Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1880-11-05
The Monkey and its Domestic Relations
London Telegraph

In India, where the monkeys live
among men, and are nla, mates Of their
children the llindoos have grown fond
Of them, and the four handed folk par
ticipatc III all their simple household
rites. In the early morning, when tho
peasant goes out to yoke his oxen, and
the crow wakes up and the dog
stretches himself and shakes of the
dust i'll which he has slept I'LL night,
the old monkey crceps down the peepul
tree only half awake. and yawns and
looks about him, puts "A straw i'll his
mouth and scratches himself contem-
plativcly. Then ono 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 pceviSh and the youngsters
got cuiied for nothing, and begin to
think life dull. Yet the toilet has To be
performed, and whether they like il or
not, the young ones are Stcrnly pulled
up, one by one by their mother to I'M
dcrgo the process. The scene, though
repeated exactly every morning, loses
nothing of its delightful comicality,
and the monkey brats seem all to be
iii the Joke Of taking iii mamma But
mamma was young herself not very
long ago, and treats each ludierouS
affection of suffering with the profound
est unconecrn, and rs she diSmisScS one
"clcansed youngster with cuff and
stretches out her hand for the next
ones tail or leg IN the most business
like and serious manner possible.
The Youngsters know their turn quite
well. As each feel the moment arrive
il throws itself on its stomachs rs il
overwhelmed with apprehension. the
others meanwhile sitting their Satislac-
and the instant the maternal paw is
extended to grasp the tail, the subject
Of thenextcNpcrimcnt uttcrSa piercing
shrek, and throwing his arms forward
in the dust, allows itself to be dragged
along limp and helpless carcass, wink
ing all the time, no doubt, ut his
brothers and sisters III the way it is I'M
posing on the old lady. Bu the old
lady will stand no nonsense and turn
ing the child right side up, proceeds to
put it to rights, takes the kinks out of
his tail and the knots out of its fur,
pokcs its fingers into its cars and looks
at each Of its toes, tho irrcpressiblc
brat all the time wearing on his face
an absurd expression of hopeless grief
those who have been already cleansed
looking ON with delight at the scream
ing farce, and those who are waiting
wearing becoming aspect ofcnormous
gravity.
The old lady, however, has her Joke
too, which is to cuff each youngster be-
fore she lets it so, and nimble as her
offspring arc she generally to her crcdit
he it said manages to 'fetch them one
on the cars" before they are ont Of
reach. The father meanwhile, sits
grayely with his back to all these do
mestic matters, waiting for breakfast.
Presently the mats before the hut door
are let down. and women with brass
vessels in their hands. come out, and
while they scour the pots with dust,
exchange between songs the eompli-
mcnts of the morning. The monkeys
hy this time have came closer to the
preparations for food and sit soemnly
household by household Watching
every movement. Hindoos do not
hurry themselves in anything they do,
but the monkey has plenty Of patience,
and in the end when the crowd has
stolen little and the dog has had its
morsel and the children are all satisfied,
the fragments of the meal are thrown
out on the ground for the "blunder
orguc the monkey people, and il is
soon discussed, the mother feeding the
baby before she herself eats.