Democratic Sentinel, Volume 2, Number 8, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 April 1878 — A Little Girl’s Pet [ARTICLE]

A Little Girl’s Pet

For the past two or three weeks a family by the name of Flaherty, residing in Burlington, Vt., have noticed that their young daughter, 7 years old, has each day stolen into the back yard with pieces of bread, meat and whatever else she could lay her hands on in the shape of food. When questioned she invariably answered that she fed her kitty with the food. Nothing was thought of this, the mother supposing that her child had made a pet of some stray cat. But on Monday the action of the little girl was fully explained. About the middle of the afternoon she went out with her accustomed supply of food, but shortly returned with an enormous rat in her arms. The parents of the child were both absent, an 18-year-old daughter and an 11-year-old son only being at home. Like most young ladies of the present day, the sister lost all control of herself, and, jumping upon the table, commenced a series of hysterical cries. The brother grasped his young sister, who at this time had dropped her pet, threw her upon the bed, and then went for the rat. He inaugurated the contest by trying to kick the rat to death. But the animal showed fight and was much too active for the boy, grasping him by the pants a number of times, but fortunately not being able to fasten his teeth into the legs of the boy. Finally a poker was secured, and a well-directed blow stunned the rat. It was but the work of a few minutes to hunt up the famil j cat, but when brought into the room the rat had regained his wonted vigor, ana stood in a corner at bay. Nothing could induce the cat to make an attack, notwithstanding she was repeatedly thrown upon his ratship, and the boy found it necessary to finish the rat with the poker. Miss Flaherty and her brother state that the rat made a hissing noise when attacked, something like a snake.— Exchange.