Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1894-03-26

them in a bag with weights in the
bottom, queer looking stones, she had
handed to him. ssBut," said Willie,
ct just couldn't do it, and brought the
kittens, stones and all home with
meo
.Stones?n said Mother Hunt, quite
Modified. sThe sight of a real stone in
this land would be refreshing. Let
me look at Them"
'sShe told me-" went on Willie,
ssthat they were lot her brother had
picked up as curiosities as he went
hither and thither all over the world,
but they were rubbish anyway, and of
no account now he was dead, and
might as we'll use them to drown cats
with, as anything"
"They are indeed queer mess Of
stones,'' said Mother Hunt. cite
them up in the bag and put them on
the shelf yonder. A half peck OF
stones that have been gathered from
all parts of the world ought not to be
cast into the sea. My Yankee wits
serve me too we'll TO allow that to be
| done.''
The Hunt family had to bear good
deal Of bantering from their rude
neighbors, who lived on the long
sandy dune, on account Of the cats;
and they began to call the place Goat
Island"
The frolicsome creatures afforded
plenty Of amusement when, on the
balmy evenings, they raced and
chased with the children on the sands,
| in the clear moonlight or star light,
or as the bright CLEANS streamed and
trailed across the waters from the
great revolving light in the tall tower
on the head land miles away.
One day the wind sprang up might
ly out OF the south, and the tide rose
higher and higher, until it almost
reached their cabin door.
''This will bring us lots of drift
wood for our fires,'' said the easy
going natives to the Hunts. You will
see what quantities there will be all
about you, and how foolish it was for
y 8
that great pile; and you may be
| thankful if the tide doesn't grab it
and scatter if off nowhere"
''LooE at the big wave coming!"
said Mr.. Hunt; chow high it is, and
what makes it look so black?"
High it was indeed, and as it broke
only few rods from the cabin, it de-
posted upon the sand myriads of lit
tie black rats, bright and lively and
fat, with shining, tiny beads of eyes,
and long, pointed, file like tails. The
next and next were burdened in like
manner.
''The tide has washed over one of
the little islands where these misera-
BILE vermin fairly swarm" said an old
man. ''No one can live there unless
something like this comes to drive
them away. Nobody can live here
now. They'll eat everything up on
top of the airth, and under the airth.'
Indeed, that was so. Those rats
were everywhere-in the cabin, on
the tables, in the very beds. Now
everybody wanted a cat, but not one
of theirs would the Hunts sell at any
price, until man came saying the
rats were eating up his sweet potato
crop right in the hills, and offering
to exchange very good Texan pony
for one.
The Hunts all had wanted a pony,
so the trade was made; and one of
the kittens that Willie had saved from
drowning was carried off alone to
wage war against the horde of invad-
ers down at the south end Of the. dune.
The cats were very faithful and en-
ergetic, but in spite of them and the
quantities of traps that were set, the
rats seemed to gain the ascendency;
and when Mother Hunt declared she
could no longer live under the annoy
ance, that the family certainly would
be driven out and obliged to leave
the rats in possession, right then and
there was another happening.
A portentous silence suddenly
brooded on the earth, in the air, and
upon the water There was not a
fleece of cloud visible anywhere. The
sky from zenith to horizon, all around,
was like molten brass. The cats
scampered into the house for protec-
ton. The waves Tapped the serrated
beach in the faintest whispers.
"There's a cyclone coming!" shout
ed the initiated natives, and present.
ly darkness almost like night fell,
and up from the great gulf rushed
and roared most terrific storm of
wind and rain, thunder and light
ming. The waters were dashed into