The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1900-03-09
THIS MAN SAW RED. RATS
The Awkward Position in Which
Such a Sight In Apt to
Place q Man.

Place q Man.
cit was a most peculiar dilemma"
said the young man who told the story
to a Times-Democrat reporter, lone
of those situations in which fellow
can't explain himself for fear of being
misunderstood.
"A couple of weeks ago I rented
suite of rooms in an old building not
far from the Hotel Royal, one Of those
ramshackle barracks that were once
handsome mansions, and precisely
adapted to the picturesque semibo-
hemian snuggcry 1 had been longing
for several years to establish on that
side of town. Well, l moved in, and
everything went all right until the
afternoon of the second day, when I
was smoking corncob pipe in the rear
room, which overlooks a very quaint
bricked courtyard, and happened to
Eotice rcd rat on top of the cistern-"
"A red rat!" exclaimed his listeners,
in astonished chorus. did you say red
rat or dead rate"
II said red rat and meant red rat"
replied the narrator. 1.-The rat saw
was abnormally large in size and
bright vermillion in color. Naturally 1
was somewhat startled. In fact, 1
got such a move on me that fell over
backward, and when picked myself
up the rat was gone. / tried to argue
that the thing was an optical illusion,
probably some scrap of red paper
which the wind had carried to the els
tern top and blown Off again, but it
was no go. I remember the beast too
distinctly. Three or four days had
elapsed. I was beginning to think it
was all dream, when again saw the
red rat-this time with a companion
two creatures were summing themselves
at the end of my own back gallery. and
I saw them through 4 window not 20
feet away. There was no earthly
chance for 4 mistake, they were large,
live rats, the exact shade of clG-fash-
Toned red flannel. glared at them per-
haps a minute, and then door
slammed somewhere and they both sud-
denly vanished down drain pipe.
That visitation determined me to solve
the mystery or perish in the attempt,
and l rushed bareheaded down to
little store on the same block Excuse
me- 1 said to the proprietor, but did
you ever see any red rats around here?'
L must have looked pretty wild; any
how he burst out laughing. Only once
he said. They wore little tin caps and
carried blue parasols.' Oh, but seri-
ously! 1 insisted. You'll find it seri-
ous,' said he, unless you quit drink
ing
That discouraged me. Do what I
would, those internal red rats galloped
through my brain morning, noon and
right. l went into a store to get q
cigar and paralyzed the clerk by asking
him for an imported red rat not too
dry, and correspondent wired to know
what the dickens 1 meant by writing
him that red rats were certain to drop
five points before the close of MONDAYS
trading.
Finally couldn't stand it any long
er, and although I had seen nothing
more of the rats, decided to quit the
rooms. That was. last Thursday, and
when 1 told the landlord 1 wanted TO
go he was astonished, and pressed me
hard for reason. We'll, to tell YOU the
TRUTH l said at last, 4 don't like the
color of the rats in that house. They
don't match the furniture Oh, the
rcd rats!' he said, laughing. Are there
still some of them left" Yes ]
fairly yelled, and for goodness sake
tell me quick what you know about
en- Why. there were two German
feather dyers on the third floor last
spring. he said, and just for fun they
caught lot of rats and dyed them red
1t killed most of the lot, but three OF
four seemed to get fat on it, and I've
seen 'em running around lots of times
Surely, they haven't scared you out.
have they? Then lied. abjectly, and
told him no; that it was something
else. and let him talk me into staying.
The red rats don't bother me now
In fact. find them rather decorative
Come down and take look at them
some time."-N. o. Times Dcmocrat.
Very Fond OF It,