The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1899-07-20
MAID AND A MOUSETRAP

watched over the destinfes Of young girls
and guarded them-when they're good" the
old bachelor said. He ought to know,
thought, having himself been a sort Of
honorary uncle guide to az many as
dozen young girls in his time. all Of
whom were happily married. He was q
philanthropic sort of a middle aged man,
with very large experience in the world
and its ways.
why. I've known cases where things
came right just when the girl herself
thought they were going hopelessly
wrong" he continued. seeing that we were
all listening to him and ready for more
Now. there was that case In Florida with
my dear young friend Ethel Berry. It
looked like very sad case at one time
but 1t proved to be all for the best.
No, don't mind telling you about it.
You, none of you, know who Ethel Berry
is. And. in any case, the thing never was
a secret. .
well, of course, you know that all
women are afraid of mice. I would al
ways be inclined to suspect woman that
was not afraid Of mice: for my own part
l should regard her as something uncanny
fit for treasons, stratagems and spoils
something not properly womanly. But
beyond the ordinary. On every subject she
was as sound as bell. You couldn't fright
en- her with a gun. She could shoot pretty
well and had actually killed several deer
out in the woods. About snakes she felt
pretty much the same horror that most
people feel who have not been used to
them from childhood. She was not by any
means nervous fainting woman. But
somehow, she could not stand mice: I
have even seen her jump away from little
wooden penwiper. because there was figure
OF mouse on it, with beads for eyes-and
she knew perfectly well that it was not a
real mouse, too.
when Ethel's mother took her to Flor
ida, she made the acquaintance of young
Englishman there who was supposed to be
engaged in the orange growing business.
and also supposed to be doing very we'll at
it. Personally, he was liked by everybody.
not because his elder brother was said to
be a lord, but just for his own sake He
was gay. free and easy sort of youngster,
sociable, good banjo player, always ready
for bit OF fun, and nobody had a word to
say against his character. Ethel and her
mother bad been in Florida nearly all win
ter, and they had seen much of this young
man all the time. and the consequence was
..
that he intended to marry her daughter.
Mrs. Berry said that must be as her daugh-
ter chose to decide. Finally, so far as any
enc could judge Ethel herself was inclined
to favor the young man.
THAT was where the mice came in The
cottage which the Berrys had rented for
the winter was very fairly built sort of
affair, not at all old, and not troubled with
such things as mice. They had lived there
from November to the end of February
without ever having been obliged to think
Of mice. But in February Ethel heard
strange sounds by night in her bedroom
Mother, she said, I heard mice in my
room last night, and you know as we'll as I
do that so long as there is any chance of
mouse being anywhere about that room I
can't sleep in it.
Mrs. Berry knew very we'll that this
was no exaggeratiOn. The girl had not slept
more than hour all the previous night,
and that would not do. They rugged grass
hammock for her in her mothers room
she could sleep all right in a hammock
and search was made for mouse trap.
Nov, the town where the Berrys were
staying was nice enough little place in its
way, but it was not great commercial
center. You could buy most things that
winter visitors to Florida are likely to
want, but this did not include mouse traps.
The storekeeper said he had never before
thought that there any demand for
mouse traps among his customers. He
would send for consignment of the new
est make, however
But his plan meant waitiH--,, for perhaps
week, and letting the mice have their
fling in the meantime. Ethel said she could
still hear them in the next room at night,
and they kept her awake, although she felt
more secure in the hammock in her moth
er's room. She was urgent to have those
mice exterminated, and she was a young
woman accustomed to have her will obeyed
This was a chance for the young man
to prove his devotion. He had no mouse
trap to offei .he lady, but he had a horse,
and he could ride that horse far and fast
He mounted at dawn and rode to port
22 miles away, where there were many iron
mongery stores, and at night he returned in
triumph, though little wayworn, bearing
the mouse trap.
1T was humble sort of mouse trap
one of the wire cage kind, but the young
Englishman thought it would do. So did
Ethel. She rewarded him with smiles and
thanks; he was happy, and the trap, baited
with Goldfish, was set.
THAT night Ethel again thought she
heard STRINGS, but in the morning when
her gallant came, early, to see how his trap
had worked-she herself could not face the
chances of seeing a mouse, even in CAP
tivity-it was found that the trap was
empty.
To tell the truth said the young man.
I never had much confidence in this kind of
trap. Sorry 1 didn't look for one of the
other kind-with string. you know. And,
come to think of it, don't believe mice
care much for Goldfish. Do you? Well, I'll
just ride over again today and see if can't
get one of the spring Sort
THAT was very fair test of that young
mans devotion, l think. He had ridden
about As miles the day before, and here
he was going to do it over again. Just to
get better mouse trap for his lady love-
l know it made deep impression on her
at the time, for she told me as much She
told me that when the Honorable Tom
that was his name-started on his second
mouse trap expedition, they had it all pref
ty well settled that they should be mar
ried two weeks later in quiet way. He
said that he wanted to surprise his brother
and all of them at home, so he would not
say word about it beforehand-just send
them cable to say she was married And
quite believe that Mrs. Berry would have
given her consent; she liked the way the
young man had acted in taking her into his
confidence from the first.
"Well, that second time, he came back
rather earlier than he had the night be-
fore. The mother and daughter were sit
ting up waiting for him on the verandah