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Rat Yarn
(Washington)
Folklore
FORM A
Circumstances of Interview
Washington
J. J. Stauter
Seattle, Washington
December 19, 1938
"Rat Yarn"
1. Cleve Woodley, Seattle, Washington
2. December 19, 1938
5. A. F. of L. Union Hall
4. None
5. None
6. None
FORM B
Personal History of Informant
Washington
J. J. Stauter
Seattle, Washington
December 19, 1938
"Rat Yarn"
Cleve Woodley, Seattle, Washington
1.
2.
3
etc. (Not obtained)
A rat yarn, told by Cleve Woodley,
retired sound skipper:
"Years ago I was shipping out of Port Townsend as a quartermaster. In
those days there was more rats on the boats than there is now, and the
boys used to brag about how big and tough the rats were on their
particular ship.
"There was also a lady who run a seamen's boarding house who had a pet
white rat that was tame as a kitten. One time a couple of the boys got to
wondering what would happen if this white rat was turned loose on board
ship among the big Norwegian grey rats. They ended up by stealing the
white rat for the experiment.
"The ship was going to Australia and back, so there was plenty of time to
see what would happen.
"Well, the white rat bred with the gray rats, and before long the ship was
overrun with the mixture. And the funny thing was, they was even bigger
and more ferocious than the pure greys. It seemed like they had no fear or
respect for a man at all. The boys in the fo'c'sle had a hard time keeping
them out of the way. But the worst thing was when they had to take one of
the men up to the skipper for treatment of bites and scratches all over
his face and hands. It seems he got some lemon stick candy from the
slop-chest and hid it under his mattress, and he hadn't even got sound
asleep when two of these mongrel rats tried to get at the candy. The first
move he made they turned to on him, and would have just about finished him
if the other boys hadn't been nearby."
Text from: Library of
Congress, Manuscript Division, WPA Federal Writers' Project Collection
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