“Yes, Winkie will be a good name,” agreed Larry.
And so Winkie was given by the children the same name the father and mother of the little ground-hog had given her when she lived in the burrow.
“Come here, Winkie! Come here!” called Alice.
Winkie remained with her head out of the bedroom, but she did not come to the side of the larger, outside pen, near which Alice stood.
“I guess Winkie is a little afraid,” said Larry. “I’ll get her something to eat. That will make her tame quicker than anything else.”
Out to the barn ran Larry, and soon he came back with some yellow carrots. He cut off little pieces of them and tossed them into the pen through the open meshes of the chicken wire on top.
At first Winkie was a bit timid about taking these chunks of carrot. But they smelled so good, and she was so hungry, that she at last ventured to nibble one. Then, finding no harm came to her, she grew bold and took more. She limped a little on the leg that had been caught in the trap, but it was quickly getting over its soreness.
“Oh, isn’t Winkie cute!” cried Alice, as she watched the woodchuck eat.
“Yes,” agreed Larry. “And I want to teach her soon to eat out of my hand.”
“We want to be careful that she doesn’t bite us,” said his sister. “See what sharp teeth she has.”