The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-02-14
SINGING MICE INDEED.
INFORMATION FOR MR.. TkRTAs
FROM READERS or THE sUy,

Mouue-Mr. o'DOnuet Tells Why Nous,
Mice SinG-A SinEinE Mouse Wanted.
NJ. r.. Tartas edited the readers OF TuE sr>
OF Feb. o with q letter concerning his ndven.
lures with q singing mouse. This mouse, sa!d
Mr.. Tartns. who Is without doubt n vctaciou.
person. went prancing through his apartments.
at dead Of night, whistling aud chirru ping Ike
any bird. Thereat Mr.. Tartas was mystlneA
and his curiosity exercised, and his good wife.
Of spirit not 40 bold as his. was even terror.
stricken. Neither of them knew that the tiny
voice bulating through tho darkness va,
that Of a mouse. Moved by scientific curiosity
and due regard for personal safety, respectively,
Mr.. aud Mrs. Tartas determined to sleep
through the rest Of the night with tho
gas lighted. Soon the music began again.
and loi the cause Of II entered the room,
tiny cray mouse. 1t stood on its hind quarter.
| and cheeped like = chicken which had wan.
dered out Of eight Of It's parent or guardian. The
mouse emitted song every time II Jumped. TIT,
next night Mr.. Tartas. out OF consideration for
the timldity Of womankind. set a trap. battling
It. not with n roll of music. but asymphouy ~,
cookery, q piece OF cake. The mouse wRs
tempted, being a stranger to such things, aud
was taken In. The next morning the molse.
safely contained In the trap. was placed On view
before the Tartas household. Then came ,ho
| remark able part OF the correspondents story
| Tho mouse continued to sing. he said, all tho
while he was studying lts Then, he continued
"when ! started to whistle IL stopped running
AROUND ana seehiou iasciha'eu' hsi f"''e' aHi
lowered the tones he followed them. in his cyu
way. very sweetly and decidedly"
And how ho,v ala tho unvra,.f,, NJ r,,.,.
"a.s 49," i,,,. ar,ma, tor r.. - "
cided response to his solo3 Let him tell II. Let
such inhumanity DO recorded only by him who
was guilty OF II.
II cut his song short" said Mr.. Tartas, "In
mil Of yater-to the great relief OF the women"
perpetrated by Adam In the Garden OF Eden.
After doing the entertainer to death thus
loully Mr.. Iartas sought ABOUT 1t.
inortreJ omong ,r,end. Had h. oniv 80
'"iu'i'N H $500 "e '"'' ''''''
much by an interview ~ surely mr.nS a An mouse ,s'f ,I,,
responded, note for note, to the whistle of Nr.
English at least in Arabic or Chinese. There a,
no record OF a like experience Of a natural hi,-
torian. Singing mice there have been In plenty.
The Rirersbie Mcoastnc and Young f,..
twenty-five OF thirty years aLo' contained
stories of mice that sang. but never a word II
and 1sc,ssSiy no,s by no,. w,,n ,ts ,n.,rnc,a,
anu ueS.ueu.y ho1e os mote win It's ihs,fuS'.t'
and enlightenment for Mr.. Tarta.. W II rur-
nsr q, ,hs M"rtst and Fulton Na,,ooai raos
whose duty 1; is to sit at the door OF the baak'.
safe deposit vaults and wirrle his long brow,
beard and look dangerous. sent word to Iis
SuS that Mr.. Tartas wasn't the only man VITO
an interview. A sUS reporter called "a Mr..
Turner and was LED to a quiet corner.
p. @fsl! s .sia ' Ml. 'TTr u1ns ,siss 3 !sS' ,s syer H hhS,
| ever heard Of. Blamed II IL wRsn'L Sh.sA.'
lie pulled the reporter still further over iata
the corner.
It was more than that: it Was four or i've years
ago. But II was the blamedest strange thing
that ever happened. any way. ! lived right
where l do now. in brooklyn, at ESQ schemes
street, second fat. Ii was an awful hot day.
awful hot. My wife was away and l was AL
alone In the house. | got out a bottle OF curraut
wine my wife had made and took off my shoes
and went Into my dining room aud sat down ia
a big easy chair and started TO take 1t casy.
i hnn i.n nt' inc shi bissm ! snsw ou.sr shi hS~ s Soa see ever n
Misunderstanding began singing away iitrt
and tiptoed out to the ,tairs. And-listcl
now!-right in the middle OF the hall floor sat .
little bit OF . mouse, sitting up ike a poodle dog
begging and singing like a little bird. / sneaked
down stairs ana tried TO crawl mp on him and
catch him.. Might a known l couldn't do it.
him. l gained on him, too, Then he jumped
into the empty CRATE. sat there and watched
Well. that night heard him In the wall next
70 my, bed, Yes. I did. Now isn't that the
"A year after that. Just about the same t,ns
o. year; ! heard HIM again. In The VAL IT,. : ne
NuTthnt wine NO, least i uOnt rei-tN4 '"I.
Don't think she made ANY that year. Don't
zee what that's, got In. do with II. And arNt
day, a servant girl that had LETT us came hatE,
and was telling her about this mouse bus
ness and Just then tho blamed mouse began 20
sing In the wall again; right close TO us, II Wa
too. Tell you right here IL made me q l'''a
mite superslitious. I've been scary about &
ever since. One OF my neighbors thIlh' 10
means a death In the family. Hope not. VIA
dc, you think
The reporter said that no didn't think. al
went away to ponder on the ways OF nice AID
eurrant wine.
John oIDonnell OF 4lU henderson stree, ,eF-
sey City. writes to TIE Sun as follows:
In the spring OF 1893. while n student N 80
Chicago Dental College OF that city, ! Wa .N..s
on Wabash avenue. and for a month t.',-
moving into my quarters, l was greatly NP'i.-
lied aud puzzled during the night by hearing =
most curious sound which seemed TO coa'r 'i"al
a clothes closet in my room. The sound vas
when il ia sies. watehea ono nirhff w'il -