The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1905-01-30
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e PINKY'S ,
( PREFERENCE J
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Most wild animals stoutly resist all
Of our well-intentioned efforts to bring
them up in door-yard ways. and take
to the woods again with the first OPP
portunity. | have tanned many squir-
rels, but, sooner or later, every one
of them has escaped to the wilds.
have never known but one wild ami
NAL that wanted to be domesticated,
that refused to stay in the woods
when taken there; and this was lit
tie possum, named. from the color OF
his long nose. "Pinky."
He was one Of a family of nine that
l caught, several springs ago, and
carried home. In the course Of a few
weeks his brothers and sisters were
adopted by admiring friends; but
Pinky, because he was the "runt," and
looked very sorry and forlorn, was
not chosen. He was left with me. l
kept him, for his mother was dead,
and fed him on milk until he caught
up to the size of the biggest mother
fed possum of his age in the woods.
Then l took him down to the old
stump in the brier-patch where he was
born. and left him TO shift for him
self.
Being thrown into brier-patch was
exactly what tickled "Br'er Rabbit"
half to death, and any one would have
supposed that being put gently down
In his home brier-patch would have
tickled this little possum still more.
Not he! went home and forgot him.
But the next morning. when break
fast was preparing, what should we
see but Plnky, curled up in the feath-
er cushion of the kitchen settee, fast
asleep.
He had found his way back during
the night, and climbed in through the
trough of the pump-box, and had gone
to sleep like the rest of the family.
He gaped and smiled and looked about
him when awakened, altogether at
home, but really surprised that morn
ing had come SO soon.
He took his saucer OF milk under
the stove as II nothing had happened.
We had had a good many possums,
crows, lizards, and the like, SO, in
spite OF this winsome show of conf
dence and affection, Pinky was borne
away once more to the briers. He did
not creep "a by the pump-box trough
that night. Nothing was seen Of him.
and he passed quickly out of our
minds. Two or three days after this
! was crossing the back yard, and
stopped to pick up a big calabash-
gcc-d that had been on the wood-pile.
| had cut a round hole, somewhat
larger than silver dollar, in the
gourd, intending to fasten it up for
the bluebirds to nest in. 1t ought
to have been as light as so much air,
almost, but instead it was heavy-the
children had filed it with sand. no
doubt turned it over and peeked
into the hole, and loI there was
Pinky.
How he ever managed to squeeze
through that opening / don't know.
but there he was, sleeping away as
soundly as ever
But that's just like him-always a
puzzle He is most stupidity wise or.
most wisely stupid.
And what became of him then? NV
heart smites me whenever think OF
II. i took him back again to the
woods the third time, and again he
returned, but blundered into a neigh.
boris yard, and-and a little later he
was drawn up in bucket Of water
from the bottom of that neighbor's
well, still asleep, only-they could not
wake him up.-Dallas Lore Sharp, in
st. Nicholas.