The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1888-01-11
for tbs CHILDREN.
Tale of n Squirrel.

able gray squirrel is extracted, by per-
mission, from private letters:
He began life by tumbling out of the
nest when an infant. He fell into the
hands of my nephew, then at Harvard,
and lived in his pockets. He could be
put to sleep at any moment if made to
stand on his head--which was odd, but
convenient. He always went to recita-
ton, which must have been very graft
flying to the professors. He became
mine at the end of is summer vaca-
ton. That is, / said would keep him
" until he became absolutely intoler-
able" Time would fail to tell of all
his funny ways. He was a big fellow
with superb tail. His intelligence
was marvellous. He knew everything
that could affect his own life and
great deal more than many human
things. He knew right from wrong,
and he learned from experience, which
is more than can be said of all men and
women. If | left him alone in room
| knew the moment | came back if
he had been doing wrong. He never
could keep himself from betraying it,
(IIis chief sin was tearing off slivers of
wall paper) would then pick him up
and say: " Oh, you naughty squirrel,
what have you been doing?" and carry
him around the room. When l got
near the place his guilty conscience in
variably compelled him to shrek. Then
would flick his nose and say, $50 away,
you naughty squirrelN' and he would
fly to corner of the room and fling
himself on his stomach, with his fore
and hind legs stretched out to their ex-
IRENE length, and his bushy tail curled
over his back and down his nose to con-
ceal his shame.
When he thought / had forgotten the
affair he would begin to pull in leg.
l would say " Naughty" and down he
would go, flatter than ever. | have
kept him on his stomach in corner for
half an hour simply by that one word.
Then | said, " You may get up now,"
and he would rush to my shoulder and
kiss me in funny, mumbling way he
had. He invented the whole perform
ance entirely himself. did nothing
but follow his lead. But he was most
interesting always, and one never tired
of watching him or of wondering at
his perfect aplOmb and at the way he
made you feel that he knew as much of
life as you did and the pantomime by
which he contrived to express his
process of thought.
The most remarkable event of his
life has some interest for naturalists.
He was lost. He was gone two weeks,
and was brought back, wretched little
wounded, bruised and moaning thing.
His head seemed battered in, his eyes
were closed, he could not swallow. He
cried when / put him away from me
| int bic Gnrt hin, in q
basket always by me. Even at night
had to put him by my pillow, for he
moaned so if | kept him at the foot of
the bed. tried to feed him on sopped
bread, but he couldn't eat, and he grew
to be bag of fur with some bones in
it. AT the end of about two weeks he
suddenly sat up and began to wash his
mouth, and then half his tongue
sloughed off Che must have had it Bit
ten through in fight with wild SPUR
rels). Immediately he recovered his
beauty and his insolence; but, alas! a
worse disaster had befallen him. You
know rodents die if their teeth grow
so long that they can no longer gnaw
His had grown because during his i'll
ness he could not keep them filed
down on nuts. | summoned all my
nerve and took him to a dentist, who
cut off the teeth, and for time all
seemed well. But had to leave home
, for some weeks, and on my return
| found the teeth again so long he
could not crack a nut They grew
larger and larger, and turned around
and around toward the roof of the
mouth. | was very much grieved. | felt
| must kill him. bought eight ounces
? of chloroform and took my tin cake.
!. box and was about to do the deed
: when it occurred to me that per.
i haps / did not know how to do it sue
;; cessfully. So l wrote to DR.. -,
: and asked him to please come and
. tell me how to kill squirrel. Curios-
: ity brought him at once. When he
saw the victim and heard the tale he
said: 81 call it murder, plain and tiat'
You might as well kill baby! Take
!: him to DR.. -" Qhe dentisD
r DR.. - fell in love with him, as most
people did, and explained to me that he
would first cut off half the length OF
the teeth, then the nerves would re-
g tract, and he would cut off the rest tC
> the right length two weeks later, anC
t thus the squirrel would not suffer pain
= The burden of the operation, | must say
fell upon me. l had to hold him, and
he could kick like mule. You know
squirrels are very strong in their hint
|. legs. / don't think he was much hurt
!; but his rage and indignation at the
d whirligig thing dentists use was un
o bounded, and his shrieks brought PEG
I pie in from the street to know wha
!. was happening. AS carried him of
the dentist said: " Come back in two
Z weeks and | will take the rest Off"
a shall always believe that squirrel hearC
q him. The moment he got back into
d the house he seized a hickory nut ant
= went to work at it. The next morning
r saw slight knick in one of the teeth