The Virginia enterprise., 1908-05-22
THE CABLE
FERRET
A Veracious
Nature Story
Copyright. by w. G. Chapman.)
By
Edwin J. Webster

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
flour'shing business.
"One afternoon Uncle Billy strolled
down to the village, and, as he always
took heartfelt delight in seeing other
people work, he put in most of the
afternoon watching gang of men lay
= cable through telephone conduit.
They could lay the cable through only
one length of pipe at 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
'quered.
1T certainly would answered the
foreman, sarcastic like But that's
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 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 4 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 we'll. Uncle Billy
looked at the ferret admiringly.
There isn't another ferret in the
state of Indiana that has the intelli-
Bence of this. animal of mine said
Uncle Billy complacently. When your
Uncle Billy brings a few rats, that
ferret, and his own massive intellect
Into play, he's going to revolutionize
the telephone-cable-laying industry
"The next day Uncle Billy caught a
few big rats alive in trap. After a
little difficulty he managed to tie a
long piece OF cord about the body Of
Sach rat. Then he began training the
Ferret.
One afternoon Uncle Billy, accom-
panied by his trained ferret, and bear
Ing on his arm covered basket con-
tanning a 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-
1ul-like
Those eight-inch men of yours
are doing the best they can,' he finally
said to the foreman. But with the aid
OF little invention of my own and
this intelligent ferret, can lay cables
through block of pipes at once
"The foreman allowed that as a
merry Jester Uncle Billy was a sue
cess, but that he wouldn't be able to
cash in heavily at the cable-laying
game.
Go back to the farm, Uncle Billy
said the foreman, raise butter and
eggs, and listen to the merry song of
the cows; but don't come down here
Interfering with the mysteries of elec-
1ricai science
But, finally, as Uncle Billy was
sure he could make good, the foreman
agreed to give him a chance to try
his invention. Uncle Billy took the
end Of one of the strings that was tied
10 rat and fastened it to 4 stout