BILLY AND HANS 



bourhood a companion of the other 

 sex for him ; and when finally I heard 

 that in a village just across the Rhine 

 there was a captive squirrel for sale, 

 I sent my son with orders to buy it if 

 a female. It turned out to be a male, 

 but Michael bought it just the same 

 — a bright, active, and quite unwilling 

 prisoner, two months older than Billy, 

 of the orthodox red, just tamed enough 

 to take his food from the hand, but 

 accustomed to be kept with his neck 

 in a collar to which there was attached 

 a fathom of light dog-chain. He re- 

 fused with his utmost energy to be 

 handled ; and as it was not possible 

 to keep the little creature in the tor- 

 ture of that chain — for I refuse to 

 keep a caged creature — I cut the 

 collar and turned him loose in my 

 chamber, where he kept reluctant 

 company with Billy. The imprison- 



