The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-02-23
THE WEASEL KILLED THE RAT.
4 Battle in an Dat Bin In Country store
In Maine.


4 Battle in an Dat Bin in Country Store
In Maine.
During my recent trip to Maine, said
commercial traveller. was at the
store of country merchant trying to
sell him bill of goods Happening to
step into the back room, used in part a
storehouse for potatoes and grain.
saw slender little white animal run
ming along as if perfectly at home,
which l recognized as weasel in his
winter coat. threw a potato at him,
which, of course, failed to hit and did
not seem even to alarm the weasel, and
coming back into the front store, l
spoke to the merchant about the wild
beast running at large on his premises.
''Oh, that's all right" he said, I'm
very glad he's taken up his quarters
with me. wouldn't have him hurt or
driven away on any account The rats
have been bothering me good deal,
eating my potatoes and grain, but he'll
make short work of them. They'll
never stay long in any place where =
weasel is.
We were still sitting by the stove
talking when there came loud squeak
ing from the back room.
"Ill bet the weasel's caught a rat. -
cried the merchant. and we both ran
back to the storerOom to see what was
doing there.
Sure enough, there was hot fight
on between a big rat and the weasel.
The weasel mad the rat cornered in a
bin half filed with oats. He had evil
IDENTIFY failed in his first attack, and
the second round was about to begin.
The rat was bleeding from two fine
punctures in the neck. but he presented
a determined front. his teeth swapping
savagely at each approach of the
weasel, which ran lithely to and fro
watching for an opening for attack.
Neither animal apparently took any
note of our presence.
The weasel's tactics plainly were to
drive the rat from the corner, and it
was interesting to watch his feints and
rushes. At his close approach the rat
would dart forward to snap at his elu-
sive foe, and Immediately back into his
corner again. The weasel was every
where at once, feinting to attack him
In front, running around him on the
top and sides of the bin, and working
TO keep the rat on the move.
At last he ran down the side of the
bin behind the rat as if to attack him
in the rear. The rat whirled, snapped
viciously at the weasel, which drew
back out of reach, whereupon the rat,
seeing his enemy upon one side and q
clear space On the other, turned and
bolted from the corner. Before he had
half crossed the bin the weasel was
upon him and had seized him by the
neck close to the head, his slender boGy
hugging close to the rat, SO that that
animal could not turn his head suffi-
GENTLY to bite him. That took the
fight out of the rodent, which ran
about squealing, tho weasel holding
fast and sucking his blood until the
rat dropped.
When quite sure that his victim was
dead, the weasel tried to drag him
from the bin, but was not equal to the
task. 1t was with some difficulty that
we drove him from his prey, and, so
long as we remained in the storeroom
lie repeatedly tried to seize the rat,
which the merchant took to the front
door and hung far into a vacant lot
across the road.
IF left the rat in the bin the wea-
gel would bury it among the oats, after
ne found he couldn't drag it away to
hide" ne said. ''It's only a week that
I've seen him round, and I've taken Eve
rats out of that bin already."-N. Y.
Sun.
1.-The end crowns the work" in good
cooking. There's none so good as that
in which DR.. Prices Baking Powder 10