Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1882-09-22
NO. 38.


In India, where the monkeys live among
men, and are the paymates of their children,
the Hindoos have grown so fond of them that
the four-handed folk participate in all their
simple household rites. In the early morn
ing, when the peasant goes out TO yoke his
plough, and the crow wakes up, and the dog
stretches himself and shakes of the dust in
which he has slept all night, the old monkey
creeps down from the peepul.tree only half
awake, and yawns and looks about him, puts
a straw in his mouth, and scratches himself
contemplatively.
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 youngsters
get cuffed for nothing, and begin to think life
dull. Yet the toilet has to be performed, and
whether they like it or not, the young ones
are sternly pulled up one by one TO their moth
er to undergo the process. The scene, though
regularly repeated every morning, loses moth
ing of its delightful comicality, and the mon
key brats never tire of the joke of taking in
mamma" But mamma was young herself
not 80 very long ago, and treats each ludi-
crous atfectation of suffering with profound
est unconcern, andas sshe dismisses one 'clean-
ed" youngster with a cuff, stretches out her
hand for the next ones tail or leg in the most
business-like and serious manner possible.
AhN OuLbblSib huOW AutlI luIub quite Well,
and as each one sees the moment arriving it
throws itself on its stomach, as If overwhelm-
ed with apprehension, the others meanwhile
sitting their laughter at the capital way So
and SO is doing it, and the instant the mater
nal paw is extended to grasp its tail the sub
ject of the next experiment utters q dolorous
wall, and throws its arms forward in the dust,
allows itself to be dragged along, limp and
helpless carcass, winking all the time, no
doubt, at its brothers and sisters, at the way
it is imposing on the old lady.
But the old lady will stand no nonsense,
and turning the child right side up, proceeds
TO put it to rights; takes the kinks out of its
tail and the knots out of its fur; pokes its
fingers into its ears, and looks at each of its
toes, the inexpressble brat all the time wear
ing on its face an absurd expression of hope
less and incurable grief. Those who have
been already cleaned look on with delight at
the screaming farce, while those who are wait
ing wear becoming aspect of enormous
gravity. The old lady, however, has her joke
too, which is to cuff every youngster before
she lets it go and nimble as her offspring
are, she generally, to her credit be it said,
manages to give each of them q box on the
ears before it is out of reach. The father,
meanwhile, sits gravely with his back TO all
these domestic matters, waiting for break
fast.
The monkeys by this time have come clos
or to the preparations for food, and sit solemn
ly, household by household, watching every
movement Hindoos donot hurry themselves
in anything they do, but the monkey has lots
of time to spare and plenty of patience, and
in the end, after the crow has stolen q little
and the dog has had its morsel, and the child
rem are all satisfied, the poor fragments of the
meal are thrown out on the ground for the
"bhunder-logue" (the monkey people,, and is
soUA discussed, the mother feeding the baby
before she eats herself
When every house has thus in turn been
visited and no chance of further tout door
relief remains the monkeys go off to the
well. The women are all here again, draw
ing the water for the day, and the monkeys
sit and wait, the old ones in the front, SEN
tentious and serious, and tine youngsters roll
ing in the dust behind them, till at last some
girl sees the creatures waiting, and "in the
name of Ram" spills lotah full of water in
hollow of the ground, and the monkeys
come round in circle, and stoop down and
drink, with their tails all curled up over their
backs like notes of interrogation. There is
no contention or josling A forward child
gets box on the ear perhaps, but each one,
as it has satisfied its thirst steps quietly out
of the circle, and wipes its mouth. The day
thus fairly commenced, they go off to see
what luck may bring them.
The grain dealers shop tempts them to loi-
ter, but the experience of previous attempts
makes theft hopeless; for the bunnya, with
all his years. is very nimble on his legs, and
an astonishing good shot with pipkin. So
the monkeys merely make their salaams to
him, and pass on to the fields. If the corn is
ripe, they can soon eat enough for the day;
but if not they go wandering about picking
up moIsels, here an insect and there berry,
till the sun gets too hot, and then they creep
up into the dark shade of the mango tops,
and snooze through the afternoon. In the
evening they are back in the village again 10
share in its comforts and entertainments.
They assist at the convocation of the elders
and the romps of the children, looking on
when the faquir comes mp to- collect his little
dues of salt and corn and oil, and from him
in their turn exacting pious toll They lis
ten gravely to the village musician till they
get sleepy, and then one by one they clam
Der up into the peepul.