Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1907-12-18
THE CABLE
FERRET
A Veracio,,s
Nature Story
By
Edwin J. Webster
Copyright, by w. G. Chapman.)

Copyright, by w. G. Chapman.)
Uncle Billy Atkinson, who used to
live near my farm out in Indiana, had
the nucleus of great industry in his
rat ferret, cable-laying combination"
said Squire Wilkins reminiscently.
But the spitefulness of Pete Johnson
put an end to what promised to be q
flourlshing business.
"One afternoon Uncle Billy strolled
down to the village, and, as he always
took a heartfelt delight in seeing other
people work, he put in most of the
afternoon watching a gang of men lay
. cable through a telephone conduit
They could lay the cable through only
one length of pipe at a time, and this
was pretty slow work. By-and-by
Uncle Billy had an idea.
1t would be easier if you could
put the cable through a whole row of
pipes at once, wouldn't it?' he in
qufred.
ut certainly would answered the
foreman, sarcastic like But that's a
four-inch pipe, and the smallest man
In my gang is eight inches thick It's
against the rules of the company to
send an eight-inch man through a four
inch pipe. 1t would be likely to strain
the pipe.
Uncle Billy didn't say much, but it
was evident he was doing some steady
thinking. That afternoon I dropped
over to his barn. The rats had been
annoying him considerably, and Uncle
Billy was hunting them with the aid
of ferret. At one end of the barn
was = hole about four inches in
diameter, and as fast as the rats were
driven from the corn they would pike
down that hole. After Uncle Billy had
cleaned out the barn pretty we'll he
sent the ferret down the hole. The
| rats had considerable to say for the
| next few minutes, but their remarks
didn't sound in the nature of a joyous
welcome to the ferret. Pretty soon
the ferret climbed out, little bruised
but licking his lips, and with the self.
satisfied air of ferret who has done
his work and done it well. Uncle Billy
looked at the ferret admiringly.
"'There isn't another ferret in the
| state OF Indiana that has the intellt
gence of this animal of NINE said
Uncle Billy complacently. When your
Uncle Billy brings a few rats, that
ferret. and his own massive intellect
| info NAV hoe ooin0 IN rovolufiorioo
the MISUNDERSTANDING industry
'The next day Uncle Billy caught a
few big rats alive in trap. After a
little difficulty he managed to tie q
long piece of cord about the body OF
each rat. Then he began training the
ferret.
Zone afternoon Uncle Billy, accom-
panied by his trained ferret, and bear
Ing on his arm covered basket con
tanning number of rats with strings
tied about their bodies, strolled down
to where they were laying the tele
phone conduits. 1t was pretty SLOW
work, and Uncle Billy looked on scorn
ful-like.
"'Those eight-inch men of yours
are doing the best they can,' he finally
said to the foreman. But with the ait
of little invention of my own ant
this intelligent ferret, can lay cable:
through block Of pipes at once
'The foreman allowed that as .
merry jester Uncle Billy was a sue
cess, but that he wouldn't be able tt
cash in heavily at the cab1e3ayin,
game.
eco back to the farm, Uncle Billy,
said the foreman, raise butter ant
eggs. and listen to the merry song o
the COWS; but don't come down herr
Interfering with the mysteries of cleo
tricai SCIENCE
"But, finally, as Uncle Billy wa
sure he could make good, the foreman
agreed to give him a chance to tr!
his invention. Uncle Billy took tn
end of one of the strings that was tie,
to a rat and fastened it to q stou