Uncle Dick and Lisa's Old Time Animal Tales

In One Instance the Foundations of a Modern House on the North Side Have Been Seriously Undermined by the Rodents-Up to Now Worst on North Side.

It develops that Waukegan has been invaded by an army of large rats which promises to develop a most serious condition, especially on the North Side where the pests seem to have taken up headquarters.
At first the mere statement that rats are infesting a neighborhood would be taken as a sort of joke and people would smile as they neglected to look at the seriousness of the matter. However, this rat invasion is no joke as those who have had to deal with them will vouch.
Undermine Foundations.

So serious has the pest become that in one case the walls of a modern house were undermined by the rodents to such an extent that the plumbers had to be called to adjust the pipes in the basement which were threatened by the weakened wall. The wall had to be strengthened and the excavations caused by the rats had to be filled up.
Destroys Clothes.

In another -place the rats were so pestiferous that they destroyed new clothing in a clothes basket; in the same place they carried off half a cake one night.
In the latter place all efforts to catch the rodents have proved vain and finally the head of the house has borrowed a ferret to see if he cannot catch the destructive creatures. The ferret is turned loose nights and its success has not yet been reported.
Run Over Traps.

The particular lot of rats which has taken possession of the houses on the North Side seem unusually clever. They are so elusive that few have as yet been captured. It is said of them that they run right over the traps in many cases and seem to defy the best of rat catching cats.
Much destruction has been wrought by the army so far and neighbors in the particular locality are wondering what to do to get ride of the pest. Waukegan has no professional rat killer but in Chicago there are men who make a business of cleaning out rats from homes, hotels, etc. Unless things change here pretty soon, it may be necessary to seek the services of somebody of this profession.