Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-07-17
FOND OF HIS PETS
A Letter From Young Marquis
Manfred de LAMA.
DESCRIBING HIS ANIMALS
Tragic Fate Of a Squirrel That Fooled
With FEscrackess-A Hzizisss
Dog Full Of Fight.

arm only twelve years Of age. and do
lot often write for publication. al
though have a ssrapbook full II sto-
Flss nave written from time TO time
ever since 1 WA a very little boy.
Now that | have learned 10 use the
typewriter and help mamma with her
novels 1 ind il easier 10 write. and
gladly comply with your request 70 tell
the story Of my pets, and l am sure II viii
interest your readers. because have
had 80 many pets. and they are all diff
ferent from other people's
The first pet l ever owned was dog.
a beautiful Gordon setter. called her
Lal. after grandpapa's drst novel We
were great friends and used TO romp in
the park together until one day Lal
chased a squirrel over one of the flower
beds and the policeman on guard told
me never % bring a dog in the park
again. But Lal caught the squirrel. and
when sc tried % take it from her she
broke away and ran home, where l
found her half an hour later licking
the poor little animal. which was more
dead than alive: but nursed IL care
tally and by the end OF week he was
quite well again and very friendly with
"LaL" IL WAS flying squirrel and
used % tease the poor dog To death, for
when '.Lal' would chase him upstairs
and almost have her paws upon him no
would give spring over '-Lars" head
and sail downstairs, never landing IN
I'll he reached the bottom, and by the
time LAR had half tambled down.
stairs in her haste the squirrel was
quietly pcrched out of reach on top Of
the hat rack
did not have my squirrel very long,
however. for when the Fourth Of July
came Dino. my big brother, and
dubbed together and bought about
twenty dollars worth Of fireworks. We
took them out into the yard and began
fixing things ready for the evening.
.La" and the squirrel thought we had
come out 10 play and began running
abou. among the fireworks. We saw
the squirrel nibbling at something in
the pack and stepped forward To drive
him away. but Just then the cannon
crackers and fireworks began to go of
In every direction. For a moment "Lal-
stood ground and parked at . pack of
crackers, but when the rockets began To
whiz about the yard we sought shelter,
and as soon "a oneof them struck .Lai'
she followed Us with yelp. Poor
squirrel. we saw him make a desperate
leap Tor safety. but just then magnifi-
cent fowerpot weat on and up he went
In blaze Of glory. and when oil had
subsidized and we put out the grass that
had caught fire we found our little pet
huddled up i'm q corner. every hair
singed from his body and the flesh raw
and blistered-
We wrapped him mp in soft linen rags,
but he never recovered from his burns
and few days later he died Poor
little fellow, he was the first to fll
rave in our little graveyard near the
Aek fence.
missed my pet very much. 50 mamma
ought me a japanese rabbit, but did
pt have time 20 get very fond of him:
y used TO chew everything he could
Ind and one day he chewed up the
BDols's new boots. Cook was very angry.
Sut the next day she left her old gloves
On the fiocr and the rabbit chewed them
up. think cook put something on the
gloves, for few hours later our rabbit
was dead. and when we dug his grave
near that OF our first pet ''Lal" stood
by and rubbed her nose against my
cheek and whined and whined
We both felt the need Of company. 80
when some one gave mamma beauti-
fug white An9ora CIT we were very
happy at FIRST, hu. the new member of
our little household had very bad tenn