A DIGRESSION ON SQUIRRELS 



feathered tribes in the grove, remained so 

 persistently around the house of late, and 

 called so unmistakably for help? And what 

 was the meaning of the eight or ten squir- 

 rels' heads at the foot of one of the great 

 pines? What enemy was terrorizing the 

 usually peaceful community? 



It was a mystery, yet one little ray of 

 light shining out of the darkness made my 

 part of the puzzle clearer. Whoever the 

 common enemy might be, he it was who 

 had sent Mr. Rufus to rattle my slats and to 

 seek protection in my room. Now to find 

 and exterminate the ogre was the next step. 

 Exterminate him if he proved to be a bird 

 or a beast in search of his daily food, that is. 

 Past experience had taught us that if he 

 was a boy, killing the poor little creatures 

 for wanton sport, it would be difficult to ob- 

 tain redress. 



All day long a strict watch was kept in 



