The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1896-10-16
ODD PETS IN A FLAT.
A Cat. Rat. Dog and : Horssay That
Arc Boon C~ornpanions.

4EMEMM -
A Cat, Rat, Dog and : Horssfiy hat
Are Boon Compani0ns.
A cat and a rat are boon companions,
and a dog and a horsef1y have fun with
each other up in Mrs. Frances Earnst's
fiat at "a Columbus avenu The lady
has perhaps the strangest collection OF
! pets on earth, says the New York Jour
nal.
Three years ago. when Mrs, Earnst
was living at 327 West 59th street. she
found one morning in her kitchen a
little pink rat. She picked 1t up and
petted it. The next morning the little
visitor was on hand again. She gave
him cheese, cracker dust and bits OF
meat. He began to grow and within
six months was 4 full developed TAI.
Just where the rat slept up to that
time Mrs. Earnst does not know, She
arranged a bed OF cotton In q cigar
box, with a round hole cut in the cor
ner through which the rat would 50 IL
and out. He has slept there ever
since.
Another pet Of Mrs. E,arust is 8 ire
mendously large gray cat.
"The rat and the ca have been the
very best OF friends all along" said
Mrs. Earnst. On one or two occasions
while they were both eating from the
same dish the rat would get on the
cats side. l have heard her growl at
him, but she has lever bitten or abus-
ed him in any way. Many mornings
east windows the cat and rat lie
sprawled out in a heap on the carpet.
OF course you have noticed a mother
cat giving her kittens a bath with her
tongue. have aften seen my cat battle
the rat in the same way"
While the cat and rat were on exhi-
bition a terrier ran into the room bark
ing.
He's jealous the owner explained.
when he sees me fondling the cat
and the rat he is never pleased until
l take him up with them. The dog and
the cat sleep in the same box and put
in the greater part Of each day playing
together"
The strangest Of all Mrs. Earnst's
strange collection is a horse fly. During
the summer of 1894 the fly came buz-
zing into her kitchen. It made a dive
for the sugar bowl. Then it was put
into a milk pitcher. After a while it
flew out Of the window. The next day
the fly was back to see Mrs. Earnst.
1t came every day during the summer.
One morning in the fall the lady
caught the fly in her hands and petted
it. After that it would light on her
hands or face or wherever it was con-
venient. When the cold weather came
and the windows were closed the horse
fly did not attempt to go out, but was
content to stick to the wall over the
range. Throughout the winter the fly
made Mrs. Earnst's kitchen it's home.
When summer came it flew out and was
gone for several weeks. One morning
it came back. The same day it went
away and was not seen again by Mrs.
Earnst until late in the fall. Then the
fly became a regular visitor as before,
and when winter came on the fly went
to its old place back of the range.
A canary bird named Bob Toombs,'
which has reached the extreme old age
of 10 years, is another of Mrs. Earnst'e
pets. The bird was Matched in Jersey
City March 3. 1877. Bob was Matched
from an egg laid by a canary brought
to New York in 1876 in a ship from
Madeira.
Mrs. Earnst also has one thrush, a
three parrots. Two of the latter birds
speak both English and German.