Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1876-01-13
The Adopted Squirrels.

"A. j." IN the Christian Union tells
this pleasing and, as he AYERS, true story
for the boys and girls:
Frank knew of tree where a family Of
gray squirrels kept house. That is, the
father and mother squirrel kept house:
the young ones were too little to gather
nuts or do much OF anything to help.
When Frank stood under the tree the
old squirrels looked down at him uneasily
with their bright eyes and whisked their
beautiful bushy tails and chartered as if
they wished he would go home, and Frank
wished that he had one of their little ones
to take home with him.
One day as he came near the tree he
heard an unusual chattering, and he saw
lying on the ground one of the little SOUR
rels that had fallen out of the tree and was
half stunned
The father and mother did not know
just what to do, but Frank did, and in
spite of their fierce chatter he took their
baby squirrel carefully in his hands and
ran home with it to his Aunt Jenny.
Aunt Jenny was very fond of pets, but
she didn't know very much about SOUR
rels. On thing she knew, however, that
little baby squirrels cannot crack or eat
nuts, but want milk just the same as kit
tens do. But the question was, how were
they to get this poor little squirrel to take
milk? He had revived and Aunt Jenny
knew he must be hungry st last she
thought of plan. She put some milk
into her mouth and, holding one end of
a quill between her teeth, she managed to
get the other end into the squirrels
mouth. To her surprise the little creature
began to draw the milk through the quill
just as eagerly as you draw cider from the
barrel through straw.
When they found how we'll the plan
worked Frank found small bottle
with a cork in il, and Aunt Jenny put the
quill through hole in the cork. So
the baby squirrel took his milk from a
bottle standing on his hind feet on Aunt
Jenny's lap, and clasping his little fore
paws tight around the neck of the bottle.
1t was funny sight! Frank told the
boys, and they not only came to see, but
they brought three other little gray squir-
rels to Aunt Jenny and asked her to take
care of them! Such little bits of SOUR
rels as they were! Their eyes were not
open yet, for about that, too, they are like
kittens. Aunt Jenny thought it was a
funny idea for her to be bringing up
family of squirrels, but they were such
cunning little things that she liked them
as well as the boys did. She didn't think
it quite right though, that they should be
taken from their home in the woods, and
she told the boys so. They promised not
to bring any more if she would take care
of these. The newcomers took the bot
tie just as the first one did, and when they
were hungry Aunt Jenny found her hands
full. They would nibble at her finger,
and when she brought the bottle they
were so uncivil, tumbling over each 9TH
er, pushing one another aside, and behav-
ing in such very greedy way that she
thought she should have to get bottle for
each squirrel. But the boys thought it
very amusing.
1t was pretty hard for the squirrel that
had had the fall, for, though he was the
largest and strongest, one of his teeth had
begun to grow out over his lip in way
that made It difficult for him to hold the
quill in his mouth after he had succeeded
IN getting it there. And sometimes the
milk even ran out of his mouth! Aunt
Jenny noticed this and decided that he
must have hurt his mouth when he fell
So she had to be doctor She held chic
reform to his nose till he seemed to be
fast asleep; then taking pair of sharp
scissors she cut off the end of the little
tooth so that it should never be in the
way again When the squirrel awoke he
was as frisky as ever and found that he
could hold the quill as well as the other
squirrels could, and without losing any of
the precious milk, either!
hope some day Frank will let his
squirrel visit the old home in the tree and
tell the rest Of the family what good care
Aunt Jenny had taken O. it, 1t might
be comfort to father and mother squir-
rel