The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1896-11-27
INGENIOUS CHICAGO RATS,
How They Got Basket OF Grapes

Through a Hole in the Wall.
Pretty we'll down on the South Side
there lives a man who has the rep
utation for being quite, veracious, and
sober, but he tells a. story about a col
ony of rats in his house which goes far
ahead of any egg stealing performance
ever before credited to the clever rod
ents.
This truthful man lives in Bowen
avenue in a house which is in the mid
die of a brick block. For. some time he
had suspected the presence of a rat or
two about the premises. but had never
been able to get a glimpse of the willy
little creatures. One night last week,
however, his wish was gratified. 1t
fell out as follows:
On the night in question this sober
and veracious man took up to his bed
room with him a large basket of lus-
cious grapes. He had determined to fol-
low out his usual custom of reading
himself to sleep, but as 1T was early he
thought he would first try the flavor of
his grapes Sometimes after midnight he
began to grow so sleepy that he decided
to give up his dual recreation, He was
awake enough, he states, to reflect that
if he left the basket of grapes on the
edge of the bed, where it was reposing,
the chances were good that it would be
overturned before morning. SO his last
act before sinking into a dreamless
slumber was to lift down the basket of
grapes to the floor. The basket still
weighed four or five pounds. The man
was started safely on his nights repose.
Then the rats came. into the story.
1t was in the first dawn of morning
that the truthful man awoke. He had
a vague idea that something unusual
had aroused him, but did not pay much
attention until startled by the sound of
something scurrying across the floor of
his room, accompanied by q series of
regular squeaks proceeding from the
| bathroom door. Then he became wide
awake at once, and by the most care
| full maneuvers saw the following per-
Torrance going on:
| On its side lay the basket of grapes.
! 1t was emptied except for the presence
of a bunch or two of the fruit. The
truthful man could hardly believe his
eyes, until a large rat which hurried out
/ from the bathroom and seized bunch
| showed him the cause. While he still
stared in establishment the rat dragged
the fruit into the bathroom and return
| ed for another load, repeating the same
performance. All along the floor was a
trail of single grapes dropped from the
stems and neglected In the press of bus
mess.
On seeing his last bunch of grapes
disappearing, the veracious man con-
| trived with infinite trouble to move to
the foot OF his bed, where he could view
| the proceeding in the bathroom.
In front of a rough irregular hole
under the bathtub stood the father OF
all rats with a. grape in his mouth. Just
as the truthful man looked, this. first OF
the rodent tribe gave a. curious little
squeal, and with a quick motion of his
head tossed the grape into the hole
| Shortly afterward was heard another
similar squeak inside, followed by an
other and another as the grape Travelled
| into the interior of the walls. But with
out waiting for the following signals
the big rat Immediately took UP another
| fruit out of a group on the floor, which
an understood animal was stripping
| off from the punches as fast as they
came in, and repeated the performance
Right under the proprietor's eyes the
| last bunch Of grapes arrived in a gallon
from the basket, was separated into its
component fruits, and pitched into the
hole, going apparently-judgin from
the series of squeaks-lilSe a box Of
goods down a line of porters into a
warehouse and ending in some hidden
rendezvous in the depths of the build
ing.
1t was too much for the truthful man
Gathering hiss startled faculties to-
gether. he made a rush toward the bath
room, The rats disappeared with a salvt
of terrified squeaks, leaving a few
grapes and hole In the WALL The mar
went back to bed determined to do his
best to keep his reason.
Next morning the truthful man made
a careful exaination of the premises
There were the basket, the scattered
grapes, and the hole To satisfy himself
THE veraeious individual tore off a boarc
from under the bath tub and examined
the place inside. There was a gap o.
four or five inches between the edge O.
the hole and the nearest beam, then be
yond a second beam and a passagewaS
down the inside to the wall to the foo
below.
The truthful man scratched his head
rubbed his eyes, and looked again. HI
took measurements, made computation.
land then went back and tried it all ovel
again. Then he went out and told hi
friends about the occurrence.-Chicag,
Daily Tribune.
IMMATURE ALMANAC.