“Why?” said the boys.
“O,” replied Jonas, “he will not like to be shut up all night, in a dark box, and then be imprisoned in a cage. He had rather run about here, and gather raspberries. Besides, you would soon get tired of him if you had him in a cage.”
“O no,” said Rollo, “I should not get tired of him.”
“Did you ever have any plaything that you were not tired of before long?”
“Why,—no,” said Rollo; “but then a real live squirrel is a different thing. Besides, you know, if I get tired of him, I need not play with him then.”
“No, but a real live thing must be fed every day, and that you would find a great trouble. And then you would sometimes forget it, and the poor fellow would be half starved.”
“O no,” said Rollo; “I am sure I should not forget it.”
“Did you remember your reading-lesson this morning?”
“Why,—no,” said Rollo, looking a little confused. “But I am sure I should not forget to feed a squirrel if I had one.”
“You don’t know as much as I thought you did,” replied Jonas.