Waterbury Democrat., 1901-09-18
THE IMPROVED RAT TRAP.


 Good morning, ma'am. May ask if you are troubled with rats about your premisesY' the man at the door said, unslinging his pack. Were nearly worried to death with them.' replied the woman of the house. T am not surprised to hear ii" he re- joined, opening his pack. eFalse 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 well defended, but some live rats is there. Doggerel, madam, being a slight variation of an effort 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 civil ization, and mankind does well to use all honorable means to exterminate It. Here he took out curious piece or mechanism, made chiefly of wood and wire. "Chiefy among the agen- cles for the extermination of this uni versal pest,' lie resumed, ''is the in- yention 1 shall now have the honor to show you-' "Why, that is-'' 'sYou are right, madam It is. It's a rat trap. Not one of the wretchedly in efficient things commonly dignified bv that title, but a trap constructed on scientific principles. 1t takes adyan- tage of well known weakness of rat nature, which heretofore has never been" .'Yes, but we've" Pardon me. was about to say that this trap approaches the rat on it's weak side. A rat madam, has two of the char acterlstlcs of the average human being vanity and curiosity. Advantage has never been taken of this fact.
 heretofore, for commercial purposes. II may so express it. The operation of this device is exceedingly simple. Here is where you place the bait. pref erably piece of cheese, although any thing savOry and toothsome will an- Swer the purpose-'' We've got-, Plenty of cheese, doubtless. you would say. 1t is we'll Having placed the bait in position you press back the spring, in this way. and set the trap in a casual mannYr near the place where the rat usually emerges from It's retirement. Not too close, remem-
 Der. The rat is a suspicious animal and seems to be gifted with detect i've instinct-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 mir
 TOT, cunningly set at an upright angle in the rear of the bait? Filled with
 curiosity. or 1t may be vanity-for who shall fathom the depths of a rats
 mind 1.-the doomed animal, seeing his reflection in the mirror, advances to- | ward the traY. The rat in the mirror seems to come to meet him. Then the | bait attracts his attention He, seizes l 1t, and the spring. released from its tension, at once" "Say, now, there l isn't bit of use In your talking to
 me. We've had a trap exactly like l that one in the house for the last 1 three weeks. and" Do you mean l to say, ma'am. that" ''Yes, sir, l do. We've tried that trap, and it's no good. I wouldn't take one as q gift" ]" 1 E'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 so?"-Chi-
 cago Tribune.