The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-03-08
their nourishment amid the more refined

their nourishment amid the more refined
surroundings of the restaurant.
AS they walked over the little court in
the rear. Kiam suddenly stopped short, as
though he had just remembered something
OF Importance or saw something surpris-
ing. 1t was the latter He grasped Arma-
dyce's arm with one hand and pointed with
the other, saying:
What do you make out of that yonder,
anyway?
Armadyce looked in the indicated direc-
ton. over few feet from them, prone on
the brick pavement, lay big sea turtle.
About an inch in front of it's nose was
cube of cheese. Scattered about singly and
in heaps, were the bodies of thirty or for
ty dead rats, forming half circle in front
of the saurian.
'T'H be id" calculated Armadyce, vio-
lating the commandments in his surprise,
IF | ever knew before that turtle would
catch rats. Why, he's regular, LULU,
amt hep
Both moved over to have a nearer look at
the phenomenon. The turtle lay densely
unconscious of his rising reputation There
lay the rats--no delirium about it-and the
manner of their dying was clearly evident
from the strongest kind Of circumstantial
evidence.
Now if Monterey is plagued with one
thing more than another, II is with a
superabundance of rats. They are not
only numerous and prolific, but also
large and vicious. They soon discour-
age cats and made a meal off a pair of
immense ferrets about year since. Daily
Messrs. Armadyce and Kiam had cause
10 lament the OeDreQdtlOnS OF these rO-
dents among their merchandise They
had tried cats and dogs to no purpose;
every kind of trap, but the best were
good for but three or four rats of a night
and this was but mere drop in the buck
ct. Here was new rat catcher that
counted it's nightly dead by scores. There
was a peculiarly vindictive and savage
look about that silent monster, lying
grimly amid the mangled dead that quite
coincided with the onlookers' about the
rat question. Surprise soon turned to en-
COVetOuEneSS. I.ittIPiObn
was called out.
yes" said he in answer to inquiries,
never heard myself of such thing be-
fore. Tumbled to it, too, quite by acct
dent. Why. whole carload of cats
wouldn't be in it with that one turtle
Simplest thing in the world, too. Just
bait him with something that attracts
rats, like you see that cheese there. Mr.
Rat comes up and nibbles. That turtle
darts his head forward like lightning,
and Mr.. Rat is jerked into the dim and
hazy future. One piece of cheese will do
for a thousand rats, for he'll never let
any of them get away from under his
nose, you can bet. Only think of what
was near doing; about to cut them tur-
ties up for folks to eat, and me fairly
overrun all around here with rats. Peo-
pie tell me it don't take anything to keep
m either. Just ducking every four or
five days in salt water. They live on
these here motes-molecules, they call
'em, that they get out of the air they
breathe.
Would he sell one or both. No. sir, not
MN. IleX were tOtS OF trouble to get
and were too useful to make chances of
not being able to get more. This refusal
stimulated the would-be purchasers to
greater efforts. They took Littleton in
with them to breakfast. They piled him
with drink, and they piled him with per-
suasions Slowly but surely, the reluctant
turtle-owner gave way. Finally he agreed
to sell Thirty dollars apiece he received
from the buyers, reserving, however, the
right to have the use of each turtle,
as a rat destroyer during one week in each
month.
A few moments later Mr.. Littleton quiet
ly credited the turtle account with $50,
balanced, closed the same and went about
his affairs with the happy air of a man
who has done exceedingly well for him
self.
A few days later Armadyce went over
to Kiam s place of business. He found
the latter gentlemen alone in his office
busying himself with his books. Arma-
sdyce sat down and waited for few mo-
ments in silence, then he spoke:
''Confdentially, Kiam," he said, "has
your turtle been catching any rats?'
do you know Kiam answered, ''I
was just about to ask you the same
question. Not a blame rat has mine
caught yet. The bait is gone every morn
ing. which shows they've been about I
don't understand it."
Another long silence, chock full of con-
centrated thought, and Armadyce spoke
again.
s'Same way with mine, and I've got the
same identical turtle that had all those