Little Mitchell: The Story of a Mountain SquirrelMorley, Margaret Warner
General
Little Mitchell: The Story of a Mountain Squirrel
Morley, Margaret Warner
Squirrels -- Juvenile literature
She had Little Mitchell buttoned up under her jacket; but as soon as
the ice-cream came along he put in an appearance and wanted his share,
which he ate very nicely out of a spoon, to the amusement of all who
saw him.
After dinner, when they were all together in the sitting-room, one of
the young men—who was a Harvard student, and knew more about many
other things than he did about squirrels—said Little Mitchell did not
really know the lady, but would just as soon go to anybody else if he
were left alone.
So all the family—eight or nine, counting the visitors—formed a
circle, and the lady set Little Mitchell down in the middle, and then
quickly stepped back behind him to a new place in the circle.
Little Mitchell’s bushy tail jerked nervously for a minute, and his
bright eyes looked wildly from one strange face to another; then he
gave a leap and landed at his lady’s feet, and in another second was up
on her shoulder.
After that, no one denied that he knew his lady, and liked her best of
all.
He had to take an airing once in a while, and the way he went was to
ride in his own private carriage,—which was nothing less than the
inside of his lady’s jacket. She would button it all but the two top
buttons, and tuck him in, and away they would go for a walk or a romp
together.
Little Mitchell thought this great fun, and usually gave no trouble.
Sometimes they walked along the street, when Little Mitchell would pop
his head out and look about, but if anybody came along he would pop it
back again.
Sometimes they went to the Public Garden; and here he had many
adventures. One day his lady thought she would let him climb a tree. So
she chose a little one, put him on one of the lower limbs, and then
stepped back. Little Mitchell looked about, but did not climb; he took
two or three steps, then I suppose he decided it was an awful thing to
be left there alone on a wild little tree in a wild park that stood
in a wild world that he knew nothing about; so he gave one tremendous
jump and landed on his lady’s shoulder, and scurried down into his safe
hiding-place under her jacket, and peeped out at the terrible tree and
the strange world he was so afraid of.
Then she put him on the grass, and went on; but Little Mitchell went on
too, and in less time than it takes to tell he had caught her and come
flying up again to his safe place in her jacket.
Sometimes he would come out and sit in her hand; but it seemed a very
dangerous world to a squirrel who had never been out of doors,—and so
it was, for did not a little girl come up to look at him one day and
suddenly grab him in both hands? But how quick she let go! He squealed
his loudest, and squirmed like an eel, and no doubt would have bitten
her, only she was so frightened that she dropped him on the grass. The
lady quickly stooped down with her hand out, and he sprang upon it and
ran up her arm and hid in her jacket. No little girls for him!
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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