Rya!”
“Here,” she said, coming out from behind the tent. For an instant Paul couldn’t believe what he saw: a small young squirrel perched on her right arm, its claws hooked through the sleeve of her corduroy jacket. It was chewing on a piece of apple, and she was petting it gently.
“How did you do it?” he asked.
“Chocolate.”
“Chocolate?”
She grinned. “I started out trying to lure it with the same bait you and Mark have been using. But then I figured that a squirrel can probably get nuts and apples on his own. But he can’t get chocolate. I figured the smell would be irresistible—and it was! He was eating out of my hand by Wednesday, but I didn’t want you to know about him until I was sure he’d gotten over the worst of his fear of humans.”
“He’s not eating chocolate now.”
“Too much of it wouldn’t be good for him.”
The squirrel raised its head and looked quizzically at Paul. Then it continued gnawing on the piece of apple in its forepaws.
“Do you like him, Mark?” Rya asked. As she spoke her grin melted into a frown.
Paul saw why: the boy was close to tears. He wanted a squirrel of his own—but he knew they couldn’t take two of the animals home with them. His lower lip quivered; however, he was determined not to cry.
Rya recovered quickly. Smiling, she said, “Well, Mark? Do you like him? I’ll be upset if you don’t. I went to an awful lot of trouble to get him for you.”
You little sweetheart, Paul thought.
Blinking back tears, Mark said, “For me?”
“Of course,” she said.
“You mean you’re giving him to me?”
She feigned surprised. “Who else?”
“I thought he was yours.”
“Now what would I want with a pet squirrel?” she asked. “He’ll be a good pet for a boy. But he would be all wrong for a girl.” She put the animal on the ground and hunkered down beside it. Fishing a piece of candy from a pocket, she said, “Come on. You’ve got to feed him some chocolate if you really want to make friends with him.”
The squirrel plucked the candy from Mark’s hand and nibbled it with obvious pleasure. The boy was also in ecstasy as he gently stroked its flanks and long tail. When the chocolate was gone, the animal sniffed first at Mark and then at Rya; and when it realized there would be no more treats today, it slipped out from between them and dashed toward the trees.
“Hey!” Mark said. He ran after it until he saw that it was much faster than he.
“Don’t worry,” Rya said. “He’ll come back tomorrow, so long as we have some chocolate for him.”
“If we tame him,” Mark said, “can I take him into town next week?”
“We’ll see,” Paul said. He looked at his watch. “If we’re going to spend today in town, we’d better get moving.”
The station wagon was parked half a mile away, at the end of a weed-choked dirt lane that was used by hunters in late autumn and early winter.
True to form, Mark shouted, “Last one to the car’s a dope!” He ran ahead along the path that snaked down through the woods, and in a few seconds he was out of sight.
Rya walked at Paul’s side.
“That was a very nice thing you did,” he said.
She pretended not to know what he meant. “Getting the squirrel for Mark? It was fun.”
“You didn’t get it for Mark.”
“Sure I did. Who else would I get it for?”
“Yourself,” Paul said. “But when you saw how much it meant to him to have a squirrel of his own, you gave it up.”
She grimaced. “You must think I’m a saint or something! If I’d really wanted that squirrel, I wouldn’t have given him away. Not in a million years.”
“You’re not a good liar,” he said affectionately.
Exasperated, she said, “Fathers!” Hoping he wouldn’t notice her embarrassment, she ran ahead, shouting to Mark, and was soon out of sight beyond a dense patch of mountain laurel.
“Children!” he said aloud. But there was no exasperation in his voice, only love.
Since Annie’s
“Here,” she said, coming out from behind the tent. For an instant Paul couldn’t believe what he saw: a small young squirrel perched on her right arm, its claws hooked through the sleeve of her corduroy jacket. It was chewing on a piece of apple, and she was petting it gently.
“How did you do it?” he asked.
“Chocolate.”
“Chocolate?”
She grinned. “I started out trying to lure it with the same bait you and Mark have been using. But then I figured that a squirrel can probably get nuts and apples on his own. But he can’t get chocolate. I figured the smell would be irresistible—and it was! He was eating out of my hand by Wednesday, but I didn’t want you to know about him until I was sure he’d gotten over the worst of his fear of humans.”
“He’s not eating chocolate now.”
“Too much of it wouldn’t be good for him.”
The squirrel raised its head and looked quizzically at Paul. Then it continued gnawing on the piece of apple in its forepaws.
“Do you like him, Mark?” Rya asked. As she spoke her grin melted into a frown.
Paul saw why: the boy was close to tears. He wanted a squirrel of his own—but he knew they couldn’t take two of the animals home with them. His lower lip quivered; however, he was determined not to cry.
Rya recovered quickly. Smiling, she said, “Well, Mark? Do you like him? I’ll be upset if you don’t. I went to an awful lot of trouble to get him for you.”
You little sweetheart, Paul thought.
Blinking back tears, Mark said, “For me?”
“Of course,” she said.
“You mean you’re giving him to me?”
She feigned surprised. “Who else?”
“I thought he was yours.”
“Now what would I want with a pet squirrel?” she asked. “He’ll be a good pet for a boy. But he would be all wrong for a girl.” She put the animal on the ground and hunkered down beside it. Fishing a piece of candy from a pocket, she said, “Come on. You’ve got to feed him some chocolate if you really want to make friends with him.”
The squirrel plucked the candy from Mark’s hand and nibbled it with obvious pleasure. The boy was also in ecstasy as he gently stroked its flanks and long tail. When the chocolate was gone, the animal sniffed first at Mark and then at Rya; and when it realized there would be no more treats today, it slipped out from between them and dashed toward the trees.
“Hey!” Mark said. He ran after it until he saw that it was much faster than he.
“Don’t worry,” Rya said. “He’ll come back tomorrow, so long as we have some chocolate for him.”
“If we tame him,” Mark said, “can I take him into town next week?”
“We’ll see,” Paul said. He looked at his watch. “If we’re going to spend today in town, we’d better get moving.”
The station wagon was parked half a mile away, at the end of a weed-choked dirt lane that was used by hunters in late autumn and early winter.
True to form, Mark shouted, “Last one to the car’s a dope!” He ran ahead along the path that snaked down through the woods, and in a few seconds he was out of sight.
Rya walked at Paul’s side.
“That was a very nice thing you did,” he said.
She pretended not to know what he meant. “Getting the squirrel for Mark? It was fun.”
“You didn’t get it for Mark.”
“Sure I did. Who else would I get it for?”
“Yourself,” Paul said. “But when you saw how much it meant to him to have a squirrel of his own, you gave it up.”
She grimaced. “You must think I’m a saint or something! If I’d really wanted that squirrel, I wouldn’t have given him away. Not in a million years.”
“You’re not a good liar,” he said affectionately.
Exasperated, she said, “Fathers!” Hoping he wouldn’t notice her embarrassment, she ran ahead, shouting to Mark, and was soon out of sight beyond a dense patch of mountain laurel.
“Children!” he said aloud. But there was no exasperation in his voice, only love.
Since Annie’s
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