Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-06-25

Gods suffering ones. and immea;.,
adopted these orphans tor his "a'e!
The next day was one of great avn oNh'
to the foster mother. He ms sstyy
some way to feed these queer chiIallh1
He first tries milk with a spoon 'i oa;
without a spoon, with a straw ana
without a straw, but all to no ,r aaa
and now is about ready to give IN "a" pli,,
dear grandma, sick in another ro nas
calls to see the queer children '0,a'
Howard brings them and puts 49, 30
carefully in cushioned chair b ssla
her. After looking at them awbile ore
said: 'Howard, ! have u plan for , sas
You know my old cat that has losf' o ~;
her kittens but one; WE'LL. / think ~ ~
would be glad to adopt these ou T.s
children in place of her missing oa.s"
Howard was not long in gettina il,
hat, or in getting the cat and hese o "s
lone kitten. He brought them :. ~
grandma, who placed them in ,bo
chair, and when quietly sleeping, +.
placed beside the cat the orphan CHI
drcn of the squirrels. Old Tahh.
opened her eyes and looked sharp y
them for a few moments, then sha
carefully washed each one. and tnl.
them, and apparently concluded 10
take them for her own
Howard was very glad to give I'm
these queer children to so good ri
friend as old Tabby proved to be.
in q few days, but T.
%th1yn, y lack -ur-czrssoG on
by's part. Never had children a mZ
devoted mother or one more thorou6h,S
ly interested in their welfare. She tried
to bring them up us model cats; but
alas! like some other mothers, the
children didn't do a ) they We're told.
New trials awaited her every day with
these queer children. Sometimes they
would climb up the chairs and COM
mencc to gnaw, but old Tabby would
hasten across the room and give them
q good smart box across the ears.
seeming to say: Stop all these tricks!
You must be cats"
They grew very rapidly, although
the kitten was much the larger, and
was left to care for herself long before
these new children.
At II time the mother cat brought
for the dinner of the kitten a little red
squirrel, not mistrusting it might be
distantly related to the other children.
Weeks passed by. and they were now
full-grown squirrels.
Tabby had gone with grandma to
her own home, a few rods distant.
Every day, however, she came to see
her children, and would lie for hours
beside their wire cage, OF frolic with
them about the roo if they happened
to be out Of their cage.
The autumn was now approaching;
the nuts had begun to ripcn on tie
trees. The squirrels had occasionally
been allowed to run on the nut tree
near the house, but had always re-
turned.
At last, one bright Sunday morning
in October when every thing is so
beautiful out-of-doors, these queer
children of the forest planned their cs-
cape. In the early dawn they got
away from their prison-bars and ran
toward the nut tree We called them,
but in vain. They ran a little way,
Looking around when we called them,
not content to rest on the IL tree,
they fastened on, faster and faster, to
the thick wood beyond, and when once
there all trace of them was lost. They
had become handsome pets, with their
long, bushy tails, and had learned
many cunning tricks.
Our queer children have never come
back to us, but every autumn gray
squirrels come to the old nut tree near
our dwelling, and we fancy they know
us, and have heard of the s%ojourn Of
their ancestors in our midst.-CAyaslias
Union.