Slicko was quite tame by this time, and often would be allowed to run about the room, being let out of her cage. Sometimes Bob would sit in a chair, and put some nuts in his pocket. Then Slicko would run along on the floor, crawl up Bob’s leg, dive down into his pocket, and pull out the nuts.
“That’s another trick,” Bob would say with a laugh. “My squirrel is getting to be very smart!”
“But how are you going to get her to jump through a paper hoop?” asked Mollie.
“I’ll soon show you,” said Bob.
By this time he had two or three hoops all ready, pasted over with thin red, white and blue paper, so that they looked very pretty indeed.
“Now, Slicko,” said Bob, as he took the little squirrel out of her wire cage, “you are going to learn a new trick to-day. And I want you to pay strict attention, and do as I tell you.”
Bob took a piece of sweet apple, of which Slicko was very fond, and put it on top of a little box on the dining-room table. Then he put Slicko down at the other end of the table, and stood near her, with one of the paper hoops in his hand.
“Now, Slicko,” said Bob, as he pointed at the apple, “that is for you, if you do as I want you to do. Go get the apple, Slicko.”
Slicko knew what apple was. She could smell it, and she thought it must be meant for her. She scampered toward it, but, when she had almost reached it she found Bob holding a paper hoop out in front of her. The hoop was between Slicko and the apple.
Slicko started to go around to one side, to get out of the way of the hoop, but Bob moved it, so that it was still in front of her.