Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-09-05
Harold Has
a Squirrel

squirrels. Four of the beautiful gray
creatures live in a great tree on the
lawn; and they have made themselves
quite at home there, often coming on
the piazza for nuts the boys scatter
for them. One is much holder than
the others. When he sees Harold
curled up In the big window-seat, he
sits down in front Of the window, hold
ing up his front paws before him ex-
actly as If he we're begging for some
more nuts; and Harold is never able
to disregard the mute appeal.
Lately. however, Harold has spent
much time and patience in teaching
the little creature to trust himself
within reach Of his hand and even to
come inside the house. One morning
he sat nearly motionless for twenty
minutes, holding out big nut, in the
hope that Redtop would take it from
his hand Nearer and nearer came
the little fellow, making sudden rushes
back, and then drawing stealthily
nearer again, his bright eyes ever on
the lookout for some sudden movement
Of Harolds. Then noise would
startle him, and of he would whisk,
scampering halfway up the tree, and
chattering. In few minutes more,
down he would come and try it again,
apparently a trife confused because
Harold always took advantage Of the
fight to change the nut into the other
hand. At last Harold's persistence
was rewarded. Redtop made a snatch.
at the nut, and then carried it off in
triumph.
When he has taken a nut, he carries
it off for little distance, pushes it
down into the ground, pats it down,
and sometimes puts a dried leaf over
it just as if he meant to conceal it
from all wayfarers. Harold thinks
that if you mark the place carefully
and go there the next day, you will
find that the squirrel has taken it
away, doubtless to hide it in his winter
storehouse; but that is work that he
always does in the early morning,
when he thinks no one Is looking.
After that first time Redtop never
kept Harold waiting SO long again.
He keeps sharp watch for stray
dogs or cats; but, whenever the coast
is absolutely clear, he will take the
nuts from Harold's hand as fast as
he can hide them away.
The next step was to bring the shy
little creature into the house. The
library window was left open; and
nuts were placed at proper intervals
on the sill, then on the window-seat
cashion, and then on the back of the
lounge. The squirrel came again and
again. carrying off one nut at time,
seemingly unmindful of Harold and
his mother, who sat, muffled In
or three days passed when the weather
was too stormy or too cold to have
the window left open; but every morn
ing a dozen nuts or more were placed
outside on the sill, and Harold's
mother greeted him from the inside,
him even more to the
sight of her.
AS soon as the weather moderated
again, the nuts were placed on the
library table Gradually the squirrel
learned to hunt for them behind the
books or under Harold's cap or in the
bag, and many good
frolic he and Harold have had to-
gether Harold has never tried to
pick him up, although he has ven
tured once or twice to stroke the soft,
furry back; and he hopes much from
their continued intimacy.
Redtop knows at once II a nut is
bad, even when there is no outward
sign of the decay; and he has clever
little trick of dropping all the bad
ones in certain corner behind one
Of the sofa cushions. Fortunately, the
cushion has a stout linen cover: for
he pulls at it with his strong little
paws in way that would have made
sad work of the red satin one in the
other corner.
The other day Harold's teacher
asked the class to write down a list
Of things that one may learn from pet
animals Some Of the children did
llOJ see HOW OuS Cdu lodlu lluCu LYNN
them, and thought that very funny
question. One little girl said that she
could learn from her cat that she
ought to have her face washed; and
one of the boys thought he had
learned not to be stingy, because his
dog Rollo acted so foolishly about hid
ing the bones he didn't want.
Harold thought minute, and then
wrote out the following composition:
''You can learn many things from a
squirrel. First, to be brave. My
squirrel dared to go right into room
where big giants were, who might
have closed the window on him in
minute Then you learn to be pru-
dent; for the squirrel saves all his
nuts and gets all he can without stop
ping to fool, and that is being in
dustrious, too, which makes three
things. Then you can learn to be
polite; for my squirrel sits up. and
begs with his front paws crossed just
as If he were saying, Please Then
you can learn how to take joke, for
my squirrel never gets mad when
give him bad nut to see what he
will do. Then you can learn to be