The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1912-03-21
Fins, FurS, and Feathers.

Fms, furS, and FeatherS.
1t was raining last Friday evening
when a long freight train came to
a halt with the engine stopped abreast
the water tank for a drink and two
members of the "Sons of Rest, 4" who
had failed to fGd travelling the pleas.
ATTEST. crawled from the top of a
stock ear loaded with wheat and skunk
away in the gloom to one of the shacks
at the edge of the bottom land Just
north of the O.-W. X. & N. station.
The horney footed Williams had that
lock of disciples of Ike Walton who are
returning homeward TO spouses after a
day of proverbial tisherman's luck.
However, they lacked thaat undercur-
rent expression of expectancy which
the empty stomached husband, looking
forward to food, has.
] he tramps were disgusted. The
rain was cold. The Mount Hood and
the Oregon were too brilliantly illum-
mated for them to attempt to pass Bob
Stone, the city's guardian by night,
and appealing to the PICTORIAL tender
ness of the sympathetic citizens with
hard luck stories. They certainly
looked as if they had had hard luck.
Even the bat if it had been the sea-
son for such night fowls and he had
been fiuttering in the neighboring
zephyr could see the blue haze AROUND
them.
"Oh, -" uttered one of the big
children of misfortune and what he
said was growled with such emphasis
as to create kind of warmth around
him and his companion, wish we
could corral one of them rats the Sc
attic doctors have turned loose Let s
beat it to the Sound and try to manip-
uate the wires so as to cop one of
them rodents. Pink, yellow. red and
blue rats, he laughed Some duck
won have heard of them beasts and
will have a double case Of the mmie
when he sees one of them. But Whut 8
the use, no Seattle rat Il ever get down
here. Hike your carcass over a bit
SOS | can get my Siesta.
Kidding himself of his speech, the
hobo sprawled out on the floor of the
hut and amid a series of grunts as
portions of his anatomy became better
acquainted he finally fell asleep. his
breathing sounding like those sounds
that satisfied pig emits. His COM
panion in misery lighted a carefully
rolled cigarette, made from the paper
of yellow Rag and scrapings out of a
sticky pocket, resigned himself to the
consultations of my lady Nicotine. -
He may have been thinking, but the
brain impulses must have been gentle ;
for he didn't move muscle, and the
cigarette was approaching that stage
known as the "buts', when pattering
noises sounded in the doorway of the
cabin. The hobo was used to night
noises, however. Probably a couple
of big gray backs settling dispute. -
were his thoughts. The noise became
more acute; there was scamper
across the floor and sharp squeal.
"Durn rats, he muttered. and started
to lie down and seek the embrace of
Morpheus, when looking toward the
doorway he saw what seemed a gray
shadow and beside it pink one. He
raised himself on his elbow.
"Shades of ham and eggs, he whs-
pered to himself in agitation, "lts one
of them Seattle rats. He wondered
how he could catch the varmint. He
was afraid to make noise, fearing
both rats would belt out of the door.
Maybe they'll come further in the
house," he reasoned He waited. One
of the rats must have bitten the
others tail, judging by the squeak and
the battle that ensued as the two
rodents rolled further and further away
from the doorway.
Seeing his chance Weary Willie
leaped as though his life depended on
his efforts. He swore when he discov-
cred there was no door, but as the pink
rat dsrted beneath his feet he stepped
on one of its hams and reaching down
grasped the beast. The yell aroused
the night operator at the station, who
reported next morning that two
tramps had been fighting in the "Jun.
gles". Swore he heard one of them
yell murder. In fact the hobo yelled
punctuation of profanity. that kind
that unexpected pain produces. You
know what you say when you bump
your head in the dark.
The sleeping hobo arose as if he
thought his friend vas dying and saw
him choking the rat loose from his
right hand. This accomplished, he
held it by the tall and dashing il
against the door jamb, scattered "ro
Dental gray matter over the sill.
what in Kingdoms ailin yer
Mike?" asked the awakened sleep r.
want a beVy of blue bellies dowr
here pinching u.s.?
But besides that inert feeling thai
every hunter has, when he has killet
his quarry, Mike scented the reward
for the painted Seattle rat. dead oi
alive" he said, they'll give twt
buks for 'em, but that son of gur
made a meal off my hand before | fin
ished him. "
To make long story short, th'
tramps exhibited the rat in the cit!
Saturday morning. explaining tina
they were going to try and get to Sc
attle and claim the reward. However
a number of the expert naturalists af
ter an examination. broke their dream
by declaring that the rodent was
freak and an slbino member of the 10
cal rat family.