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Show Gray Squirrels at Soldiers' Home Are Well Fed T I IE gray squirrels in the Soldiers' 1 Home grounds are happy. and well icd. 'Perhaps it may be that they are the most carefree and the best fed squirrels in the district. There is a strong friendship between many of the veterans and these frisky little -creatures. Of course, they are tame, very tame. This is not, peculiar to the Soldiers' Home squirrels, because the squirrels in the capitol grounds, in the Smithsonian grounds, in the Monument lot, in Franklin park and in other of the city squares are extremely ex-tremely tame. . But the6e Soldiers' itame squirrels when they see a man in blue and feel the want of a hick-, ory nut or a Albert or a peanut- do not hesitate to walk right up to him or climb right up on him and ask in the squirrel" language for what they want. , . . - - . . ' - - West of ' the main .building, Scott hall, is a tree whose summer shade is dense. Under it la a rectangle of brick ;pave. On this - pavemerit are rows of benches placed as they would be in a hall, that is,- the rows are as close together as they, can be for the corn fort of the occupants. "Many men sit there . on warm and genial days and on soft ..and -balmy evenings. It Is a squirrel -playground. But in winter win-ter the benches are removed and the veterans do hot linger there. Neither Neith-er do the squirrels. In the rear of the Anderson cottage - the cottage from which President Lincoln went forth- to see the attack by Early's troops on the northern line of Washington's defenses at Fort Stevens, and which has been occupied occu-pied as a summer home by other presidents is an oval around which ten elms are, growing. . . This oval is bisected ; east and west r by a brick Walk. On .the trunk of each of these trees about six feet from the ground is nailed an.. old. -'"grape basket, and each of these baskets is' kept nearly filled with nuts and acorns, It is the principal dining room of the Soldiers' Home , squirrels the squirrek)' mess hall. These little baskets of acorns may be seen on trees in other parts of the Soldiers' Home grounds, but here they are close together. The Anderson cottage is pebble; dash that, is, the walls are. Squirrels climb these walls and scamper up and down as nimbly as they do the trunks, of trees. It seemed to the Rambler that a number of the squirrels have built their homes somewhere back under un-der the eaves of tills cottage. . . . |