The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-12-22
MIR. DANIELS $5O.5O RAT.
Misdeeds of Member of Light
Opera Company.
From the Now York sun.


From the New York Sun.
Probably one of the highest priced rats
now living is in the possession of Frank
Daniels. the actor. Daniels has two rats,
who support him in his light opera. The
Wizard of the Nile" He bought them at
Detroit a few months ago for 80 cents
apiece. and named them Madge and Billy.
The rat dealer who sold them said they
were cheap at the price. and warranted
them TO be intelligent, kind, tractable
and willing. They had already entered
upon course of education, he said and
If the actor would feed them himself they
would soon come to know him and be
fond of him.
What shall feed em on?" asked Dan
dels.
"oh, anything at ALL" replied the dealer.
Meat bread, cheese, leather, cloth,
grease; they'll eat anything but scrap
iron"
Subsequently their new proprietor dis
covered this to be true, and Il is because
OF her omnivorous propenslties that
Madge is now valued at $3.50. Shortly
after their purchase, the two rodents were
duly installed in the Casino, where Dan
iels is now starring. They had a small
part in the last act, consisting OF scramb-
ling out of the Wizards bottle and ca
vorting around the floor to the dismay
mot all feigned-of the chorus Among
the chorus girls Madge and Billy were
far from popular, and one evening, when
Daniels let them out for a frolic, suppos-
ing that they would return at his whistle,
there came very near being no perform
ance owing to Billy's wandering away.
The chorus climbed into the flies, the
soprano locked herself in her dressing
ROOM the second soprano and contralto
perched themselves perilously on a lad
der, and one and all vowed and swore
that they would not stir from their stra-
getic defensive positions until that hor-
rid beast was back in his cage. 1t took
all the men in the company TO get Billy
back, for he enjoyed his liberty, and,
when finally captured, after tumultu-
Gus chase, resented his curtailment by
setting his sharp teeth in the thumb OF
the man who finally seized him after he
had leaped the banks OF the river Nile
and fallen into the surging current, as
represented by one pail of water useful
in dashing up spray.
For Billy's mate, however, was reserved
the hit of the season. Being an unusually
clever and sly specimen of her clever and
sly race, AIadge learned the trick OF
achieving freedom by pushing up the latch
of her compartment, which had been fenc-
ed off from Billy's, because they got In
the habit Of Quarrelling and biting each
others wilskers off. While she wander
ed about Daniels dressing room Billy
would rage up and down behind his bars,
shrieking and squeaking In jealous rage
because he couldn't get out too. In her
little jaunts about the apartment the tru-
ant experimental with everything there
was that her sharp little teeth could
gnaW. once she got hold of a wig and en-
joyed the scalp Immensely until she got
to thick growth of hair which almost
choked her to death. The red paint appeal
edsto her sense of tine aesthetic to such
an extena that she not only gummed up
her whiskers, but made herself very III
with IT, so much so that when she came
on the stage that night, instead OF scam
pering about she laid herself down on
her back and feebly paved the air. filling
her owner with dreadful suspicious thai
some Of the chorus girls had been feed
ing poison to his pets. on the following
day. however, Madge was all right again
and celebrated her recovery by deVour-
ing with great relish a pot Of greese
Soon her owner learned 20 keep destruc-
tible material out OF her way. II would
have been easy to fix the cage SO thai
the rat couldn't get out; but Daniels
kept putting II OF and putting II of, and
now he Is deep In grief that he didn't Sc
cure his hungry pet with a combination
lock and a steel cross bar. This Is why he
mourna:
Having a bin 10 pay 10 a man out Of
town he drew so from the treasurer one
night last week JUST before the perform