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A WOOD RAT BURGLAR. 



The Western Wood Rat, not unlike the 

 magpie, is a noted pilferer of small arti- 

 cles. Both the bird and rat will steal 

 things that can be of no possible use to 

 them, apparently for no other reason but 

 to commit mischief. Such purloined ar- 

 ticles will be carefully hidden away and 

 the owner is left to vaguely conjecture 

 what has become of his little belongings. 



The following story of an Oregon 

 Wood Rat is true in every particular: 



In the Willamette Valley, near the 

 Coast Range of mountains, lived a well- 

 to-do rancher, who had a man and his 

 wife employed about the farm, the latter 

 as a domestic. 



It was summer, and the weather being 

 very warm, the rancher's wife was in the 

 habit of leaving the windows of the house 

 raised during the nights, for comfort. 



Soon the rancher's wife began to miss 

 little articles, spoons, knives and forks, 

 spools, needles, scissors and a great many 

 other useful little things magically van- 

 ished. At first the lady was sorely vexed 

 and perplexed over her repeated losses. 

 She consulted her husband and he failed 

 to throw any light on the subject. 



Finally the lady suspected the hired 

 man's wife of the petty larcenies, but she 

 forebore making accusations without liav- 

 ing positive proof. Long and diligent 

 search was made for these missing arti- 

 cles, but not the slightest trace could 

 ever be discovered. It was most mystify- 

 ing and provoking. At length some of 

 the lady's jewelry disappeared, including 

 a small gold watch ; then her little silken 

 purse containing money. By this time 

 lx)th the rancher and his wife were posi- 

 tive that the hired woman was the thief, 

 but did not openly accuse her, as thev 

 could yet prove nothing. 



One night the rancher carelessly laid 

 his purse, containing a sum of monev, 

 on the bureau. The next morning the 

 purse had vanished and could not be 

 found. 



The rancher then accused the woman 

 of all these thefts, and ordered her and 

 her husband to leave the place. They 

 were very angry at the accusation, and 

 both vehemently protested their inno- 

 cence, but the rancher and his wife would 

 not relent. They even threatened to pros- 

 ecute the couple. 



A few months after the latter went 

 away, the rancher, while hunting one day 

 in the woods, came across a monster nest 

 of a Wood Rat. The nest, built in the 

 forks of a leaning tree, was fully half a 

 mile from the rancher's home. 



Prompted by curiosity, the rancher 

 chopped the tree down, shot the Rat, 

 which was a very large one. and tore 

 open the nest. 



When the Rat's home was examined 

 carefully the mysterious thefts were ex- 

 plained at a glance. In the animal's 

 home was found every article that had 

 disappeared. The gold watch, jewelry, 

 and the two purses, with their precious 

 contents untouched, were all there, just 

 where the thievish creature had stored 

 them carefully away. 



How many long trips to and fro the 

 Rat had made was never known. But the 

 animal had shown an industry worthy 

 of a better cause. All his work was done 

 during the night. Hidden by darkness 

 the animal entered through the open 

 windows, prowled around at will and 

 noiselessly assisted himself to any ar- 

 ticle that gratified his fancy. As none 

 of the articles could be of the least use 

 to the rat, it might well be wondered 

 what possible instinct prompted such gra- 

 tuitous thieving. 



Both the rancher and his wife deeply 

 regretted the injustice done the suspected 

 couple, but it was too late to make repa- 

 ration after the real thief was discovered. 

 The mischief-loving Rat met a deserved 

 fate. J. Mayne B.\ltimore. 



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