The Landswoman November 1919 | Page 17

NovemberJ.. /9/ 9 THE LANDSW0\1AN Boys and the Rat War By Jobn Bond I j H \YE · d look-out for the rat.~. Oar bOy• tu-re h.."\d t.he•r lmagfns•1o115 Clred by the prcbp. c f C!\! ona.l rs'·hilllt which oo~an, ne"tt. week, and tin·~ an· 1 r ·hly prep:Lrlllg oo nd tb~ country of th~ 1 -·- In one Yp bout. \rch~. C r m~ne;, is eoa' anoed that th,. methOd of the Pu•d ro! Jl m Un t th• only ,.ty ctn on • and b'l pictn~ hnn.-,dJ Id n~ acro· I:n-:!~od w1th thWill"o.l. n ~ only trouble I tlelt hi\ b.s' not yet di•co\""ered the ri~ht p or r J::ht tun•. From the attic come daaboh<'.al not- • ' . .H~h prnctr· n~-t on toy oo~pipc~. a hn wbt~tle. a ('Omb. A J w" harp. awl no:.L• -q~kcr5. Two talll') wh1tc rat k.-,ep m comp:1ny au l wh"n th"Y "tart ja.zz•ng he wJII know th:lt he ' tran ph d Th y Ar• ~n! tilroly oo comtnJt s.wcldf'. R nle 1 more on~Jn:s.l.. Onoe whrn h~ wa 1\~ m<'untrd on g p, and u)ll1 eel hook~. to \\"bJda 11,. U11• uire. r~. ay • Aru w h• b.l!t d, u~.udle ;; of eo·t, wath choke I T ~a f bl of l'!r' t and f'b~, th u P'~~d dov;n to the ground n••ar th ru• ' bot fh"re ~~ a hoolc now in thll j:'.ll\len, ~1th rutrul rr~on on I cunnln~ly rontrl\ed oe:u A hole which Rtnnae'! "IL)' th hom• of a hundred rats. It happNll to be the pt-\oo w re at •rn " dug out, but our ftn~r•rs sre on our hrs. ;,te ~~ r •-ID"ttm~ W1th d.\n~r. ll!wing hoarJed up ~ollll.! powd r fro:n a ftruwork that would n<~t ~o off on p,•ace St~U\t, b nst r: Uy turn! to tlr ums. One t.rem•nrlolli ~hot fin-d 1nto a ut h • w.u "~plltaca~ " th:! enemy, and thft vern:un not • • ru k by buU ts wm d~ of sho ·or from th"' Cum . In pur--nat. of h •cl A h ~ lt ramm• l th• powd•r m to an old fhntlock p· tol i d l d UJ• ' b rr•l w.th. t ntact~. " re , ao.t tmfoil from at - ..., •er tly "'~ w.l•"r tb~ po'W'd"r A• reg11larh• ~ the ~ d pbnt.s. · ~·pp r. too, 1 to u• blown tnto tlte hole~. to rn:ske th" rat-. 1 cho "" cmd b trav th r pre ncr. lA t rn' and m kl are Jio:l.rt of tht boy,; outflt, th. lA:te r tn <:...1 th r t~ !!hnll•i "fly" at. th•m; also IOt.harubb•r "hOI's, le obby t.ick • oucaly ptu• to d JSgu tbe human odour, h··dgl>· c.l1pp u to cut. o:f the rat6' tAll , and a •how-ea· forth" large t unents p Th.A I fe of th• rat l b•1n~t "rud up" by thP hoyP. but what. ha !truck th•m m~t. fore hly 11 an aoeount of a bahv havinll b:-en at.t.sebd by rat!. NAto~Uy it foll01Vi that a to.lby must t•• dr;t-ela ' b3 t. So tlt•y h.'\\'P tried to cajole th • charwoman to 1 orlim: th m h•r ~by Cor o~ nl~h~ only. &nd they olt!mnly :riU ntee to -po-t th ·rn~IV<.'~ at nll ~tra~~tlca.l pomt<~ in the l:!Md n &n•l slAy e\ ry animal that bow· H ·lf. lo~ befon- it n b1 the baby. • o far, t~y ha-..-e found Ul<" ch.~rv.oman lactuna in ,.nY.rpn"'. • TheW'()~ t • of lt • 1;~-Qr • • • perhli{IS th<' bl- t.