m have been limited."

"Here are my squirrels," said Betty, unfastening the door of a cage.
A number of squirrels ran out. Several jumped to the ground. One
perched on top of the box. Another sprang on Betty's shoulder. "I
fasten them up every night, for I'm afraid the weasels and foxes
will get them. The white squirrel is the only albino we have seen
around here. It took Jonathan weeks to trap him, but once captured
he soon grew tame. Is he not pretty?"

"He certainly is. I never saw one before; in fact, I did not know
such a beautiful little animal existed," answered Alfred, looking in
admiration at the graceful creature, as he leaped from the shelf to
Betty's arm and ate from her hand, his great, bushy white tail
arching over his back and his small pink eyes shining.

"There! Listen," said Betty. "Look at the fox squirrel, the big
brownish red one. I call him the Captain, because he always wants to
boss the others. I had another fox squirrel, older than this fellow,
and he ran things to suit himself, until one day the grays united
their forces and routed him. I think they would have killed him had
I not freed him. Well, this one is commencing the same way. Do you
hear that odd clicking noise? That comes from the Captain's teeth,
and he is angry and jealous because I show so much attention to this
one. He always does that, and he would fight too if I were not
careful. It is a singular fact, though, that the white squirrel has
not even a little pugnacity. He either cannot fight, or he is too
well behaved. Here, Mr. Clarke, show Snowball this nut, and then
hide it in your pocket, and see him find it."

Alfred did as he was told, except that while he pretended to put the
nut in his pocket he really kept it concealed in his hand.

The pet squirrel leaped lightly on Alfred's shoulder, ran over his
breast, peeped in all his pockets, and even pushed his cap to one
side of his head. Then he ran down Alfred's arm, sniffed in his coat
sleeve, and finally wedged a cold little nose between his closed
fingers.

"There, he has found it, even though you did not play fair," said
Betty, laughing gaily.

Alfred never forgot the picture Betty made standing there with the
red cap on her dusky hair, and the loving smile upon her face as she
talked to her pets. A white fan-tail pigeon had alighted on her
shoulder and was picking daintily at the piece of cracker she held
between her lips. The squirrels were all sitting up, each wit