The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-07-02

Where are your brothers and sis
ters?" asked Sweetest Susan
well, you know how il is in the
woods and fields; it is everybody for
himself and everything for itself. Once
out of the nest, you must look out for
yourself. AS for my brothers and sis
tiers, 1 wouldn't know them if l were
to see them, and they wouldn't know
me. Sometimes 1 see my mother, and
she always has a hickory nut or sweet
acorn to give me: but as for the rest.
know nothing about them. 1t is very
comfortable here, where you have
somebody TO clean out the hickory nuts
for you. and L suppose I'll never see
any of my kind any more. A little more
water, if you please-just a drop. Thank
youi Now, if you'll put me in nice
soft place, I'd like to take a nap
But before Fit could get any sleep,
the children felt in duty bound to show
him TO their mother and to their grand
father. The white-haired master, who
never allowed anyone to kill or pursue
the gray squirrels on his place. took the
liveliest interest in Fit. He took him
to the library, sent for some ginned
cotton, and made him a nest behind |
some books on the top shelf. which |
was not too high for the children to
climb to; and there. for many long
day. he made his home.
The library was in a room that had |
not been originally built for holding
books. and the shelves were built
against window, the back of them be-
ing boxed in at that point. Fit soon
discovered that there was a broken
pane behind this boxing, which gave
him an easy way of going out and COM
Ing in. He went out and in TO so much |
purpose that he soon brought a wife |
home, and before summer was over |
he had a very interesting family, COM /
posed OF his wife and four plump chill !
dren-the wonder and delight of Sweet |
est Susan, and, indeed, of all who saw |
them. Mrs. Fit was shy at first, and |
insisted on Scrambling out in great |
haste when Buster John or Sweetest |
Susan came to see the little ones, but |
she soon grew accustomed to these Wis |
its. The four young ones were as tame |
as kittens from the first, and remained |
so; and it was something amusing to |
see them Swoop down from the top |
shelf TO the head of some unsuspecting |
visitor who had been carried to the |
library. where the White-haired Master |
transacted all his business. Sometimes |
the wives of the neighboring farmers.
who called on business were purposely |
asked into the library by one or the |
other of the children. They never failed
to utter wild screams when they found !
wild thing about the size of big rat !
running about over their heads and
shoulders.
Incidentally. the children learned one
interesting fact in natural history from
Fit. They had heard or had read
that squirrels store up nuts for winter
use. But when they mentioned this
Fits surprise was great.
Why, what nonsense he chirped.
In cold weather we find plenty on the
ground, under the leaves, and in the
trees, too. We bury them for use in
summer, before the acorns and nuts
rina hIrt
after the whiskers begin to grow on
the roasting ears in the fields. When
the weather is very, very cold we
sleep, and nobody gets hungry when
asleep"
After so long a time the voice of
Aunt Minervy Ann was heard calling
the children. She had been around TO
the quarters saying goodbye to the
negroes she found there, and sending
farewells to those who were absent.
Major Tumlin Perdue, her former mas
ter. and Miss Vallie, her young mis-
treSS, were going to move to town,
and town was great place in Aunt
Minervy AIMS Imagination. To 90 |
there to live was something wonderful.
She didn't feel at all certain that any
of her old friends would ever see her
again, and she said so, shaking her
head solemnly.
You see me now, an you better look
at me good kaze 1 dunno when you'll
see me any mo-. When you tell OF
Aunt Minervy Ann Perdue goodbye
now it may be fer de las time. Mars
Tumlin an Miss Vallie gwine, and I'm
bleeze ter go wild UNI fer ter keep up de
name er de family. 1 dunno nothin'
tail bout desc town doin's; dey may
wipe me up. er dey may wipe me down,
er dey may wipe me off'n de face er
de yeth; but you kin put yo' 'penence
in one thing: or Minervy Ann Perdue
will be dar whites de wipin' gwine on.
You kin lay your las thrip on dat"
Having told the negroes goodbye in
this solemn manner. Aunt Minervy Ann
now came to tell the white folks fare
we'll And first she called for Buster
John and Sweetest Susan, but the chill
dren would not hear to any goodbye SO
early in the day. They insisted that
Aunt Minervy Ann should stay to din
ner and tell them story. She pro-
tested. and they insisted. Finally,
driven into a. corner, she exclaimed:
EFF you tell me 'zackly how 1 cotch
dat ar flynn squirt, I'll stay an tell you
a tale bout damon mine dat I'd like
nightly ter happen wild Marse Turn
lin. If ii had "a been sho huff dia-
mon mine. But you got ter tell me de
first pop; no guessin'."
Tell her, brother" said Sweetest
Susan.
We'll" remarked Buster John. 1.-TWO
hawks were atter the squirrel lie was
on a dead pine. One would try to catch
him. and then the other You came
along through the field and saw the
hawks, and drove them away. Then
you saw Fit and picked him up and
carried him home.
Aunt Minervy Ann made a wild ges-
ture of alarm. "Whar my things?
Nhar my basket? I'm gwine way fun
here. l amt gwine ter stay whar
gwine on in de broad
light er de day. Gil me my basket an
femme go.'
But the children knew she was only
so they chung to her and
insisted on the story.
(FND PART XIII