Evening star., 1938-10-23
Sells Rodents,
But Number
IsUnchanged"
Animals Multiply
Quickly, Offset
All Sales.
BY PHILIP LOVE,
Junior Page Editor.

Bill Moore, the 12-year-old Mary
land boy whose somewhat exasperating
experiences as an involuntary breeder
OF white rats were recounted on this
page several weeks ago, has run into
more difficulty with his pets.
Bill. you will recall, was given
tame rat by kind neighbor, only to
find himself, about a year later, with
at least 100 of the animals descend
ants on his hands. The problem of
what to do with the rodents-how to
get rid Of them without killing them
bafled Bill and the uncle and aunt
with whom he lives, Mr.. and Mrs.
William S. Moore, 10 Melrose avenue,
Hyattsyille. X X
Publication Of the story of Bills rats
brought such quick results .that the
Moores concluded their problem soon
would be solved. A grocer bought
two Of the rodents with the explana-
tion that he planned to use them to
keep his store free of mice. A farmer
IN st. Marys County, Md. took two
more-"to chase the other kind of
rats, the bad kind, out of my corn
house." he said. In fact. Bill disposed
OF enough Of the animals at 10 cents
each to accumulate the tidy sum of
$l.90 almost before he knew it. And
while he was still trying to figure
out how best to spend this money. a
scientific institution in Philadelphia
wrote to inquire if he could supply
rodents for use in research work
X *
So you see, it looked as though Bill
was in fair way to get rid of most of
his rats-and to profit in the process.
Well. read this note, received from
Bill just few days ago:
Il have some little brown babies
with pink noses and white stomachs
paws and the ends of their tails.
They are little wilder than the other
rats. They are the prettiest of ALL"
A check-up at Bills home revealed
that, with the arrival OF the babies"
he was in Just about the same position
as before
I've still got more rats than I know
what to do with he lamented. And
at the rate I get new ones, Ill have
to sell them awful fast to keep ahead
I'm going to move soon, though"
he added and those I don't get rid
of by then, Ill-well, 1 hate to do it,
but guess I'll just have to have
them chloroformed.
X 4 X
Our challenges to our boy readers
to give the girls more serious COM
petition for our weekly prizes brought
from Gunter ZWeig, 15-year-old
German refugee living at 1902 Ogden
street NV, brief letter declaring
himself ashamed for us boys" Gum
ter's brother Stefan, Is. recently
wrote series of articles on Europe
for the Junior Page.
xx
Junior jot:ings:
Margaret Luening. II. Of 6239
Thirty-third street NV. has pet
lovebird named Eve. My sister asked
once" she says. eff we could get
boy bird and name him Adam" i
June Louise Malone, is. of SOB Tenth
street Sc. earns spending money by
selling old newspapers We have
an interesting letter from an S-year-
old fourth-grade pupil at John Bur-
roughs School-all about a trip to
Asheviile, N. C.-but, alas, the writer
neglected to sign his or her name
Mary Evelyn Walsh, IL, of $500 Four
teenth street writes When I read
In The Star that Tuffy, the lion
in sideshow at Wildwood, N. j..
had escaped from his cage and killed
a man I was startled l spent last
summer at wildwood. and often had
stood in front of that cage, which
imprisoned two lions" Marjorie
zuessman. 10, of 235 c street NE.
reports she'll never forget her first
canoe ride. The craft struck a rock
and capsized. ''As l came to the sur
face" Marjorie relates, Il grabbed
the overturned canoe and called for
the assistance of my two companions
only to learn for the first time that
they couldn't swim. On exercising
our vocal chords we attracted some
passers-by, who rescued us. l promised
myself I would learn how to swim
before attenntinp apot tber ooxo> S1I