The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1867-08-21
uNon answered Mrs. SQUIRREL, and

N o." answered MrS. SQuiIIei, "oo
then quite anxious, sat down in the aoor
to watch. By-and-by there was arustling,
but it was only Little Squirrel, the las,
one at home. SO the two sat and Wai1eu
till night came, and then went to bed SAD.
DAYS and days passed, and no Mr.Squir
rel came. Little Squirrel had always haa
very poor health, and thong b their STOCK
OF nuts and berries ran low, he looked loI
no fresh ones: so Mrs. Squirrel worked
harder than ever, and each night sala, :,
think Mr.. Squirrel will come tomorrow:
Mrs. Robin shuok her head, and SAID 10
herself, "He'll never come back ouI ~
inst as we'll she should keep busy, Tor thae
sbiftless Little Squirrel will never 40 any
thing" III. .h,on,b
One day there came walking through
the woods a man with gun on his snoul-
dor Nobody had ever fred gun IN those
woods, and Mrs. Squirrel ran oach anu
forth with her berries fearlessly. g..
"Ha!" said the man, there's d ia'
one F." and he fired. ,.h,1o
Little Squirrel, eating nuts IN MS 19le'
heard a noise. ats laundering" said ne,
and went on eating. By-and-by he hearu
little faint sound at the bottom OF thc
tree. and he went out, and down TO tne
end of the bough, where Mrs. Robin liVed.
Looking from it TO the ground, he saw hcI
standing perfectly still over some little req
hmm He ran fast down to it. All how
dreadful A shot had broken Mrs. SOUR,
rel,s leo and she lay there all bloody, and
without stirring. He thought that she was
dead. >, -,
"Oh what shall I do?" cried he;
ct there won't be anybody to get my nuts"
"Hush about your nuts" SAID mrs
Robin, "and run for DR.. Owl just as last
as ever you can"
DR.. Owl would not come at first, be-
cause the sun hurt his eyes and made MN
wink so hard that he was sure he could
not see her long enough at time to 40
any good. Fiually he did, however, and
between them they carried poor Mrs.
Squirrel to her bed, and there she lay for
many, many days. She was SO old that
DR.. Owl said her bones did not join very
well. and then she was always worrying
about Mr.. Squirrel, till she grew SO thin
that nobody knew her.
She lay one day, aching and miserable,
when shadow passed between her and
the light, and a squirrel came in, old, and
gray, aud thin, and almost dead. For just
a moment Mrs. Squirrel looked at him,
and then she knew that it was Mr.. SOUR
! rel.
He laid down by her on the moss and
cuddlcd up close.
Then they kept very still, for they were
too glad to say one word. They had lived
their life through, and all their last
strength had gone in waiting. SO when
after a time, Mrs. Robin and DR.. Owl came
ND together, there was nothing more to do
for little Mr.. and Mrs. Squirrel had shut
their bright eyes, and laid down their little
heads for the last time, and they would
never raise them again.
"Ah. {" said Mrs. Robin, crying, "there
will never be such another pair in the tree
and not one left that's tit to take thcll
place"
Then she sent to all the birds and all the
squirrels, and they tolled the blue bells
and the wild harcbells that grew on the
rocks, and there was mourning in Squire
Land and in Bird Land. And by-and-by
thew made little nest for them under the
great roots Of the oak tree where they hao
first met, and one day they carried then,
to it and laid them softly in. Their
the Sand Martin shut them in with clay
covering, so that nothing could harm OF
reach them more, and there they lei
them. And this story is told by one who
knows the language Of Bird Land ano
Squirrel Land and this is the end.