Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-08-27
Rat Helps to Raise Flag.

cratiye trade of "Steeple Jack has
been usurped in Jersey by small
white rat.
Edmund P. Condit, a wealthy resi-
dent of Verona, gave a birthday party
to dozen young friends of his 9-year-
old son yesterday.
When he attempted to celebrate the
occa sion by raising an American nag
to the top of the thirty foot hagstait
that has stood on his lawn for years
the pulley rope broke The pole was
too frail to permit of even the lightest
had climbing up to pass another naiyaru
thru the pulley. at the top.
"Me and Jimmy'll fix it for you, Mr..
Condit,' piped up Able Wolff, a neigh
boris son, and he scooted off to his
fathers barn, returning with little
white rat clinging to his shoulder.
Abe uncoiled a big ball of twine, put
the loose end in "Jimmy's' mouth, ana
sent the little animal climbing up the
pole: but when he reached the pulley
ha didn't know what to do next.
Abe found another pulley, called the
white rat down and spent ten minutes
teaching him to run back and forth
thru the Continuance with the twine pc
tween his teeth.
Then he sent Jimmy" up the pole
again, and this time the rate, Wltnout
a moments hesitation, tried to get tnru
the pulley. The hole was too small oue
"Jimmy" deliberately took the string
in one paw, passed 1t thru the small
opening, caught it with the other paw,
and scrambled to the ground with II.
A rope was strung thru the pulley
with the aid of the Irvine halyard, ana
Jimmy munc11ed happily OF the DIG
gest piece Of cheese he had ever seen at
once.
paws so Cents Each for Imported Fleas.
New York.-"Doc. the flea trainer
as he is known to the stewards OF the
North German Lloyd steamship ihe'
was elected from the piers OF the COM
pany in Hoboken for retarding the
work of the men by his efforts TO spur
them on to capture f1eas for him.
"Doc" visits the piers every time
vessel comes in with steerage passen-
gers, and he pays the steward 81
cents each for good healthy fees. Most
Of the insects come from the Storage,
but doc" willingly accepts those cap
,tured in the first or second cabins.
The trainer teaches the insects to
perform in his flea circus and sends
troupes OF them out on the road with
the side shows of circuses, etc. Inc
nimble little creatures have been
source of revenue to doc" for sew
eral years. AS yet the government mas
nnt i'm nosed tariff on fleaS.
DO Not Speak fer Nineteen Years.
,stanwood Mich-Living in the same
house for nineteen years, Mr.. and Mrs
George Crandall, during all of that
time. did not speak to one another. Mr.
and Mrs. Crandall are now II years old
and for forty years they have lived on
the same forty-acre farm.
Mrs. Crandall is a spiritualist, and
believes that she has daily commune
cation with the unseen world. 1t was
her belief in spiritualism that led to
their estrangement Crandall did not
believe as did his wife, and after nu-
merous arguments over the subject,
with no sign of an agreement, they de-
cided to separate. However, neither
wished to give up the old farm, and so
the house was divided into two apart
ments, and each of them during the
nineteen years did their own cooking
and housework, and thus lived under
the same roof without speaking to
each other. Crandall supplied -four
and wood for his wife, and for the rest
her sons supported her.
A few years ago the couple became
partly reconciled, and they now con-
verse on business matters, but each
still retains separate apartments and
the old way of living.
The old couple have five sons scat
tered thruout the United States.
Pays 81 to Ask Vacation.
Westinghouse 1,3OO-mile telephone
message costing 81 was received at
the postoffice department., asking leave
of absence for a rural free delivery
carrier. The officials are asking
whether this is not an unanswerable
demonstration of the great prosperity
prevailing in the west The message
was in the interest of Winfield S.
Downs, and Postmaster John T. Wag-
ener at Odessa Mo did the telephon-