The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1896-10-11


mad been every where and spent
lis childhood i'm the Trinity river Vaile[
Of Texas which is flooded all the year
&c unc. sad it was the worst rain he la1
ever seen
For Days there had been steady
o"wapour til The ground was like wet
sponge. The burrows Of the ground
was Ike "a wet sponge. The luriOws
OF Tho ground squirrels. or striped go
Pliers. were nllcd with water. ana II was
found that the winter $ store OF corn
and hazel nuts might bee ruined. The
Only one i'm tie town who was not drown
eel out and compelled 10 hide among the
ir trees ana lilacs was Father Marmot.
re escaped because. as head Of the town
ana grandfather OF the colony. he had
selected the only knoll i'm the place and
had dug his 5urrON nigh ana dry with
one deep mole lediins down TO water
I'm sunny weather he would sit on this
knoll hour after hour to give warning
of the approach of cats or dogs. or. worst
Of an, of small boys. Upon sigh; of an
enemy he would bark anc every inhatI-
tant OF the town would chatter angrly
and scatter TO cover IN their burrows.
ln this trying time Father Marmot. VINO
was, after All, only a lat and grizzly
little squirrel whose tail was getting bald
dLller than those OF the younger ones,
Father Marmot Wa looked up To as the
only one who could properly meet the
emergency. There were many councils
under pig lOw-branchcd fir tree near
tine Knoll and the noise of the s0uir-
reis. an chattering together. was SO
Impressive that the catbirds. who were
noted iot their cloGuence. bee .me cnVi-
Gus.
Finally Father Marnct was asked to
CIV" decision. tCr some moments
me heac OF the village combed his long
moN~tAche iilW mis- laws and then said.
lily children. the wcrid is not perfect.
we must have Che rain To- nll the hazel
nat shells with fat kernels. and I'm al dav
CT TWO our homes Will Doe dry Let us
wait under the dry hI tree for the sum
same. and 1 Wll tell yol n story Of the
winter that an' twenty Of my ucouie
spent IN DoarrcI avenue in Chicaeo
I'm those days W. lived iu Glaccland
ccmeiefr n "a secluded corner near n
niue grove Of trees and 90 long distance
rom the entrance OF the grounds. was
playing sentinel as usual enc sunny af-
t'fnoon. when ! saw TWO boys coming
toward our home became so inter
ested ~ them that forgot TO give warn.
ing. one OF the boys carried ii big wa
terine pot such as the gardeners use COR
Watering the flowers. and the other On.
hau a. long cloth bag. / noticed this ba,,
particularly. for il was nearly as long us
ine boy and seemed 20 be- divided into
TWO parts bv -athering strina, in rho
lniooie. Then there was another gath
ering string at the top Of the bag. 81
you see. there We're really TWO bags i'm
one.
suddenly ono Of the bows shouted
There goes one. Isn't 10 a beauty? ID
went into that hole
When the boy said Isn't i; beauty
thought for moment that he rn..n+
me. bat just then ne two ran ~ tbo
bAfrow or my sister Bright Eyes ana
csan pouring water Gown the hole
inen The boy with the bag put il over
"'e moi" and in minute Bright Ewes
4o9-en INTO the bag. crying 10 me.
Lear Mitmot help me. I'm drown
Then one Of those cruel boys laughed
ana horted. 'near 10 chatter
his made me furious. nr1 eiool ,,.
'r H'sh ass could and banked defiance
fNr~l fhnf rff..+.. f...
ton aad they shouted here is another.
tn ior me- waited as long as
cared. and then ran into my hurrow
] bad TO sooner got inside than an a,y-
though held nv breath and waited as
lpne 1888 possible in hope that the water
would run away. finally had TO make
Tor the 1ir and ] ran straight into a bag
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS i2pp)9DD eta 81 oiillb
Well half-drOwlcd squirrels kept run
INNS into the bug un,l there were TWEEN
~ ore II us. and AN elonc.ng To my
town We th1I-li - would d. abe
10 set out while the others We're ~uaainc
in nr'o We found that thebee was tel
M 80 the centre whenever n was put
over hole ana until after the sround
squirrel had been C..Tcturcd.
For hour 90 seemed. We were ~
crowded together in the little stuny bag
where the steam. from our dry ing fur al
most cAOked us
What perfect little beauty cried
red-cheeked li,tle girl pointing al
Erich' Ewes. and I liked that girl from
fhat time on. What are Won going 10
do with them. Clarence asked another
" "'"c' hc'ore % Hn0r -r rnll ara mo
replied the boy allied Clarence. There
Is barn back u his housc-vou know
he lives In Dearborn aeynns-snd hA has