Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-06-16

darling. They win stop my pocket money.
and did want to buy you beautiful fry
| ing pan to hang UP In your cage. Worse
| than that, 1t seems like telling a story.
1t makes me feel dreadful; but they shall
no. know 1t was you, never, never, never"
But this was not Beauchamp's only form
OF naughtiness. he was. as the shopman
had said. "a regular nipper." He nipped
curtains and shoes and books with equal
satisfaction. Once when ne had nipped
the little girl he ran of and put himself
into corner and sat there until he was
| forgiven, little ball of miserable apology.
| Then one dreadful day he attacked Hum
| phrey. The little girl declared that 1t was
Humphreys fault. The grown-ups thought
the solemn little cousin a model visitor.
But then they had not seen him feeding
benefit of her health. Whether Beauchamp
| had been doctored or whether he was only
! jealous of the little girls new pet, though
I'm sure he needn't be-" as she brutality
hated Humphrey.
One day. as the squirrel was sitting on
the table enjoying his morning nuts, Hum
phrey suddenly tried to seize him. When
the little girl looked up Bueachamp was
sitting on the top of the curtain pole,
gaily throwing down his nut shells, while
poor little Humphrey stood in the middle
OF the room, blood dripping from his fingers
I and almost too astonished to cry.
"Oh, Humphrey. dear. Tn SO sorry" be-
| gan the little girl; 'toh. don't cry please;
please don't cry; IN give you my knife.
| give you the currants picked out of my
cake yesterday, only don't cry. I'll let
you be Beauchamp's uncle IL you like. I'll
| let you be his grandfather. too, but don't
| tell them he bit you; and. oh, don't cry.''
| But in spite of these lavish bribes the
| howl resounded through the house; fright
| ened elders poured In on every side.
AS q consequence of this crime the squir-
| rel was banished to the bedroom, but he
was not lonely, for his devoted mother
passed the greater part of her days in his
society. Indeed. she was obliged to be
up there whenever she was let out, for a
broken window made possible an escape
| to the roof. But one day when she was
playing with him she was called down.
stairs. and. meaning to return directly, she
| did not wait to shut him up.
Suddenly In the middle of the night she
awoke with the cold start of neglected
/ duty. She slept alone. SO no one heard her
as she crept out and battered upstairs to
and empty. The moon was shining In at
the window, and by its light she searched
| about.
A desperate idea came to her rs she
| stood there shivering. Out on the landing
| stood ladder, and up this she began to
| climb. There was a skylight at the top.
| The bolts were stiff and the shutter itself
was very heavy. but at last with q gasp
she pushed 1t up. and there she was stand
| ing on the fat roof.
'Oh. DEAR dear, I hope they win not
think I'm a burglar and shoot me-" she
faltered, forgetting that burglars are not
usually dressed In small scarlet dressing
gowns.
She sat down beside chimney and
thought OF the well beloved. The tears be-
gan TO trickle down her cheeks. The damp,
salt taste was like the feeling in her heart.
Suddenly. she sat there, something
sprang upon her shoulder and with little
chirrup of satisfaction snuggled In under
her dressing gown.
NV aTuA NV had fn
little girl as she cuddled the prodigal: a
starved and smutty little prodigal, for in
stead of land Of riot and plenty he had
| only found cold and hunger among the
chimney tops.
So 1t was a very repentant squirrel that
was taken down and put to bed And in
| her joy at his homecoming the little girl
| forgot the pain that he had caused her.
Soon after this the little girl went to live
| In the country. Beauchamp went also and
now found escape easy. He did, indeed
get loose on several occasions, but he al
ways came home In humbled and CRATE
full condition. One day the little girl ran
into the bedroom In an excited state.
"oh. Beauchamn what do you think7'
she cried. "Oh, I've seen little wild SPUR
rel running about In the garden. At first
thought 1t was you, Beauchamp, and
then / knew It couldn't be because 1t ran
away. 1t was much thinner and teenIer,
and 1t had almost a white tall, Beau
champ. dear. l have asked 1t to come
In and play with you, but / don't know IL
1t will. Beauchamp. wouldn't It be sweetY'
Beauchamp. who had been drinking water
while ne hung upside down, one OF his
favorite accomplishments. here tumbled
headlong Into the jug and came out a very
wet and extremely bad-tempered squirrel.
Every morning when the little girl took
him his bread and milk she half hoped to
find he had a visitor. But she was disap-
pointed, and about three days later, when
she went in, there was not even her own
little boy there to greet her. She ran into