The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-06-02

corpse of-quite killed, you know-tby
ones own itty, bitty brother" The tone
OF ro1lery and disdain was intense and
one could see her sweeping a courtesy
In mock humility-the yolley siIenced the
enemy's guns.
But night or SO ago there was
trouble in the camp. Lulu (the song
SPARROW had evidently partaken Of
something that disagreed with her. 1t
was clear case of that COMPOUNDED Gu
cumber 1 ate and can't digest" Sud-
denly about 1 a. m. she gave a shrilI
shrek which effectually awoke her fell
low sleepers and myself. Was it murder
or burglars? But TIE answer tumbled
upon the troubled thought! 20 monmer!
a rata rat upon my bed!" Hush, you re
dreaming. child; how could a rat get in
here%' I'm not dreaming-no such a
thing 1t was a rat, and it just hoped
and hoped on my bed Then the moth
er, just as the tigress charges the deadly
1ncIoSing ranks of her hunters Sprang
( barefoot onto the floor; it was a cour-
ageous act; how many women are there
I who would, in the dark expose their
bare toes to the ruthless jaws of
bloodthirsty rodent? If a mouse is fear
some, how much more so must be the
monster rat? She has certainly earned
for herself the right 10 exhibit as
T freak; bit who would put faith in her
clalm-who? Yet, in defense of her Off
spring she cast aside all fear, lit the gas,
grasped the broom and advanced upon
the enemy lurking somewhere near to
take her at a disadvantage. But he
must be routed out. The door into the
hail was opened to give him free re-
treat; then the furn ture was haul5 d
about and vicious dabs made into every
corner with frequent shoo-shooing-
never a rat was discovered. In fact,
: ~,
ed imag nation; he could not possibly
have gained entrance and had there
been, and he had escaped down the hall
way to his lair, l SHOULD have heard Dis
pattering feet as 9oft iit the silly night -
The reconnaissance en- force having
failed, the garrison turned upon the SEN
/ try, who had shr.eked ITO arms! They
GOMEZ The Greek, the Creek and had
aroused the camp into an unhappy ter
ror by her false alarm L:ge jibed and
TESTED. now that no fearful danger was,
and the mother roughly scol1ed and tie
| song sparrow, from her nest, did most
vehementIy assert Then the gas W, 1T
out and we all fell asleep, again To be
awakened about an hour later By the
same alarm. Again was the racket the
search the failure, the jibing and TIE
reservations; but upon sounding the re
! CALI the gas was left burning, full blaze,
was a phantom afraid o. light, or the
undigested morsel had become ass.ni-
/ lated
But rats abound in this bower of
bliss and may be heard by the wakeful
chasing one another about the halls with
many a squeal, or gnawing a crust or
! bone in transit to some peculiar haunt.
There is one compensation to cheap
tenement neighborlness; it is TRANSIENT
there is ceaseless ebb and flow Of the
human tide for financial or other rea-
sons; few questions are asked; one does
not become bored with a sameness of
annoyance. The dirge, so to speak of
ones dead fortunes is not perpetually set
to the same Instrument today it shrills
out on the fife, next week it is droned
out by the bass viol and anon flute
harp sackbut psaltry and every kind of
instrument in the human orches. ra
take it SUCCESSFULLY. One knows not
when the cornet vacates whether the
next variation will be on the Jews harp
or the trombone To some tempera-
ments to have the same old MesecT play
ing Jobs comforter might be an ano-
dyne but to one whose nerves are
agangle the monotony would be eXcrlI-
ciating. So, though | have sometimes
contemplated punctCr.ng the ice by a
drop from the high bridge. 1 yet live and
am contemplating summer quarters
where the human voice, divine though it
may be- will be less in evidence than the
conlminged hum OF natures many-voic5d
cohorts