The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1883-11-07
Jenny Ring.


-Halper's Young People.
Jenny Ring.
lIucy Hamilton Warner, in New York Tribune.l
One day my cousin entered the room, with
what ] thought was a rat Then,
looking closer, ] saw it was too long
and not so round as rat, and it had a heavy
tail Then thought it was a little bear, but
where did he get such a small mite OF bear?
How could lie bring it III his arms? He put
IL in my lap. Il have brought you a pet"
saidhe at is not bear or a rat: it Is tanned
mongOOSe."
The mongoose is native of Africa, and lives
on ants and other insects. Its tongue is long,
narrow, and pointed, covered with q sticky
substance, il runs ITS tongue down into the
ant bills, and the ants stick to it. and the
mOngOOse draws it back into its mouth like a
flash, then running it out again and again
until its hunger is satisfied.
Jenny RiBg-that was the name of the
mOngOOse-Came TO live with me. At frst. /
was a little afraid OF her, but as long a she
lived she never bit any one. She was the
most loving little animal. She would
lick your hand like dog. When you sat
down she would jump on your lap, and try,
in her dumb way, to show how much she
loved you. When you said that was enough
she would crawl up on to YOUR shoulder sit
there looking very wise, and trying to under
stand all that was said
Jenny loved company. When the door
bell ran it did not matter whether she was
asleep or where she was, she would run and
sit on the stairs. and wait until she door was
opened. If it was any one she knew, she
would roll herself up in a ball, roll down
stairs coming with thump to the bottom,
clucking gleefully. The only noise she made
was to cluck like hen.
One day lady called that had not heard
of my pet. and when she saw Jenny sitting
on the stairs, gave scream, and said, There
is a rat " When Jenny followed me down
stairs she jumped on a chair holding I'D her
will bite" Though l told her Jenny
would not DO her any harm, she did not be-
ieve it.
Another time heard Jenny Ring making
a great noise. l went to see what was the
matter and found Jenny had cornered the
cat and there was little fight going on.
Jenny was coming out the victor and would
have killed poor pussy if | had not come 10
the rescue. l suppose the cat saw Jenny
Ring and thought, Now, there is nice
large rat" and sprung upon Jenny to find
out, as she did afterward, that she did not
have a rat, but something else. After that
all the cats in the neighborhoOd kept out of
the way OF Jenny, and only when they were
really hungry would they come to the house,
and, If Jenny was seen or heard, they would
run ald hide,
had tS..'ar and chain made for Jenny.
ana 9ne QaN Wlen SHE WAS out Mltl lie Il
missed her. and found she had slipped the
collar over her head and run away. On
looking, ] saw the people going to the other
side of the street, and soon guessed the cause,
and so i walked back AID called Jenny As
soon as she heard me call, she turned around,
seeing me, and being frightened at so many
strange people, she ran back to me, and was
not contented until took her up in my
arms She acted like frightened child. but
/ soon soothed her, and she settled i'm my
arms and went to sleep.
Jenny Ring was very fond OF eggs and
would steal them if.tiley were not given her.
Size always cracked them herself She would
take an egg in her front paws then back up
against a tree, swing her paws front, then
back under her hind paws, cracking the
egg. and clean il as clear as any person
would.
Sometimes when Jenny was naughty
would say: Jenny, you are bad girl 20 in
the corner until yon are good" Then she
wonld go, always with her face to the wall;
when she was there a little while, would
chuck, bat never stir until | said, Jenny,
come out now
Jenny was very fond of playing tag, and
would always catch you, checking IN grea:
glee. Her tricks were like monkey; she
would lie on her back as if dead. and not
move a muscle until the piano was played,
ana then she would start up, pick up a little
hat that made for her, shoulder a stick
These and many more tricks, would she do
But Jenny Ring met with sad fate. She
used to love 10 lie in the sun and basS her
self, suddenly rising up before people when
disturbed. One day she was startled by one
OF the strange men of the farm, and seeing
what he thought was rat, he shotat il, and
killed poor Jenny Ring | heard a faint
cluck, and knew it was from Jenny. / found
her shot and trying to come TO me. When
she saw me she gave a happy cluck, and, as
took her in my arms tried 20 lick my hand
then gave little cluck, looked up at me and
closed her eyes and fell back dead
When in the Central Park | saw in one of
the cages little mongoose, and thought j
had my Jenny back. hut at the call of Jenny
il did not answer. The keeper said its name
was Tom
The 81. Nicholas Agsssiz Association
The following account, from the November
St Nicholas Of the origin, growth and meth
young naturalists:
The Agassiz Association, is three years old
this month. The number OF members as re-
corded year ago was 3,Sl6, anu we then re-
marked that the membership had doubled
within the year. The latest number on our
register is 5,970. which shows a still larger in
crease for the closing year.
The association originated at LenOx, Mass,
and its headquarters are still in Lenox Acad-
envy. Here are kept our register, with is
nearly 60C0 names: our album. containing
the faces of many OF our members; our cabi-
net OF some thousands Of specimens, contrib
ufed by near and distant friends, and the file
OF letters preserving the cream OF a three
years correspondence. Grouped around tbs
centTe are now 523 branch societies. or CHAP
feIS representing nearly every State and