The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1890-11-28
Boys squirrel story.

With some of the war gossip of to-
day has appeared the remark that the
American boy inherits very little of the
sturdy traits of character that marked
the heroes Of the Revolution" In
other words, that in courage the
Americans are degenerating. Young
America believes this is all nonsense.
All over the land there are evidences.
they say. of superior culture and
strength, and If foreign foes should
come they will find that in the char
acter and courage of the American
boy there is nothing wanting. An ex-
ample:
The Berskeart family OF seven boys,
living south of the city, compares favor
ably with their great-grandfather. who
was hero in 1912. Their grandfather
was one of the early settlers Of Indiana,
and he delights in relating to the boys
the adventures of their ancestors. But
the other day the boys forced their
''grand-pap," as they call him, to adj
NIT that they are not, inferior in cour-
| age. They have a single-barreled shot
gun that will throw shot about thirty
yards, and they have killed young rab-
bits and squirrels with it; but have also
wasted about five pounds of shots and
powder on an old squirrel that lived in
a large oak tree. The other day the
bows saw this veteran of the wood in a
Mulberry tree helping himself to the
delicious fruit. The oldest boy. who
( is Just fifteen. crawled up to the tree,
| leveled the gun and fired at the coveted
\ prize. The shot knocked off a few
leaves and tiekled the squirrel but he
did not fall
He ran up the tree frisking his tail.
Then he jumped from the mulberry
/ into the branches of beech. and from
the beech he crossed into a tall maple
sugar. The top branches of the latter
crossed large limb of the massive
oak. The squirrel mounted the limb
of the oak. and ran down about fifteen
feet to a curve. Then he looked cum
ningly at the boys and disappeared in
hole.
The younger lads looked at the squir-
| rel's vanishing tail With considerable
dismay, but the older ones exclaimed.
'sIf he kin do that we kin, tool" One
boy ran home after climbing material,
| and In another half hour the two Older
boys came sliding down the large oak
limb with all the material necessary
for a capture. A cage was placed
| over the hole. One boy sounded along
| the limb, aud then cut open a small
cavity. Then he inserted a slim stick
into the den, and in a moment more
the old sly squirrel ran out into the
! cage a prisoner. A ball of twine was
then fastened to the cage and it was
lowered to the ground. Then there was
nothing for the boys to do but to come
down, but first they had to go up that
limb.
Probably any other persons in the
same position, supplied with a hatchet,
would have fallen off or cut notches to
climb up by, but not so with the boys.
They had tried cutting notches with a
dull hatchet before. One boy drew
from his pocket a number of large
nails that are used in building bridges.
He then drove them into the limb,
like the iron hand-holds on the tele.
graph poles. Then. in about ten min.
utes more, the boys. including grand
dad, u who had come out to see what
they were up to. gathered around the
cage to view the prize. The old veteran
turned his eyes up at the dizzy hight.
and as the tears twinkled under hi:
glasses. he said:
Boys your grand-dad would abr
afeared to done it."
The boys are now supplied with q
Winchester rifle, and they are practic
ing on squirrels eyes a hundred yards
with remarkable success
They will soon be ready for the in
vaders. Indianapolis Nesos-