CHANGES IN HERMIT - LIFE 



Returning from the city one morning in 

 October, I turned off the old highway into 

 the woods. I thought that some of the wood- 

 folk would notice my visit and reward me with 

 gossip for my note-book. I stopped to rest 

 near a red squirrel's nest. The nest was in 

 the top of a tall hemlock-tree and I was on 

 the ground, but the proprietor knew I could 

 climb, and so was eager to drive me away. 

 He did not dare to attack me, for I suppose 

 that sometime in his life he had worked the 

 idea through his little head that man was too 

 big and powerful to be whipped by a red 

 squirrel, but he did the next thing. He flew 

 into a passion and abused me in the expressive 

 and vehement language common to this squir- 

 rel. He would run out on the limbs over my 

 head and dance himself into a frenzy, and 

 chatter and bark and shriek as if that would 

 drive me away. He was wound up for a half- 

 hour. After he had run down, he stretched 

 out on a limb and silently watched me. Soon 

 after, I heard a slight rustling of leaves, and 

 a gray squirrel appeared from the underbrush 

 115 



