Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1857-12-15
A SMART SQUIRREL.

Nr. " L. Willis tells squirrel story in the
last Home Journal He and two editorial guests
II seems were enjoying an Autumn ramble in
the woods, when in the midst of their walking
and talking appeared the hero of the following
narrative, seating himself not far away - in his
autO-easy chair of a tail
d" Whether frightened at the liveliness of our
friend sWell-known powers of description or at
the slight French accent that still fingers in his
wonderful tuency of English. the squirrel at
the first rush of emphasis in the Baron's tale
started from his. Down went those enyiabIe
limbs that serve alike the purposes of legs or
arms. and away he scudded up the bank. But
the bank was steep, and the gesticulating arms
"t the tall foreigner looked formidably prehen-
sIle. There was but one alternatiye-theb bridge
across the chasm. But alas, with his loss of
confidence the little -mOnger's usual fore
sight had fOrsaken him. He did not look ahead
far enough to see that, instead of taking him to
the safs side Of the glen, that narrow bridge
ended in the very centre of n large town in
CsppsdOcia'* Dana was astride of the far end
of that single plank, his formidable lap pre-
senting a tOll-gste that there was no manner of
getting round. TwO-thirds across before be
discovered this, the fugitive turned to 60 back
But, with the quickness Of a practiced spOrts-
man. DE TrObriand had closed up the retreat
Stopping In his story at the sight of the sauir-
Tels blunder, he sprang to the bridge. dropped
his Partisan boots on either side of the plank,
inciosing very reasonably frightened topic of
discussion, @.'
And now comes a phenomenon of natural
history, TO which beg to call the attention of
Prof. AgaSss
After running backward and forward in
terrified perplexity, for two or three minutes
the little victim came to a stand-still and pro-
ceeded eoolly to reason upon it, He looked first
at one side, and then at the other. The two
ends Of the plank were laid on the lodges of the
two opposite banks, and, by jumping across the
barrlcade of the Tribune on one side or that of
the Courier des Etats Unis on the other, he
might, at least, land on a rocky precipice, with
the danger only Of slipping off as he should
alight, and so falling into the torrent below.
And this he decided to do but observe the
almost human reason shown in his two or three
subsequent expedients!
His two cheek pouches The was a ground
squirrel, you understand, one of the tdn1tas
igSteTt, with pockets in his face) were swollen
to their utmost distension with his mornings
pickup of prOyender. With a knowing alter
nation of his sharp eyes from one desperate
outlet to the other, he evidently made up his
mind that il would be easier to Overleap the
Frenchman than the Yankee but he came to
the conclusion also, after carefully measuring
the jump, that he could not do il and carry
weight He quietly disgOrged therefore upon
the centre of the plank eight or ten kernels of
cora, and, thus lightened. ran to the edge But
here new thought occurred to him
= You reeOllect the long hickory sapling
which serves as bahlstrade to that otherwise
gidfy bridge over the torrent. Up one Of the
Pine cleats which support the slight railing ran
the squirrel, evidently seeing that he could
jump 70 more advantage from this higher point.
But sitting here for = moment, to gather his
courage and his forces, he bethOught himself,
that, with the jump thus made easier, be light
carry more weight; and, descending again to
the bridge, be picked up One-half Of his pre-
viOuSly disgOrged corn stored il safely in his
cheek pockets. sSeeBded again to the top of the
railing, aud made the leap he had previously
projected. 10 my great relief he alighted
safely. and, with the wreck be had saved from
his threatened bankruptcy, he ran up the
slhntlng ledge of the preeipice and disappeared
Here were certainly evidence Of uncOm-
mon intelligence in this little animal-his sud
den command of cOOlness in emergency. his
deliberate choice between two evils, his pru-
dental fessening OF hindrance, his reconsider
alton Of plan after new light upon the matter
and the final proof how wisely he had calou-
lated the possible savings from his first over
hasty assignment, and how well he had meas
ured his powers for the less desperate leap. 1t
i a story worthy Of perusal in Wall street, OF
Of copying into Thompson's BanknOte Repor-
ter
Dana, large town Of CaPPadOcia. Glass