Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1895-02-21
WEASEL AND RAT.
Meet in Deadly Fight in an Dat Sin
in Country Store.

During my recent trip to Maine"
said commercial traveller. II was at
the store of a country merchant one
morning trying to sell him a bill Of
goods. Happening to step into the
back room, used in part as store
house for potatoes aud grain, saw
slender, little white animal running
about as If perfectly at home, which
recognized as weasel in his winter
coat. threw potato at him, which
Of course failed to hit him 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 mp 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
Wnerc WeaSel Is.
eve were still sitting by the stove
talking when there. came loud
sqiieaking from the back room.
III bet the weasel's caught a rat"
c.ed the merchant, and we both ran
blck to the storeroom to see what
WIS going on there.
Sure enough. there was hot fight
on between a big rat and the weasel
The weasel had the rat cornered in
bin half filed with oats. He had evil
punctures in the neck, but he pres.
IDENTIFY failed in his first attack and
the second round was about to begin.
The rat was bleeding from two fine
ented a determined front, his teeth
swapping savagely at each approach
of the weasel, which ran hthely to and
fro watching for an opening for at
tack. 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 its feints
and rushes. At his close approach the
rat would dart forward to snap at
his elusive foe and Immediately back
into his corner again. The weasel was
everywhere 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 vieiously 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 bottled 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 hugging close to the
rats, so that that animal 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 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 diff
Guilty that we drove him from his
Frey, and so long as we remained In
the storeroom he repeatedly tried to
seize the rat. which the merchant took
to the front door and flung for into
a vacant lot across the road.
Z
eff 1 left the rat In the bin, the
weasel would bury it among. the oats,
after he found he conldnit drag u
away to hide" he said. Its only
week that I've seen him round, ana
I've taken five rats out of that bin
already New York Sun.