News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1895-01-24
THE WEASEL KILLED THE RAT
A Novel Battle In an Dat Bin In a COun-
try Store In Maine.

try Store In Maine.
During a trip to Maine, " said a
traveller, II was at the store
of q country merchant one morning try
ing to sell him bill of goods. Hap.
pening to step into tho back room, used
in part as a storehouse for potatoes and
grain, saw a slender little white ami.
NAL running about as if perfectly at
homo which recognized as a 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 froHc store
spoke to the merchant about the wild
beast running at large on his premises,
ooh, 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 a 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.
1--WE were still sitting by the stove
talking when there came loud squeak
ing from the back room.
"'I'Il bet the weasel caught rat
cried the merchant, and we both ran
back to the storeroom to see what was
doing there
Surely enough, there was a hot fight
on between a big rat and the weasel.
The weasel had the rat cornered in bin
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
''The weasels tactics plainly were to
drive the rat from the corner, and 1t was
interesting to watch his feints and
PUSHES 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 III
front, running around him along the
top and sides of the bin and working to
keep the rat on the move.
cat last he ran down the side of the
bin behind tho 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
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
cling close to the rats, SO that that ami
NAL could not turn his head sufficiently
to bite him. That took the fight out Of
the rodent which ran about squealing
the weasel holding fast and sucking hi
blood until the rat dropped.
"When quite sure that his victim wa
dead, the weasel tried to drag him from
the bin, but was not equal to the task
1t was with some difficulty that W.
drove him from his prey, and so long a
we remained in the stOreroom he repeat
eddy tried to seize the rat, which thu
merchant took to the front door ant
flung far into vacant lot across til
road.
"'If | left the rat III the bin, tn
weasel would bury it among the oat
after he found he couldn't dragjt ava
to hide, he said. It's only wee
that I've seen him around, and Nv
taken five rats out of that bin already.
-lJew York Sun