The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1902-08-15
HE TOOK THE CHEESE.
A Terrier That Was supposed TO BE Q
RatteR, But Proved q Dis-
nppOintmen4.


'Willis Sweatnam," said a friend of
that comedian, relates the New York
Sun, "has an exceedingly .fne-bred fox
terrier She has great fame as rat
ter. She had litter of puppies, the
father of which was also of royal pedi-
gree and of fame as a ratter as great
as that of their mother, so that when
Willis gave me one of the puppies, 9
beautiful little chap, all nerves and
blood, l was proud.
II would hate to be rat anywhere
In this neighborhood,' said l, when this
pedigreed pup gets few months more
age on him.
"The pup grew and thrived. He was
the handsomest dog of his kind one
ever saw-restless, eager and evident
ly impatient to get among lot of rats
somewhere and chew them up.
II was equally eager for him to have
the opportunity, but there were no
rats at our house, and couldn't hear
Of any among the neighbors, all Of
whom were alive with interest in my
what all believed was his impatient
yearning for rats. At last, one day one
Of these neighbors sent me the glad
tidings that he had trapped rat on
his premises-a great, big, gray fell
low--and told me to fetch out the pup
and let him work off at least little of
his pent-up longing by taking whack
at this big rat.
81 was delighted, and yet sorry that
there was only one rat for my pup to
tackle. The news quickly spread that
my pup was going to have a chance
at last to kill rat, and when ] took
him out to meet my neighbor with the
rat everybody was there to see.
"The rat was in wire cage along
with the big piece of cheese that had
lured him to his pending ruin. The
neighbor who had trapped him set the
trap on the ground, The dog dashed at
it, and his eagerness to get into it just
about tickled our spectators all but be-
yond holding themselves.
"'He's the stuff! was the unanimous
anddelighted comment on his manifes-
tations of impatience to get to work.
Too bad there amt a dozen or two
of them big rats for him to get rid of
some of his enthusiasm on
"All this time the dog was trying to
get into the trap, he was so eager, and
the rat had crouched down in terror at
sight of him.
"'He sees his finish, that rat does,
sure enough cried the spectators.
'It'll be just snap and crunch, and
all over
The neighbor who had trapped the
rat was so excited that he fumbled and
fumbled at the trap and couldn't get it
open. took it, opened it, and turned
It up to shake the rat out. The dog
danced about quivering in nervous ex-
peotancy.
"'Stand back!' said the spectators.
Give the little dandy room!'
"They stood back. Ishook the trap.
Out tumbled the rat and the big piece
Of cheese.
"The eager pup sprang forward.
There was a snap and grab, and the
pups teeth fastened ON TO the big
piece of cheese, and away he went with
it for home as fast as his legs could
carry him.
"The frightened rat gazed after him
q moment, and then scurried back TO
the house of the neighbor who had
trapped it, and is there yet, guess.
There wasn't much said among the
spectators for awhile, but they looked
at one another, and at last one said:
"'Too bad there wasn't dozen or so
of rats instead of only just one. The
pup might have got more cheese!'
"Then we all went home. And the
relations between me and that dog of
high degree have been strained ever
since"