Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-06-03
STUBBY TAIL,
Take-Em-Alla and the
Rest of Them.
BY ELIZABETH NJ. wALLINs.

Three squirrels lived up in one of the big
elm trees. at Lincoln Park, Chicago. Only
three, so the story goes, Lamikins. but all
the while we'll just know there were more
squirrels in that nest of course. we can't
ever know their names, but they were
there, and l haven't the least doubt were
just as good squirrels as Stubby-tall and
Take-em-all SO wen just call them, for
short. The-rest-of-them.
Il don't see what in the world that old
squirrel mother was thinking of to select,
in the first place. such a little cubby-hole
Tor such big family TO live in. OF course,
II there had been onl Stubby-tail and Take
email, thered have been plenty OF room;
but The-rest-of-them were always crowding
and pushing, and matter how much
mother squirrel scolded or cuffed, they'd
simply take their punishment. and then
they'd begin all over again. SO one day
mother squirrel thought she'd stop scold-
ing and cutting, and take a little run over
head in the park and see what she could
find in the way of new home.
She started out jumping nimbly from
one tree to another-the trees are very
close together, there, Lamikins-but before
she had reached the third tree l lost sight
of her, somehow: so 1 didn't know whether
she had found place that suited her, or
not; but 1 watched and soon concluded
that she had, for you know. Lamikins, that
squirrels never come back till they find
what they went for. And back she came.
flying over the branches that spread out
SO fiat, like an umbrella, over our heads
when we walk in the park.
'Of course, everybody knows that the rea-
son the branches grow fiat like that is to
keep the spirrels from falling through on
the peoples heads, so l won't have to stop
to tell you about that.
IF you Lamikins, could have been there
and seen the scramblingi Stubby-tail
didn't want to get out of the nest because
he was afraid. The rest of them would
make fun of his tail. No one knew just
how Stubby-tail came to lose that part of
himself, although l strongly suspect that
Take email nipped it off one day and used
it to lunch on, and then told mother squir-
rel that The-rest-of-them did it. You see,
one could lay almost anything to The-rest-
of-them and not be afraid Of its being found
out. They never would tell If one asked
them, and if you looked at them real hard
they were sure to get thinner and thinner,
till you almost doubted their being there at
all.
Finally, mother squirrel got them start
ed, with Stubby-tail hugging close to her
and sticking up his little end of tail, try
ing to make 1t look as plumy as possible.
When they reached the second tree mother
squirrel had to jump back and forth a num-
Der of times to show them just how it was
done. Then, finally. Stumpy-tail tried it.
He took long breath and eounted-just to
himself. you know-one. two, three! and
over he flew. safe and sound. Mother
squirrel looked across for Take EN- all to
come but Take email was nowhere to
oe seen. She called and called him. II we
had walked under there just then we
would only have heard squirrel chatter
ing: we wouldn't have known that mother
squirrel was calling to Take-'em
'-Iiow do 1 know it, then. you ask?
"Ch, it's impossible to keep a secret
when The-rest-of-them are anywhere
around; they tell it to the Wind, you
know, and when once the Wind gets hold
of it. it isn't secret any longer.
What? Last night when it blew so
hard?
yes, 1 believe it was, now that you
speak of 1t.
well. mother squirrel had to go way
back to the nest before she found Take
email. And there he was down in the bot
tom, greedily eating some nuts that he had
walked any faster than he walked ahead of
his mother to where Stubby-tafl was wait
ing for them. However. handful of sdutr-
RETAIL hair that she found in with the
nuts may have had something to do with
the matter.
'Of course The-rest-of-them were over
by this time and now they were all so used
to walking on carpet of leaves that they
tripped along as jauntily as you please.
The third and fourth trees were crossed,
and, Just at twilight, their new home was
reached. And such home! Ii would al
most hold two or three families. And in
one side little room partitioned off, and
I've no doubt that if Take-em-aH don't
mend his ways he'll have chance of soli-
tary confinement, with bread and water,
instead of nuts and squirrel tail.
.sThat's the end of the story, LamikinS
The last / knew they were all cuGdled
down TO sleep-inother squirrel, Stubby-tal
Take-em-all and The-rest-of-them-