Evening star., 1945-10-06
This and That
By Charles E. Trace,Deu.

Well, folks, what we are going to tell
you about today was given us directly
by the hand of God.
An opossum-or, simply, possum, good
colloquial American-came into the back
yard just after dark.
Nobody but the cat, however, saw him.
Feline ears and eyes were made to
apprehend such things.
The cat sat with ears pricked lin
his eyes straining down into the
rhododendrons just outside the dining
room window.
There was great rustling of the oak
leaves Sprinkled thickly there.
1T must be a rat we thought. Or
possibly cat. Or maybe just a bird,
fiutterlng among the leaves.
** -
The next day, our neighbor informed
us that he had sick possum in his
flower border.
Sure enough, he had
There was the beastie, living on its
SIDE, its long, pointed face extended.
Inc black ears were crinkled, and the
handlike paws spasmodically struck the
earth.
The poor thing was having convulsions
OF some sort.
Perhaps it had been struck by a car,
and had crawled away to die
Maybe it had picked up poison of
some sort.
Or perhaps it was just dying natural
death, something which one rarely sees
among the wild animals.
The first person who saw it spoke of
Slight froth about it's mouth.
This was what later gave rise to a
report that the animal was rabid.
This, together with the way it snapped
at dish of milk offered it.
There were, then, four theories of
what was the matter with it-rabies.
natural sickness, poisoning and motor
accident
Each person who saw the possum had
violent conviction that it was one and
none other.
The milk was offered on the theory
that the beast might have been poisoned,
and in the hope that the fluid might
help it.
The possum had other ideas.
When the dish was gently pushed
toward 1t, he seized it with those
marvellous hands" and then bit into
the edge, upsetting the milk over the
grass.
Thereafter no attempt was made to
give it anything, as it was quite evident
that it was beyond help.
The convulsive character of it's spasms
spoke eloquently of poison, some OBJ
servers thought
The opossum is omniverous in its diet
eating almost everything from corn to
small birds.
Insects of various sorts form a con-
| siderable part of it's diet. He also eats
young chickens, mice, moles and rabbits.
| 1t might have been possible that he
got hold of some insects which had been
treated with the new insecticide. DDT
| Or possibly he had eaten mouse which
| had been poisoned.
/ Since no one had a gun. to nut the
| poor thing out of its misery, the police
| were called.
But those busy persons were extremely
| busy at that time, functioning in q
parade for one of the local heroes re-
turned from the wars.
1t happened that when the call came
.Aieo oiic PoaoC oedeAoAl, tilCIc WAS q Small
boy there waiting for his sister to get q
renewal of a learners permit for driving
Donnie" said the Sergeant, with a
grin, there is man over near you who
has possum in his back yard, and he's
scared to death of it. Will you handle it?'
Donnie said he would, and he did
bearing away the dead possum, as it was
when he arrived, in the dignity of his
deputation as Junior Police, and giving
1t decent burial in the rear of his yard
- After ALL parade and possum in
j f-ae afternoon-i