A Story of Jim the Normal School Squirrel 



Ethel Gallaher 



Western Normal, Kalamazoo, Mich. 



One fine day when our nature study class met we were sur- 

 prised to find in the cage in which Jacob the guinea pig lived, 

 a tiny baby squirrel. He looked far from happy. He couldn't 

 open one eye and he was so weak that he kept tumbling over 

 each time he tried to sit up. He gave us a good example Df 

 perseverance as he sat trying with all his might to eat a wilted 

 cabbage leaf. 



We found that the little fellow had fallen from his nest, had 

 been saved from an inquiritive dog and brought to the place 

 where all creatures, happy or otherwise, are always welcome. 



The r-abbits refused to share their home with him. They 

 jtimped on the poor terrified little fellow and thumped their 

 hind legs on the bottom of the cage showing their anger and 

 contempt for the intruder. So there was no place for Jim, the 

 new baby, except in the office. 



A few days in his new home and a plentiful supply of warm 

 milk and bread made Jim a happy squirrel. He liked carrots, 

 lettuce, dandelions, and all the nuts we would crack for him. 

 When offered bread and butter he would dig into the bread and 

 smack his lips while eating the butter. 



It was still quite cool weather and Jim discovered that the 

 most comfortable place to sleep was on a box near the radiator. 

 There he would curl with his tail wrapped around him and sleep 

 most of the day. He soon began to play. Altho he was an 

 amiable little fellow he would let one know that he had four 

 sharp little teeth when he became excited. 



Just about this time vacation came and to me fell the pleasure 

 of Jim's company during the summer. He travelled to his new 

 home in a bird cage. It must be confessed that neither Jim 

 nor I had any pleasure in the trip. He was so terribly fright- 

 ened and I so sorrowful that our beloved Httle Jim should go 

 thru such a trial. A sack of nuts had been placed in the cage 

 and into that bag crawled the poor baby. He seemed to feel 

 that this was the safest place he could reach, for he stayed there 

 perfectly motionless during the thirty mile drive and for some 

 hours afterward. 



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