Litchfield enquirer., 1860-02-02
From Chambers Journal. OUR PET.

From Chambers Journal OUR PET.
 The way we became possessed of Our Pet was this The uncle with whom l and my brother and sister lived, tue kindest and gen- tlest of human beings, had great fondness for animals, and brought us up in the same worthy sentiments. He had some nice hor- ses in his stable, five poode-dogs, and pro. portionate variety of cats :; and we loved them all dearly but feeling had somehow arisen among us, and was not to be repress- ed, that the family happiness was incomplete without monkey. How to get one was the difficulty, for my uncle would not hear of low barrel-organ monkeys, who wore kits and had no manners and a gentlemanlike monkey, accustomed to good society, was not easily met with. At last, a lady living few miles of, wrote to offer my uncle hers, as it had grown so intolerably mischjevous, she could keep it no longer Nothing daunt, ed by the pleasing character awarded to it. my uncle cheerfully accepted the gift Jacko arrived, was duly admired, petted, and put to bed in the stable, the warmth of which he seemed greatly to enjoy. Next morning, my maid came to dress me, looking very much as if she had just been on board $ steamboat in very rough weather
 What is the matter 2" said l.
 "The monkey, miss," said she "He's a vulgar beast. can't abear him."
 What has he done ?" said I.
 "Done, miss 7" said she. If you'll be- Iieve me, he's settin' on the doorstep, eat ing live snal for his breakfast. Ugh! It didn't sound nice, certainly but hun ger brings US acquainted with strange mouth fellows and l supposed the poor darling hadn't been properly taken care of; so l hurried down stairs, and found him chained to the fender ill the dining-room, and the servants just coming in to prayers. My uncle began to read chapter. Jacko, find ing it dull sitting there, with nobody noti- ciug him, and nothing to do, gave sly pull ut the tail of the black poodle lying near him on the hearth-rug, just to see how he would take H-as pleasant way of begin ming an acquaintance.
 "Gro-ow-owl !" said the poodle.
 "Jacko, be quiet," said my uncle.
 Haunk l" said Jacko. It was pecul- far sound, something like groan, that he made unlike the speech of any other mon key, or of any created being ever heard, except once, when strayed into a Rauter's meeting at Bristol, and observed that the orator, in the pathetic parts of his discourse, haunk"ed exactly like our Pet. My ull- cle went on with the chapter. Jacko gave another sly pull.
 Gro-ow.owl r said the poodle
 "Jacko. be quiet.'" said my uncle.
 7" Huunk P said Jacko but finding that, for some inexplicabe reason, my uncle did not intend to send book at his head, he amused himself during the remainder of the prayers by pulling steadily at the dogs tail, hand-over-lland, just as u sailor pulls at ;i rope, eliciting mclodious music from tie un- happy dog, angry, but perfectly useless ejac- ulutlons from my uncle, and a series of cho- king fits from the assembled household, whc could hardly be expected to view such all exhibition unmoved. Alter prayers, my un- clc observed that he "rather thought he would settle Master Jacko tomorrow /; and accordingly we all assembled the next morn ing to see him tied with q very short chain to the middle of the balusters of the hall staircase. It was done ; my uncle, stepping back to look admiringIy at his work, said :: " l'll trouble you to do any mischief now. Master Jacko ;" aud we went into the breakiast-room, leaving him gnashing his teeth il. impotcnt malice. After prayers, just as my uncle had begun to hold forth on hls cwn ceverness, scream was heard from the hall we rushed out, and found the ser wants gathered round the housemaid's closet under the staircase, which Jacko, with his long, leun arms, had coutrived to reach, open and pifrr of half a dozen rushlights, two of which he had devoured, and scattered the manglcd remains of the rest all over the new stair carpet From that time forward, during prayer-time, he was always chained, rain or sunshine, to the door-stcps, where, when he had once beheaded every flower within his reach. he could do no more mis- chief beyond vulgariziug himself hopelessly with live snals.
 But to return to his first day among us After breakfast, at which he got more cream than his fair share, he was turned loose into the garden, being evidently tame enough and wide-awake enough to his own interests, not to wander far from the house Before luncheon, he was brought in aud chained again to the fender The table was already laid, and the servant went to fetch the meat. Crash--crash-crash In ran my uncle, and found Jacko sitting on the 6re-irons like Marius among the ruins of Carthage, surrounded by broken glass and china, knives and forks, brooks of water, and rills of wine, haunking merrily, and still holding in his hand the corner of the table cloth, which he had pulled and pulled till down it came, with all it's contents, on the floor. He got tolerably sound thrashing for this exploit, but he did not seemed cowed by it. The moment the table was relaid, he began to shout for his beer; and nobody could have any luncheon in peace till he got it. After luncheon, he was turned out again, to wander at his own sweet will in the gar den, and l went to my music-lesson. Pres ently the cook put her face, purple with SUD- pressed rage, in at the door, aud asked me to come and speak to her in the passage. I went.
 elf you please miss," said she with omin- ons polIteness, "what would you please to horder for dinner? ?"
 Now, my uncle was fond of good living, and so much dreaded what he might have to go through, while we were performing our apprenticeship to the art of housekeeping that he never would let us learn anything about it, so tbat I felt as thoroughly uncom.