Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1895-01-26
THE WEASEL KILLED THE RAJ.
A Novel Battle In ON oat Bin In Coun-
try Store In Maine.

try Store In Maine.
"During a trip to Maine, said q
commercial traveller, II was at the store
of a country merchant ono morning try
ing to sell him bill of goods. Hap
pening to step into tho back room. used
in part as q storehouse for potatoes and
grain saw slender little white ami
NAL running about as if perfectly at
homo which recognized as weasel in
his winter coat / threw 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
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 II 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.
"sI'll bet the weasel's caught ratr
cried the merchant, and we both ran
back to the storeroom to see what was
doing there
Surely enough, there was hot fight
on between big rat and the weasel.
I rrl- L.. -af in q IA
half filled with oats. He had evidently
| failed in his first attack, and the second
was about to begin. The rat was bleed
ing from two fine punctures in the neck,
but he presented determined front, his
teeth swapping savagely at each ap'
proach Of the weasel, which ran lithely
to and fro watching for an opening for
/ attack Neither animal apparently took
any note of our presence.
1.-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 along 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
1 back out of reach, whereupon the rat,
seeing his enemy upon one side and a
! 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 body hug
ging close to the rats, so that that ami
I NAL could not turn his head sufficiently
to bite him. That took the fight ont of
/ the rodent, which ran about squealing,
! the weasel holding fast and sucking his
blood until the rat dropped.
when quito sure that his victim was
dead, the weasel tried to drag him from
the bin, but was net equal TO the task
1t vas with some difficulty that we
drove him from his prey, and SO long as
we remained in the storeroom ho repeat
eddy tried to seize the rat, which the
merchant took to the front door and
flung far into vacant lot across the
road.
If | left the rat in the bin, the
weasel would bury it among the oats
after he found he couldn't drag it away
to hide, he said. It's only week
that I've seen bin around, and I've
taken five rats out of that bin already. .
-lJew York Sun.