The times., 1898-08-15
FUN WITH MICE.
The Friendly Creatures Are on
Hand at Meal Time

From The Memphis Commercial Appeai)
Col. Cole, who Is the presiding genius
of the courthouse library. IS a remark
able man. Col. Cole has fought Indians
in the canyons or the West. he has fol-
lowed narrow trails over the Rockies.
has hunted the bison and buffalo on the
broad and rolling plains of Colorado, has
panned gold in Montana mountain
streams. and has led a command In the
land Of the Montezumas.
The courthouse library is located on
the top floor. 1t is an old ramshackle
apartment. with the ceiling cracked in
Cections and a general air of desuetude
aid desolatton about IL. 1t is here amid
several thousand volumes of musty and
calf-bound lore that Col. Cole sits
through the long, hot summer days. No
breeze ever finds its way into the court
house library, and at all hours of the
day stiffness hangs over the place like
a pail Once in awhile perhaps some
lawyer may wander in 10 look up d legal
question or refresh his memory with a
glance at the shelves, but beyond this
the silence remains unbroken-
But Col. Cole Is not lonesome. nor does
he mind the gloomy surroundings and
their accompanying mold. He has
friends Small interesting. vivacious.
piquant pets. They know him and he has
Il fatherly regard for their welfare. These
friends are the mice. These mice have
taken advantage of the cracks and cram
MES in the courthouse and have estab-
Iished well-populated colonies which seem
to flourish, though on what they sub
sist is a mystery. The family which has
made its home in the library is more for
tunate than the other tribes of rodents
which nave been popula,-ing the building.
1t is this family that Col. Cole has taken
under his fatherly protection They pos
sess a rare quality of intelligence and
know the hours of the day as well as the
clock in the Methodist Church, block
away. In several places the flooring has
been cut leaving small holes. and TO and
from these the mice pass all day. walk
ing in and running about with no seem
ing fear. When Col. Cole first arrives in
the morning he gives these mice their
breakfast. He has peculiar way of
calling them, and at the first sound OF
his voice they scamper 90 the small open
ings in the floor. protrude their smooth,
neat looking Heads in an inquiring way
and then saunter out and gather in a cir
| Gle about MS feet.
After this their preceptor breaks bis
cult and divides it among them They
eat with nice Discrimination and with
much more regard for etiquette than a
| great many people. and after finishing a
| cate whiskers with a grace very pleasing
10 watch Col Cole feeds these mice at
regular intervals during the day and they
| know Just when the feeding time comes
When at noon the librarian eats his lunch
the members OF the family are given an
elaborate repast. Sometimes il is not con-
veuient to eat this lunch at noon. and
/ Col Cole defers the important duty. On
! such occasions the mice become restless
| and climb up the table legs and upon che
! coat and shor lers of the man who with
| holds their ii ner. Col. Cole does not OBJ
| ject to this and they climb up his legs
! and he will push them off in a good
| natured way and open his lunch
! There is in the office Of the librarian a
| dilapidated dictionary holder of anti
| quated pattern and decrepit underpin-
nings. Taking a small fragment of bis
| cult Col Cole ties about IL a piece of or
binary wrapping cord and suspends it
| about three inches above the floor, attach
! ing the other end to the stand above men
! toned. This is a signal of play and the
tribe make running jumps for the bread
| 1t is a little too high and the highest
| Jumper can just touch the bread with his
| nose. They run about the stand. night
| each other and roll over like kittens en-
| joying a romp and to end it all a moth
| erly old mouse climbs to the top of the
stand, and taking the string between her
| two front feet deftly draws the bread up,
| much after the fashion of drawing a
| bucket of water from a well. When the
| bread is reached she breaks il from the
string and lets it fall. The hungry fam
| lily below soon dispose of it and again re-
| tire TO the silence of the home beneath
| the floor