Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-08
cause he found . place where thsss we're
always nuts.
Apartment House Pet

cause he found . place where theso we're
always nuts.
Apartment House Pet
In the upper part OF Manhattan there are
many vacant lots. from which the old trees
have not all been cut Next to one OF these
lots where there were several willow and
catalpa trees a large apartment house was
put up several years ago. The squirrels
that had been going up there from the
nearby Riverside Park In search OF food
were not at all disturbed by the big build
Ing, but continued to visit the place as
they had before IL built Soon the
tenants noticed them. and every morning
used to throw nuts to them under the
trees.
The fire escapes of the building are all
at the back. overhanging the vacant lot.
one day woman was watching and feed
ing the squirrels from thrd-story dining
room. window, when IL occurred to her that
she might be able TO coax one OF them 10
the fence separating the lot from the court
of the building. So she chirped TO him and
he scrambled to the top of the fence. This
was on level with the windows OF the
first floor.
Guided by her coaxing. he ran along 10
a stout iron bar that reached from the
brick wall of the house to the fence.
crossed over to a window sill. sprang from
this to first floor balcony OF the fire es-
cape and waited.
The woman now determined to get
him TO the third floor. so she chirped and
called until he started up the iron ladder
of the fire escape She then made n tempt
Ing array of nuts on the window sill and
drew back into the room TO watch. Quite
urdaunted. he took nut. returned TO the
ground with It, buried IL and came back for
another. This time he ate one on the sill,
chattering and shaking his bushy tail as he
cracked II. That afternoon he made sever
al trips, and the next morning when the
family came out to breakfast he
calmly waiting for them outside the win
dow. They welcomed him with the biggest
and most appetizing nut they had. and
after that he came regularly every day.
Soon the other squirrels came, too but
his human friends could distinguish him
by deep notch In his left ear He was
large and his coat was rich and soft but
In his fluffy tail was almost always matted
a burdock or bit of bramble. so. you see.
he was of an inauisitive and bold DISPOSE
ton.
He became we'll acquainted with the third
floor family In very short time. He even
let the mistress of the household stroke his
fur when he was eating nuts, but he would
seldom let any one else touch him. lie
never ate his nuts on the window sill, but
stepped inside and sat on a chair. He
threw the nut shells all over the floor and
rug and when ii was rainy he used TO
track in mud and water. but nobody OBJ
tected, and he seemed to enjoy II.
He became very particular. too, about
the kinds of nuts he would eat, and soon
refused to touch peanuts, Some days he
would take nothing but English walnuts
and some days only Brazil nuts and al
monds- He learned to find the nut bowl
for himself. Then he ate many nuts
that one day the nut dish WAS moved up
on the high shelf of the buffet, well out
OF his reach But he soon found out where
II was. BY climbing to the radiator from
chair he could spring to the buffet. and