on 



it home. My three daughters, who at times had 

 had pet horses, snakes, turtles, and rats, welcomed 

 this shy little stranger and at once set about car- 

 ing for her injuries. Just before " Bob " had fully 

 recovered, there came a heavy fall of snow, which 

 was followed by such a succession of storms that 

 we concluded to keep her with us, provided she 

 was willing to stay. We gave her the freedom of 

 the house. For some time she was wild and shy; 

 under a chair or the lounge she would scurry if 

 any one approached her. Plainly, she did not feel 

 welcome or safe in our house, and I gave up the 

 idea of taming her. One day, however, we had 

 lettuce for dinner, and while we were at the table 

 Sarah, my eldest daughter, who has a gift for tam- 

 ing and handling wild creatures, declared that 

 Bob should eat out of her hand before night. All 

 that afternoon she tempted her with bits of let- 

 tuce, and when evening came, had succeeded so 

 well that never after was Bob afraid of us. When- 

 ever we sat down for a meal, Bob would come 

 running and quietly go in turn to each with coax- 

 ing sounds and pleading looks, wanting to be fed. 

 It was against the rules to feed her at meals, but 



162 



