The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1880-11-12
Tho UOnkey I'm It's Domestic ReIn
finna.
TFrom the London Telegraph.I

From the London telegraph
In India, where the monkeys live among
men, and are the playmates OF their children
the Hindoos have grown fond OF them
and the fOur-handed folk participate In al
their simple household rites. In the early
morning when the peasant goes out to yoke
his oxen, and tue cow wakes up, and the
dog stretches himself and shakes of the
dust in which he has slept last.nigbt, the mon
key creeps down the peepuI tiee, only bali
awake, and yawns and looks about him,
puts a straw in his mouth, and scra tches
himself comtemDlatvely. Then one by
one the whole family come slipping down
the tree trunk, and they all yawn and
look about and scratch. But they are
sleepy and peevish. and the young.
sters get cuffcd for nothing, and
begin TO think life dull. Yet the toilet has
to be performed, and whether they like 1t or
not, the young ones are sternly pulled up,
one by one, to thoir mother to undergo the
process. The scene, though repeated
exactly every morning, loses nothing OF us
delightful comicaIity, aud the monkey brats
seem all TO be IN the joke OF "taking in
mamma." But mamma was young herself
not very long ago, and treats each ludi-
crous affection OF suffering with the pro-
foundest unconeern, and as she dismisses
Ono "cIeansed" young,ter with cuff,
stretches out her hand for the next ones
tail or leg in the most business like and Sc
rious manner possible.
The Youngsters know their turn quite
well. AS each feels the moment arrive II
throws itself on its stomach as II over
whelmed with apprehension, the others
meanwhile sitting their satisfaction at the
"so. and.so is doing it, and the instant the
maternal paw is extended to grasp the tail
the subject OF the next experiment utters
piercing shrek, and, throwing its arms
forward in the dust allows itself 10 be drag
ged along a limp and helpless carcass,
winkIng all the time, no doubt, at It's
brothers and sisters st the way II
is imposing on the old lady. But
the old lady will stand no nOn-
sense, and, turning the child right side
up, proceeds to put it TO rights, takes the
kinks out Of its tail and knots out OF its fur,
pokes its fingers into its ears and looks at
each OF his toes, the irrepressible brat all
the time wearing on his face an absurd eX-
preston OF hopeless and incurable grief,
those who have been already ceansed Took
ing on with delight at the sci canning face,
and those who are waiting wearing be-
coming aspect OF enormous gravity.
The old lady, however, has her joke,
which is 10 cuff each youngster before she
lets it 20, and nimble as her offspring are,
she generally, TO her credit be it said, man
ages to " fetch them one on the ears before
they are out of reach. The father, mean
while, sits gravely with his back to all these
domestic matters, waiting for breakfast.
Presently the mats before the hut-doors are
pushed down. and women, with brass yes-
sels in their hands, come out, and while
they scour the pots with dust exchange
between songs the compliments OF the
morning. The monkeys by this time
have come closer to the preparations Tor
food, and sit solemnly, household by house
hold, watching every movement. Hindoos
do not hurry themselves in anything they
do, but the monkey has plenty OF patience,
an 4 in the end, when the crowd has stolen
little, and the dog has his morsel, and the
children are all satisfied, the fragments oi
the meal are thrown out on the ground for
the "bluuder orgue," the monkey people,
and ii Is soon discussed, the mother feeding
the baby before she herself eats.