The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-08-28
HAD to Run Its Course.

Good morning. ma'am'. May I ask
If you are troubled with rats about
your premises2" the man at the door
said, unslinging his pack. according to
the Chicago Tribune.
Were nearly worried to death with
them" replied the woman of the house.
81 am not surprised to hear IT," he
rejoined, opening his pack. False deli
cacy prompts many persons to answer
that question in the negative. The rat,
like the human race. exists. There is
no home, howe'er so we'll defended, but
some live rat is there. Doggerel, mad
am, being a slight variation of an eff
fort by the late Mr.. Longfellow, but
applicable to the case. The rat may
serve some good purpose, but it doesn't
fit in with the general scheme of CIV
ilization, and mankind does well to use
all honorable means to exterminate 1t. "
Here he took out a curious piece of
mechanism, made chiefly of wood and
wire.
"Chief among the agencies for the ex-
termination of this universal pest" he
resumed, lis the invention 1 shall now
have the honor to show YOU"
why, that is"
you are right. ma'am. 1t is. It's a
rat trap. Not one of the wretchedly
inefficient things commonly dignified by
that title, but trap constructed en-
scientific principles. 1t takes advantage
of a well-known weakness of rat ma
ture. which heretofore has never
been"
Yes, but we've"
Pardon me. 1 was about to say that
this trap approaches the rat on its
weak side. A rat, madam, has two of
the characteristics of the average hui
man being-vanity and curiosity. Adj
vantage has never been taken of this
face heretofore for commercial pur-
poses, if 1 may so express it. The OPP
Grafton of this device is exceedingly
simple. Here is where you place the
bait, preferably piece of cheese, al
though anything savory and toothsome
will answer the purpose
We've GOT"
PLENTY of cheese, doubtless, you
would say. IL is WELL Having placed
the bait in position you press back the
spring, in this way, and set the trap
in a casual manner near the place
where the rat usually energies from its
retirement. Not too close, remember.
The rat is a suspicious animal and
seems to be gifted with detective in
stinct-which is more than can be said
of the ordinary. detective. When the
rat comes forth he inspects the trap
from a safe distance. Here is where
you observe the strong point of this
trap. Do you notice this mirror, cum
ningly set at an upright angle in the
rear of the bait? Filled with curiosity,
or it may be vanity-for who shall
fathom the depths of a rats mind?-
the doomed animal seeing his reflection
in the mirror, advances toward the
trap. The rat in the mirror seems to
come to meet him. Then the bait at
tracts his attention. He seizes it, and
the spring, released from its tension,
at once"
SAY, now, there isn't bit of use in
your talking to me. We've had a trap
exactly like that one in the house for
the last three weeks, and
do you mean to say, ma'am
that"
Eyes, sir, I do. We've tried that
trap, and it's no good. 1 wouldn't take
one as a gift"
Madam" he said, haughtily, and
with the tone of an injured man, as
he put away the trap, shouldered his
bundle again, and backed down the
steps, why didn't you say SOP"