iinan-
ciers and statesmen who had given II
no thought. As a matter of fact,
lna'am. one pair of rats will multiply
themselves / 900 times in two years.
One thousand rats will consume an
average of So 900 worth of provisions
per year. One of my traps will catch
6 900 rats every 365 days. 1t is. there
fore, question whether you will in
vest % cents or lose s. 900. Could
ANYTHING be palmer. ma'amP'
BY this time she had got through
with the hole i'll the heel and found
one in the toe of the stocking. She
looked up ut him rs she threaded the
darning-needle again. but was silent.
Mind you, said the man, after look
ing no and down the street, Il don't
say that the rat shouldn't have a show.
He was created for a purpose. the same
Innnn-n In,
pen to have the most intelligence we
have no right TO wipe him of existence.
What | do contend. however is that
he must be kept within certain limits.
Whenever, owing 10 number and rapa-
cIousneSs, Ec becomes menace to
mems welfare he must 90 to the wall.
1t is with that end in view that rat
traps were invented and that | come
down from Yonkers to offer these traps
at the low price of % cents each. |
trust | have defined my position clear
u. ma'am."
She bit off theyarn close to the stock
lac. turned it right side out, and pass
Ell her fingers over the spot, but her
eyes were not even raised to his.
Il think | see how it is he said. as
he refasteued the trap to the cord and
prepared to move on Il think | do.
You have not made finance and do
mestic economy study You look
ut % cents paid out for a rat-trap rs so
much capital invested in a non-divi-
dend paying Investment. You do not
figgcr'-
Don't want any! We never buy
potatoes of peddIers. anyhow
He stood mp and looked at her a
minute with mouth wide open, and
then. as the sash went down the cur
tain was drawn, he turned away with:
III never make living ut it in the
world Ny line is windmilIs or sew
ing machines, or something that runs
with Il driye-wheel and does It's own
taikiaul