The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1878-04-12
Little willy.

Little willy.
Do any Of the Vide Quake boys take
an interest in opossums?
During protracted stay in Australia,
1 had many opportunities of observing
the frolicsome gambols of these woolly
elves of the forests. They were widely
removed from the "sluggish or
"stupid little creatures they seem to
be in America.
[ have seen one of our fields left in
the evening ready for the next days
carting the rich, heavy sheaves nicely
set up and capped in compact shocks,
running from end to end of "A "pad-
dock" of thirty acres and have visit
ed the same field in the morning, to be
reluctantly convinced that my favorite
opossums were really the mischievous
imps all Australians consider them.
Scarcely line of shocks remained as
it was but, instead, numbers lay pros
trate, the sheaves scattered, the bands
united, and the heavy corn beaten and
trampled down, partly eaten, and scat
tered about in woful waste and disorder.
The chief scenes of the destruction
were within wide circles around several
very large dead gum-trees, which had
been singed and lett to perish and up
and down these trees, and among their
great bare branches, and round about
the shocks of corn, it appeared that the
maddest of the opossums' revels had
gone on.
l kept one of the common species,
tanned, in my house for some months,
and / learned their troublesome activity
too well.
One of our servants, when out at
night shooting them, killed two does
as the female opossums are called
each having young one in her pouch.
And these he brought to me. They
were then about two-thirds the size of
an ordinary squirrel grayish- brown,
soft-furred, sweet-faced little creatures,
and 1 was as delighted with my prize as
child, and directly ordered large
tea-chest to be made into cage with
thin bars and q door on one side.
AS the man went on preparing the
new abode he observed quietly:
"Ah, miss I've known many a peo-
pie as KEEP tame 'possums, but never
one as wasn't glad to be quit of EN-
again !"
This, however, I treated as most I'M
worthy prejudice, and it diminished
nothing of my zeal for the comfort o.
my poor little orphan pets.
L gave them a warm bed of wool anC
fresh hay, in which they hid themselves
during the day, olasping each othel
with their paws and tails into one roun(
ball. I fed them with bread soaked
in milk and sweetened; but for the frs
few evenings L had to give it to then
very carefully on account of their shar]
little teeth and claws. Afterward the,
fed themselves, picking a piece out O
the saucer and holding it in their fore
paws. which, as well as the hind feet
have the toes 80 long and slender as t
seem just like fingers; and in these lttl
creatures the texture and color of tn
skin was soft and fair, quite delicat
pink, like baby's fingers.
They grew fast and played with eac
other at night, and after time began
eat young corn, grass and parsley. On
day, when clipping the thyme in m
flower-beds, unfortunately offered ther
a small bit in blossom. One of them n
fused it; but the other ate small spri
and coiled itself up to sleep again.
friend, dining with me that day, hearin
me mention having given some thyme [
the opossum, Immediately said that
would die.
At night; when the cage was, as usua
arried in from the veranda to the hal
saw that the one which had eaten tb
hyme was i'll and would not touch i
food. It's eyes were dim, its nose b,
and dry. My attempts t. relieve it WEI
all unavailing and it grew rapidly worl
not noticing the efforts of it's lit
companion to rouse it up to play as usu
and in the morning it was dead.
The survivor, little Willy, continu,
growing and thriving well, and SOC
learned to unfasten his cage and let hir
self out iuto the hall, and then such
scampering and scrambling and leapir
and scuffling began as no decent hous
hold who did not keep tame POSTUM
ever heard before.
Up the wall and along the row of h
peos. knocking off all the hats and par
soils to begin with then, before you h,
time to catch glimpse of him, friski,
into the parlor, twisting his long tail oy
the top of chair and swinging by
gently to and fro, till, suddenly, he tax
aim at the sideboard, springs upon tn,
kicking off everything in his way, such
stray decanter or vase OF flowers th
he runs around the back to the cent
scroll work where he sits plotting n,
mischief, though seeming wholly occ
pied combing his whiskers with a fol
paw. If my open work-box were on I
table, he made it a rule to spring U
hook his tail into it, and straightw
upset the whole apparatus, flying befc
the scattered contents into corner a