The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1873-08-02
Our Squirrels.
BY MRS. A, w. CURTIS.

Such lovely home 1T was /! A low.
rambling, old-fashioned house, with
plenty of room III it, with a fireplace
and SHINING brass andlronS IN the sit,
ting room, where we all loved to gather
about the bright open fire. Upstairs
there were the queerest little rooms,
opening from each other IN the most
unexpected places and sly little hooks,
cupbOards and closets, which made it
delightful place for the children to
play hide-and-seek. Outside there
were broad verandas, and beautiful
" bittersweet vine clambered all over
one side of the house, shading every
window, and creeping inside If there
was the least opportunity. There was
an immense black walnut tree at one
corner OF the house, and every fall the
great green balls would come humping
down on the messy roof in a perfect
canuOnade when the wind blew hard.
There were also butternut and bitter
nut trees scattered among lovely ma
piles and pines IN the grove IN the front
of the house, SO that 1t was not ut all
strange that a colony Of red squirrels
had taken up their abode on the
premises.
The little rogues became SO tame
they would scamper about the veran-
das, and peer IN at rs from the window
sill, and finally they came to the con
clusion that the house was large enough
for US and them too. In some unac-
countable manner they got between
the partitions and In the walls, and set
up housekeeping for themselves at
every convenient point. Such
scampering and chattering and
squeaklng as they did manage to keep
up!
About once IN five minutes a careless
mishap would send a huge nut clatter-
ing down inside the walls, and the
whole settlement would rush after it,
and when 1t was at length captured
there would be a great quarrel and
fuss over it, and we led anything but
quiet life.
After the first frosts the nuts lay
thick upon the green grass, and Dotty
and Dick filled their little baskets, car
RED them up stairs, and spread them
out on the floor of small store room,
until they had gathered quite guam
tity, which they were to have for ''their
very own We grown up children also
gathered great quantity, and spread
them out IN the carriage house, think
ing what a fine time we would have
cracking and eating them around our
open fire during the long winter eve
nings close at Land. But our squirrels
supposed we were taking all this
trouble for their special convenience,
and to our establishment every nut in
the carriage house was speedily trans
ferrei to their various store houses.
We found some OF them afterwards hid
den away under piles of corn, and IN all
sorts of Out-ofthe way places, covered
with rubbish of various kinds. The
children supposed their treasures were
safe and did not go near them for
some time. The unexpected arrival of
d friend made 1t necessary to go up
stairs and see that the guest chamber
was in order. Something very peculiar
about the appearance of the bed at:
tracted our attention, and we proceeded
to examine it, when, to our surprise, n
lV0lnW rolled out and dropped at our
feet. Quickly removing the covering,
we discovered at least peck of nuts
of various kinds hidden away between
the blankets and sheets, and it was
evident that family of squirrels had
made every preparation to spend the
winter in our cherished spare bed.
How did they get there? We went to
the little store-room-every nut was
gone,
A struggling branch of bittersweet
had crept through a broken pane of
glass. and the careless children had
left the doors aiar. This was the drop
too much The whole family were
willing to let Dominic commence hos
tilities against the little thieves, and
shortly after we had peace, quiet, and
plenty of nuts to crack.
MEDICAL MANIACs-There are mum
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