Year: 1875

sometimes occupies this position for an hour
without moving, till a mouse makes its ap-
pearance, when by Sudden start, appear
emily without any effort, she seizes her vic
tim by the neck. AS soon as her prize is
secured she seems to be electrified with iov
and trembles from head to foot, uttering a
kind OF wild murmur or growl, resembling
the halfsuppressed snarl of wildcat. On
arrived at the house, and making known
the object of my visit, the mother express
sed her willingness to give me an exhibition
OF the strange popularity of the baby pro-
vldlng L would promise not to make their
names public, as she seemed to dread the
notoricty already given to the affair. [, of
course, made the required promise, and the
privilege of witnessing with my own eyes
performance so wonderful and novel that
can never forget the impression it made
The babe was asleep when [ arrived, and
on awaking she started at once on the strange
mission. She is beautiful little blonde
of delicate features and bright blue eyes,
and her hair lies all ever her head in ex-
qulsitel y-formed golden curls, about the
circle ola dime. There is nothing unsual
about the countenance of the child, or diff
ferent from that of any pretty-featured
baby, except while taking her game. Then
her eyes become glistening and fixed, spark
ling like gems, and her face and hands turn
pale as wax, while she appears to hear or
notice nothing going on around her, but
keeps her eyes steadily centered on the bur
row whence she expects her game to sally
hn oil h.,
child, and myself sat in semicircle around
her, silent as if in a spiritual seance waiting
for the signal of departed spirits. Had no
mouse made its appearance, the sight was
one never to be for gotten, the deathly
pale face of that motionless child, and the
riveted, sparkling eyes concentrated for
thirty minutes on that mouse-hole in the
brick hearth During that half hour we
neither moved nor spoke above whisper,
when suddenly, like the springing of
trap, the little things hand went down on
the hearth followed by the fine squeak of
the mouse, and that strange, low growl and
singular tremor of body of the child As
usual, she held the mouse by the neck in
her right hand, while it squirmed despera-
tely to get away. She then pressed it up
against her bosom, and felt of it gently and
softly with her other hand then she would
dexterously change hands, carefully keep
ing her grip on the neck to avoid its bite,
though her mother told me she had been
frequently bitten and while sensitive to
pain and crying at the least ordinary hurt,
she never was seen to vince or show the
least pain from the bite of a mouse. [ ex-
amined her fingers, and found them Scared
in many places where she had been bitten.
| tried to relize how the the feat had been
accomplished, but it was done so sudden
there was no time to analyze it. Yet, [
was assured by the family, who had taken
frequent observations, that the mouse when
once out ofits hole seems to become charmed
or magnctized, and has no power, or at least
shows no disposition to escape till caught,
when it is too late. IF any one approaches
the child to take the mouse away from her,
she will utter shrill scream and then try
to conceal her prize by putting it into her
mouth.