Library Notes
November 19, 2004
By Pansy Hundley, Librarian.
My mouse story has stirred up more stories from other people. One man at the Post Office asked me the other morning how my meeces were doing.
Another one came into the library today and was telling me about his little "friends", starting to come in from the cold. I got so tickled at him, I had to relate his problems to you.
We’re speaking of Jim Lee, that man you see around town, riding on his motorcycle. He is a retired Air Force veteran and he relates many of his WWII exploits or those of some other fellows in his squadron or those that flew in other planes. But, this time he was telling his mouse troubles, in accompaniment to mine.
Jim walked into a room in his house the other day and there lay two pecans in the floor. That kinda stopped him, because he did not believe that he had been strowing pecans about. At least, he did not remember doing so. Within a short time, he began to see some droppings around and was immediately sure where the pecans had come from.
He drug out his handy-dandy mouse trap, baited it with peanut butter and patiently waited to nail the house intruder. Nothing happened. Then the bait was gone and the trap not tripped. Jim came to the conclusion, finally, that the culprit, in order not to get himself caught, was putting one foot on the trap, to keep it from tripping, and leaning over to eat the peanut butter off. (That is a waste of good peanut butter too.)
Time to take off the kid gloves and resort to sterner measures, Jim concluded. So, he got out two more traps and proceeded to bait all three of them. He got some lean bacon, wrapped it around where you would normally put the cheese and secured it with a twister. Hah, Mr. Mouse, now let’s see what your do!
Sometime later, Jim, sitting in his easy chair, heard this thumb, thumb, thumbing racket coming from that "mouse" room. And, here’s what he found, upon investigation. Evidently, Mr. Wiley Mouse, foot on the tripping mechanism, leaning over for that tasty morsel of bacon, and not knowing about twisters, had let that foot slip and he now had both back feet caught in the trap, with the bacon still firmly attached. What a predicament for a mouse to be in. He was kinda’ thumping around on the floor, trap and all, trying to free his back legs, to no avail. Which, in plain Texas English, says he couldn’t get loose from that trap, but he was sure trying.
When Jim leaned down to pick up the trap, that mouse went on the attack. He commenced to bite at and snap at and try to get ahold of that big human what had him. At which point, he left to go to that big Mouse House in the sky.
Now, had that been me, do you actually, truly, think that I would have picked that mouse trap up, with that mouse hanging off it? Ain’t no way!! I would probably have gotten the broom, scooted mouse, trap and bacon, across the floor, out the door and commenced yelling for a passing cat to come have early Thanksgiving dinner. And – I would do the thanks too, as well as providing the meal.
I’ll have to remember that bacon/twister trick, just in case my mouse decides to come eat dog food again. BUT, if he gets caught in that trap, you already know what I’ll do. That would be as bad as getting one in the sticky-trap. AUGH-H-H.!!!!
We will just politely leave off talking about that wiley, dangerous, creature now, and read us a book. "Indelible", written by Karin Slaughter, that lady that many have you have recently discovered, is what we will talk about. This is her new effort and it’s an exciting new thriller. So, let us be thrilled:
"An officer is shot point-blank in the Grant County police station and police chief Jeffrey Tolliver is wounded, setting off a terrifying hostage situation with medical examiner, Sara Linton, at the center. Working outside the station, Lena Adams, newly reinstated to the force and Frank Wallace, Jeffrey’s second in command, must try to piece together who the shooter is and how to rescue their friends before Jeffery dies.
For the sins of the past have caught up with Sara and Jeffrey – with a vengeance…….."