The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1899-10-15
WHITE MICE HIS PLAGUE.
multiplication OF Pair is Driving
Their Owner to Insanity.
Two men met on Lasalle street.

Two men met on LaSalle street.
Hello" CALCULATED one of them. been
Ill. Tom?' The other man shook his
head.
NO. not Ill; not physically I'll, Jack.
lists white mice"
Good heavens" grasped his friend.
why. l didn't know you ever drank
. enough for-for thati
1T wasn't drink. Jack, 1t wasn't drink.
But come with me- Let me tell you
allw
When they were seated at opposite sides
OF a small table the afflicted man con-
tinued: Eyes, Jack, it's white mice. My
boy. Thomas, Jr.. got 1t into his head
that he ought to have a pet. He wanted
a dog, but the house is small. and the
cook is nervous, and so we told him no.
not a dog: most anything but dog, and
we finally compromised on a pair OF
white mice. I brought them home in
nice, roomy wire cage, and Thomas, Jr.,
was delighted. That was two months
ago" The speaker paused and sighed
feelingly.
We'll. all went finely until about three
weeks afterward. Then, one morning,
the boy came bursting into my room
10 inform me that the mices had got some
lovely little mices' And so they had;
five Of them. Luckily, the cage was large
enough for the growing family. But
well. in four weeks we had forty-seven
mice. in six weeks leo We gave up trying
10 accommodate them all in one cage,
and 81 cigar boxes. work baskets. cracker
tins, and even the bathtub were brought
into requisition.
Naturally two or three escaped every
day and lived at large, feasting in the
pantry at night. and begging by our
chairs at meal time. They took such a
liking TO the cook that they got 10 max
ing her room a sort Of meeting-place. The
result could have BEEN fOreseen. My
wife has been doing the cooking now for
several weeks. l have got so that /
shake MY boots from force Of habit before
putting them on. one morning / found
two in my shaving mug. And we have
them served UP TO us at table in the
cracker jar. the sugar-bowl. and the
cheese dish"
"But why didn't you get cats?" asked
his friend
"Cats? Great heavensi We've had TWEEN
~ Of them. We cant keep them about
They stay three or four days, get so
fat that they can't walk. and then crawl
deiectedly 10 the door. accompanied by
a frisking contingent Of white mice We've
tried cats. Jack"
"Wen, then. rat poison; have YOU tried
that?"
ooh. yes: quite early IN the game. The
mice seemed 10 thrive on that poison. We
tried traps. too: they caught a few:
just a drop I'm the bucket. And all the
time thek kept increasing. We haven't
taken census for nearly three weeks
now, but a moderate estimate would
place the number at about COO. Just now
when I met YOU. Z was on the way 20
see O man who has ferrets: I shall try 20
get q few dozen good. healthy ones. II
they don't help-Whats that" he
shricked
whats WHAT" asved his friend. THAT
WHY. just a piece Of white paper"
ooh II thought-Well, must get on.
don't suppose you'd care TO buy that
house. would you? No? well. good by"
And the man afflicted with white mice
crept deiectedlv around the corner. look
ing nervOuslv at every piece Of torn paper
that futtered in tho breGze.-Ciucago
Inter-Ocean.