The Squirrel Inn

"The Squirrel Inn" by Frank R. Stockton is a story where a writer named Walter Lodloe finds himself in charge of a baby on the way to the peaceful Squirrel Inn; the story looks at themes like who people are, where they belong in society, and funny mix-ups, especially as Walter gets used to being a caregiver and deals with Mrs. Cristie, the baby's mom. At the beginning, on the steamboat "Manasquan", Walter watches people get on board and meets Mrs. Robert Cristie, a young woman looking for her lost nursemaid. When she leaves her baby with Walter for a moment, he jokingly decides to keep the child if she doesn’t come back. These first parts show Walter's strange personality and set up a series of funny misunderstandings that lead him to become more involved with the mom and the events at the Squirrel Inn, where relationships and social interactions keep growing.