The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-01-22
RATS STOLE THE EGGS.
Clever Manner In Which the Rodents Go
Away with Their Booty.

Clever Manner In Which the II odents Got
Away with Their Booty.
Mount Morris Special to Buffalo Ex-
press.
Young Lewis johnson has been miss
ing a good many hens eggs lately.
Yesterday he detected the thief, but
he did not catch him. 1t was a large
gray rat AS soon as Lewis heard the
hen cackle he ran out to the barn and
found the rat carrying off the egg,
still warm. The way he did II was GU
rious. Lying on his back, the rat was
clasping the egg tightly with his four
legs and another rat was dragging him
off by the tall The rat that was sup
plying the motive power was the first
TO notice the approach of Lewis-hls
companion In the mischief was too
busy balancing the egg to notice any
thing. When he saw Lewis the rat
did not give up the attempt. On the
contrary, he redoubled his efforts to
drag his load out of harms way. with
his pals tail tightly gripped in his
teeth, he yanked and tugged away to-
ward a hole in the wall under the calf's
feeding trough. Meanwhile, his COM
panion, the receiver of the stolen goods,
who. In the circumstances, was quite
as bad as the thief, kept squealing
quite Justify. Probably the cinch which
his comrades teeth had on his tail was
painful. But he was game. He hung
on to the egg like a good fellow The
other rat would drag him around ev-
cry obstruction with. the incest intelli-
gence, never once losing his grip. He
gripped the tail; the owner of the tail
gripped the egg. Lewis opened his
eyes to their fullest extent and stared
in astonishment. Then he got a club.
By this time the thieves were very
nearly off with their booty. Throwing
off ha
point of success. He recovered the egg,
but the thieves got away.
Putting the egg in his pocket, he
went to the hen house and secured a
china egg, which he placed in the nest
in the manger. Then he hid behind the
strawstack and awaited developments.
Pretty soon two smiling noses appear
ed, then gray body with the hair
ruffled the wrong way on its back. The
rats went to the nest again and toted
the china egg out on the ground. but
they didn't like the looks of ii. They
would carry it a short distance and
then stop and sniff it, bunting it about
with their noses. After some moments
of these football tactics, the carrier rat
tried to get hold Of the egg. but he
could not accomplish it. Ii was so
smooth and polished and slippery that
1t eluded him every time he put his
paws on 1t. Then they tried to hunt
it along, but this was not a success
Every time they hunted ii away IL
would go in the wrong direc-
ton. Finally the locomotive rat got
angry and hunted the other one. This
a small rat riot, which
Lewis took advantage OF to try and
get between the rats and the hole I'M
der the trough. But he stubbed his toe
In his haste, and, forgetting all about |
the egg in his pocket, smashed it. The |
rats scampered of. and Lewis hurried |
sorrowfully to the house and tried to !
tell his mother about the strange sight !
In the barnyard, but she thought he /
was fibbing to excuse the breaking of |
the egg in his pocket, and gave him a |
good licking, accompanied by an ad- |
to always tell the truth
There are red rings under Lewis |
eyes to-day and red welts on other |
parts of him, but he sticks to the story.
and he and his father have resolved |
themselves into a committee of inves- |
-igation into the rat question, and |
when they get their proofs they will |
confront Lewis mother and secure a |
for Lewis.