-tha u~rr 4rf' no rat~ "New Zealand b.- n rath<"r •urpn>'('d, wh~n talkm)( to ~ 0111 , t • L \ .\..S. ~·rls about ~mJitratan~t, how r~w h;lve thoug't 1 to \OUr \•'W 7..calan•l. P~rbap, ) ou ha\c heard \~f\· lattl• about C'olony. I know a littlo my;;s-lf, havln~ I!JM.'Ilt fiw )"eca~!tlthat 1 "t'(>. .. ,) I 1\lll try to tl'll you '~Om•·thinll to ln~t'l'st vou Th~ cluna~ of New Z.·al<'nd as sa ad to be o1if' tl-to lX' h' \t of th,. aumm••r i~ rot her tcy•Jnll to ncwrolll;;·r,. 1 0 •t; th ooe t~toon becomes acclnll"t'~d. To gi\'\' you '~Olll(' ,' \'e'~:r Chffi.l~, thl' AfUnl lillC'I thAt Only groW in ho\.-hou.;,ca I Of tbt ot Id ~l'Ot\JOg wild in many r llt••rc thett-'-Oin" }lCO le &n no~al)lLi weed--And tomaoo·~. llTaJ>I'q, p.•a~:hl' ... an~,. a trm~ '"" ne<'d to take <.uch CAr\• of ~ro" to ~rkction i I' le&t.• To tho-~' 11·ho mte nd Ulkmg up d:\iry work it wiU bo n th~> 0 JlCn, I .1m sun. t() know thllt th,. Clp and n•akt- room for 1\ n~'wconwr T ani.} Wf) plea•ure-lovmll p'O{'it', thousrh tht'Y do not abu:.C it'''f ~~ 1\ food of nod .. s hotk·t day m summer Oil" can Alwa" Y com- e ool, ~hady llpot in th,.. btt"h if one Is fortunate cnou/t~ ~nd A 1 0 n~'M it. 'fh" eustom~ tht>l'l' an- just like onr own 1 loc not for the alN'noo of onr fnond'l and rcl.atlws it ~om ... tin"te~ to l'f'!\li"" ~ man y mi\P'I d.ivid~ us from th•· bom~d IMd, and I think thllt ll\et oolps us to settlo there mon> r tct m.bfoep and fruit. I uon't Uunk anyon• n~~ h~ Mraid to \"ent~l'f' to emigrate : tbcl'l' Is pll'nty of work to be h'l.d. and well ~1d, and •" s rule very eon.sidera~ l)l'oplt 00 w~rk for. I som"tame., have felt sorry I came homo, but I h"ve ~:\med a lot by- coming. I wanted to do war work, thoullh I n~ _vcr dt'f'amt of farm work till I landed b"n' : lndrrd, I dJd- not thmk 1t. could oo. D'lllrlt so Interesting as I have lound it and !lOp' tO ront1011~ lt tn ~ eW aland. ' ADA W RIOHT, L .A.A.S. f (Lanes). pll'tdy. wowJ :; :rt· z .. The Joys of the Land Army , Th! omona.t drawin~t~ • are for sale-April, 15s. ; January J t'bru.ur. '{ly, :3'pt•mb~r. Octob~ r, i'\oveml)!"r, £2 2~. each.~ \ pply \ , n . John;t.on, 12, RI• ,,l~ton Road, S .E .l3. our molrthl.taurhood - l>ailv :\Jrn1. The Country Faith F;REin the country' heart Whf•J'(' the gras is ~rcen Ltfc- i the amc S\\1 t i t Jif~ \ it ·, r hath II('Pn. H 1 ru t w r nod ttJI )he .. ~\nu th lx-11 nt morn 1~ with thought •)f r:oal 0 er tho ri mg, urn . l1nt} N>llif" tnJn. dtH\ 11 Ill tht• \: u 1llf' c.ru )' grou tnll- 'lh~Jfl th countryftutb. \ nd the be t of nil Non M ~ t; u.r. A JJ ol ol f:nglt'h PocJrv T. r'. & R. <' . .r •kl. ::6o A Helpinl Hand. Jolly Lan d Girla helpinc wounded aoldiera onr the railio lf• a t the Chertaey Show. Pl•oto, Topical Press D.ul~ Skcldt.