Squirrel

Squirrel is Perry Smith’s animal companion, remembered after Perry’s departure for the penitentiary through its repeated visits to his former cell. Its refusal to accept food from anyone else makes the separation tangible: Perry is gone, but the animal continues to seek him out.

The Search at the Cell

After Perry was taken away, Squirrel kept coming to the cell looking for him. Someone tried to feed it, but it would have nothing to do with that person. The account gives no further description of the animal or its life; instead, it focuses on this repeated search and refusal, the observable signs by which its attachment is conveyed.

Attachment and Absence

The recollection concludes that Squirrel liked only Perry. That detail distinguishes its bond from ordinary dependence on whoever might provide food: the offered care does not replace the person it seeks. In the account of Perry’s departure, the animal’s continued visits extend the farewell beyond the cell, making his absence visible through a small, persistent act of return.