Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1890-01-17
Charley's Pet Squirrel.

One day when Charley was walking
in the woods near his home, he found a
little gray squirrel lying on the ground
at the foot of a pine tree. 1t was such
baby squirrel that he felt sure it had
strayed away from its home in some hol-
low tree and lost its way back. Char
lies first thought was to hunt for the
tree and find the nest, and give the
baby back to its mother, but as he
looked up he saw great black cloud
in the sky and felt few spatters of rain
Sn his face, SO his second thought was
to carry his founding home.
He tucked the little furry thing un-
der his jacket and ran hcme to his
mother. As he held the little creature
against his heart and kept it warm
there he began to love it, and when he
got home he asked his mother if he
might keep it and take care of it, and
have it for his own pet. His mother
consented, and told him she hoped he
would always be good to the little or
phau squirrel, and never forget to give
it food and drink and tender care.
Then she hunted up basket and
soft old blanket that used to be
wrapped around Charley himself when
he was baby, and she laid the blanket
so as to make nice warm nest, and
then she put the baby squirrel into it.
Charley named him Dick, and then
as he had name and nest, the next
thing was to find him some supper.
It was plain that Dick could not eat
nuts, for he was baby and had no
teeth; perhaps he could lap milk like a
kitten. Charley brought some warm
milk in saucer, and put Dicks nose
into it, but that only made him sneeze.
Charley began to look serious, and his
mother thoughtful, but she smiled as
she spoke:
"When babies lose their mothers they
have to take their milk from a bottle
let us see if Baby Dick will do that.
Here, Charley, take this money and go
to the drug store and buy a nursing
bottle"
Charlie ran down street as fast as he
could, and soon came back out OF
breath with the nursing bottle in his
hand.
His mother poured the warm milk
into it, and put the soft rubber top into
Dicks mouth, and what do you think
he sucked away just like a
little human baby, and 1 don't believe
he ever missed his own bunny mother
again. Charley was so pleased that he
danced around the room for joy.
At first Dick didn't like the feeling Of
the bottle against his fur, so Charley's
mother covered it with soft flannel, and
then Dick was satisfied. He would al
ways put his baby paws around it and
hold it close to him as he sucked away
at his breakfast or supper.
1t was such funny thing for baby
squirrel to use nursing bottle, that
people who heard of it came from all
directions to see the sight, and Dick
was quite the wonder of the village.
am glad to say that Charley was
very faithful to his little pet; he never
failed to have the warm milk and the
bottle clean and ready, and Dick never
went hungry. I wish all the babies in
the world could have as good care AZ
Baby Dick had. He soor
grew so fond of Charley that he would
not take his bottle from anybody else
and he would run all over the house af
ter his little master.
In a little while Dick grew into .
very handsome squirrel; his fur wa,