A Mouse in the House

We have had an unfortunate wildlife encounter. No, we didn't run over a moose. One night about a week ago we heard a scratching sound from somewhere near the rear of the coach. Dorcas thought it was a mouse in the coach. I was in denial and disagreed. I thought the sound was coming from outside, perhaps branches or leaves brushing the side or top of the coach. Our fears were confirmed however when we found tangible signs of a mouse. Under the galley sink he had nibbled on some apples and potatoes and in a drawer he had shredded some dish towels and a pot holder. There were also some more disgusting signs. Dang. He was apparently settling in for the winter and building a nest. Having had mouse invasions in our previous coach and our travel trailer, I was prepared with mouse traps already on-board. I set up traps under the sink and in the towel drawer. Since we knew he liked apples, that was our bait of choice. It turns out this particular rodent was a worthy adversary. For several nights in a row, he took the bait in both traps, but never sprung either one. Then last night I heard the trap spring under the galley sink. Yes! When I looked, there he was. Unfortunately, he wasn't dead. He wasn't even injured. It seems that he had sprung the trap, but the wire snapper had missed him entirely. He was sitting on the trap munching on the bait looking at me. I looked at him, he looked at me. I blinked, he blinked. Before I could whack him, he scurried away. Dang. Now he was probably trap-wary, and we would never catch him. However, we were persistent and continued to set the traps. Sometime this evening Mr. Mouse's luck ran out. He got nailed in the towel drawer. I just hope his family is not on board. We are keeping the traps out, just in case.