, 1879-08-10
PETS, GOOD, BAD, AND INDIFFERENT.

A Boston girl recently returned from
grand tour Of the world with pair of young
! pet lions. It is not, we understand, the pur
pose Of the young lady to embark in thf
show business. On the contrary, she pro-
poses to make pets of the whelps, and, in due
course, introduce them into the polite society
| Of the Hub, Of which she is an honored anc
| conspicuous member. When these interest
ing whelps shall have cut all their teeth they
! will have-incisors, CANNES, and molars-
thirty ch,-just five dozen between them.
In the Language of scientific description, these
teeth I" act like the antagonistic blades Of a
pair Of scissors upon the substance submitted
to their cutting edges" When, therefore,
the Boston girls whe1ps enter Boston society,
they will be provided with fifteen pairs Of
scissors each. Nature has given the lion q
decided advantage over the human in the use
Of scissors. The human can use but one pnir at
time; the lion makes uss Of fifteen pairs
with the utmost easa. There is an emf
nent probability that the Boston girls
whelps will, upon their first introduction to
the fashionable world, produce sensation.
If they use their thirty pairs of scissors vig-
orously Boston society may feel rather ss cut
up" at the conclusion Of the seance,-jawed to
death, SO to speak. We congratulate Boston
society on in its lions long may they wavo
their bushy tails and shake their tawny
names. If society should tire of their null
titudinous roar, and their incisors, CANNES,
and moiars, thirty pairs Of scissors,-we
suggest that they be sent to Harvard The
students might like to try the process Of
hazing the rather numerously- y-scissored pair
Of whelps. Perhaps it would be nip and
tuck between tho lions and the boys, with
the lions little ahead!
Chicago objects to being outdone in the
way Of pets by the Hub; but, as in every
thing else, so in pets, it inclines to the use-
full rather than the ornamental We possess
q pet trae-toad, and this Is how it came
about: 4 Chicago merchant journeyed to tho
State Of Michigan to collect q
debt. He found his debtor in straitened
The weevil had been in the
the rat in the coru-crib, and the
peach crop had failed. But ho possessed
gifted tree-toad. The little
green, black, and white Batrachian was as
cheerful as cricket, as gentle as AIary's
little lamb, and perfect barometer. When
It chirped noisily the farmer knew there was
a storm brewing, and when it maintained a
moody silence he knew that Old Sol would
make his circuit Of the heavens next day un-
,bscured by cloud. Aud ths farmer had a |
'htewd suspicion that his pet was capable of
the fluctuations Of the markets
With an exaotness only equaled by its pre-
7ision in regard to the state Of the weather! !
This settled the matter. The Chicago mer-
:hant receipted his claim in full, the farmer |
parted with his ''pet," and the tree-toad be-
:ame denizen Of the Garden City. It is
aeedless to say that, as he journeyed hcme-
yard, the merchant saw visions and |
[reamed dreams, visions of himself as
J bull to-day and bear tomorrow,
[rea1ns Of wealth as vast as that possessed by
1oSrE CHR1sro. A pet is "a babe or lit
le thing; "a duck or dear" tsan idol";
q dear friend ~; so mistress n; s*a love-"
III these fond titles the merchant laVished
lpon his precious little tree-toad-his mar
:et barometer. When he reached home his
rst care was to procure an elaborately en-
raved cut-glass jar. This he half-flled with
'ater, placing twig in the centre, like the
uicksilver barometer-stem. Then he drop
'ed the trce-toad gently into the water, say
og, "When my duck of tree~toad liess1ue-
ishly on the water I shall sell wheat, and
orn, and oats short; but when be climbs
imbly up the twig I shall buy, buy all
here is in the market" But our mer-
hant is cautious. He is engaged at
resent in testing his market barorne-
II, watching his tree-toad, and COM
aring his habits with the market
uctuatlons. The tree-toad is fond OF spi-
ers and flies. He consumes flies to preserve
lem from the voracious rapacity Of their
nclent enemy, Tire spider, and devours
9iders out of tender consideration for the
'tety Of flies But it prefers spiders, from
hich fact the merchant infers that his tree
'aa is gentle and compassionate being,
1oosing rather to eat the spider to prevent
from killing the fly, than to eat the fly to
va II frnrn ho;rr ootap 1,v,i f1o c1,i1ar Tha |