What the Squirrel Did for Richard. 105

to his help. Suddenly, floating on the water near,
he saw a piece of wood, about a foot long. This
he seized, and clung desperately to it. His
strength was fast leaving him, and he could no
longer swim. But alas! the board was not big
enough to bear his weight, and the poor boy felt
himself sinking! Just then, fortunately, he remem-
bered that he could save himself by turning
himself into a squirrel, and quickly rubbing his
finger over his chin, in a twinkling a very wet
little red squirrel, crawled up on the board and
leisurely floated down-stream !

The boys on the shore, seeing Richard no
more, thought he had sunk, and shouting “ He is
drowned,” ran to tell his mother. Half a mile
down-stream, the board with the squirrel was
washed ashore, and the little creature ran through
the woods, till he came to the place on the river-
bank where he had left his clothes, when, pressing
the knob, ‘Richard was himself again.”

Dressing himself, he ran home to his mother,
who was crying bitterly, having heard from the
boys that he was drowned. She could scarcely