The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1885-06-04
A CURIOUS PEI.

The Franks of a Tame Woodchucl1-How
He Played with the Kittens.
Perhaps some of the young readers
would like to hear about tame wood
chuck had few years ago. There
was boy coming from town one day.,
and saw some boys tormenting some
thing they had on the ground; when
he got near enough be saw it was q
little baby woodchuck that had not its
eyes open. Being fond of pets he asked
them what they would take for it They
replied five cents. So the exchanges
was quickly made, and he brought ID
home and laid it in my lap and wanted
me to take care of it. | got a teaspoon
full of warm milk. but the little thing
could not drink, so opened its mouth
and dropped drop at time till he
had swallowed two teaspoonfuls, then I
made him a bed of soft grass and laid
| him in it, and what do you think he
did? He made a small hole and
crawled into it out of sight and
went to sleep. But when he woke
up he was hungry and I had to-
| feed him as did before, I don't know
how many times day, till he was two
weeks old. then he began to drink and
open his eyes and began to play just
like little kitten. After he got so he
could eat nicely, used to take him
into lettuce bed had in the garden.
Oh, how he did love it! he would eat
| till he could not walk into the house,
! and L would take HIM in and put him to-
bed and he would go to Sleep When
he woke up he would run after me and
bite my dress and take hold of it with
his little hands. His feet looked like
small hands, and never was too busy
to stop and play with him a few minutes;
ne was the incest little pet ever had
Whenever we had cheese in the house
he would smell it and he would run
| from his hiding place and make a pc
culiar whistle until we We're glad to
give him all he wanted He would sit
upon his hind feet, take whatever you
gave him and eat every crumb We
had two little kittens that used to play
around where he was, and Chuck
would watch them; then he would step
in and help play, just as they did, lay
on his back and kick both back and
front feet, but as he grew older he
would play so rough it would end in a
quarrel, kitties running one way and he
another.
One day l heard a noise in Ollies
sleeping-room, and in going in there
what do you think l sawP Why, Chuck
on the bed between two sleepy kitties,
patting first one, then the other, til he
woke them up to play; and for about
ten minutes they played, when the kit
ties went out of the window an | he
rolled over and went to sleep. Livery
day he would crawl into. the window
and lay down between the kitties and
sleep. No matter where he was, if we
wanted him we would call Chuck,
Chuck, Chuck, and he would come. He
stayed with us tilllate in the fall; he was
large and fat, and he could just waddle
along. On Sunday morning he came
and wanted his breakfast; then, after a
good play with me, he went out into the
cellar. We had been troubled with rats
He found their roads and enlarged
them and drove them all off, but this
Sunday night ne did not come when we
called Chuck, and we never saw him
again, and we felt badly at losing him.
There were great many rats around,
aud suppose he found them and liked
their company better than ours. DC
trout Free Press