New-York tribune., 1896-11-22
ROBBED BY INGENIOUS RATS.
TRUTHFUL CHICAGO MANS STORY OF HOW lie
LOST A BASKET OF GRAPES
From The Chicago Tribune.

From The Chicago Tribune.
Pretty well down on the South SIDE there lives
man VINO nas reputation for ne.ns quiei vera Gus
in his house which goes iar amend OF any ss-steaing
Performance eyer accredited u tAe clever rodents
This truthful. man lives In Bowen-ave.. in a house
which Is IN the middle Of red brick block For
;wo abou, the promsoS bu, had never been able 20
get glmpse Of the WHY Aiile creatures, one n4Sh
last week, however, his wish was eratihed. IL fell
on the aight in question this sober and verac.ous
man took up 10 his bedroom with MIN large basket
OF luscious grapes He mad determined 70 follow out
his usual custom Of reading himself to sleep. bat
OF his grapes. Some tine after mdneh; hc began 20
grow sleepy hat he decided to give up MS dual
recreation He was still awake enough be- states. 70
reflect that ne left the basket OF grapes on the
were good that il would bo overturned before morn
ing So his last act before sinking into dreamloss
sumber was 10 i down t3e "a skci ~ tr4pcs 20 'ne
noor Tho originally fuIl basket en- weisaod f9lr ~.
or five pounds inc m nan ""c rls',en ssf's M . %, "'
II was in thc first gray dawn OF the morning
that something unusual had aroused him. but did
not pay much attention until started hy Inc s"Hn1
pdor D1 nccom6anied by series Of regular squeaks
proceeding from the bathroom door Thcn ne ts.,,
~ me wide awake a. once. and by he most careful
manoeuVies say thc Of rp's VIZ,
81 ihe fruit The truthful man could hardly be
eye his his Gyes Gsi 6roo pa and lzcd Sunch @
him the cause While he still stared In as,onsh-
ment the rat dragged the fruit mo The bathroom
and returned for another load. repeating me sain
perfornance All along the floor was y tran OF
single grapes dropped from The stems ana neSect"i
az ~ ~, edelna his last bunch Of grapes disappearing
the ycraciOus man cOuirlvcd win minnie u,HnI"
"a novc 20 fho foot Of the bed wn"rc ne could get
a view Of the proceedings in the bathroom
IL fronr Of a rough irregular hole under the bath
,,,f, father Of al rats win bIalr ia ms
month Just as the truthful Iaan looked. ms mr.
~ Tho rodent tribe gave curious hite Squca ana
,i,b q orick motion Of his head tossed the grape
mo the hole Shortly aftcrward was heard hnolh'r
ni,nilar snucak inside followed by another ana an
other as The grape travelled into ne interior OF ne
Inc PM without waiting for the following sig
rals tho big rat Immediately took up anoihcF ~ 'N,
nut or a group on the h01r. which an uncers tzed
animal was shipping on non ,le ~" ncrformance
Iicb, ndor the proprictOr's the last bunch OF
| grapes arrived in a gallop from the basket was
e,paraicd into It's component fruits, ahI PIeo,, ,,
series Of sducaks-like a box or goods do"l d hllc
ri norers into a warehouse, ana 'iiuihS In SUNNI
| biddon rendczvous In the depths ~ the buildihe
| II was 100 much for the truthful man bdth''
,o,, HE startled faculties together. he made rush
| ,nvsrd @ thn ba broom. The rats disappeared win
a SaIvo Of terrified squeaks. leaving few grape,,
| Inr In,arminnd 10 do his best TO keep his reason
| Next morning the truthful man made chreiu'
examination OF the premises, Iherc was the -
kcf the scattered grapes ana the hole. Sa,I9.y
| from under the bathtub ana examined lhe pit,e Zee
| Inside There was 4 gap or four or iVc lhch's "
,oo the edpe OF the hole and the nearest beam
| then beyond second beam ahn "a i, pt@,,,be -
srha ,,ufhful man scratched his head, fubhcd ms
e,cs and looked again. lie TOOK in'iSuieiieli,tS ,
,nade comDutations. and then went PACK ana ii'u
{, oil over again. Then he went out ana iold ms
tt,aads .,houf the remarkable occurrence. Now MS
rc,uta ION for truth exists no longer heSlucS sag
,np ..Rnfs,'' In a rather emphatic manner ine
,ntidee, hing his friends said 10 hin was: 'Nci
mnybe You have a special kind OF rats down In
\ Hownn-aye