The Penn's Grove record., 1885-08-22
RONNIE.

would take my words serlouslyf" L eX-
CLAIM impatiently.
s'You certainly said you would like
n (" cousin Tom responded, in a crest
fallen tone, his usually cheerful face a
picture of blank discomfort.
"You always was a dreadful blum
derer," / go on, with a sigh; 1'but such
an obvious joke as that L thought even
your obtuse brain would take in"
"You are not particularly polite"
observes Tom, i've whose honest fea'
lures an angry flush spreads for a mo-
ment; ''and | am sure, Vera, if you
only knew all the trouble | took to get
HIM and the number of scrapes he got
me into on the voyage home, you would
confess yourself very ungrateful."
l make no answer, but continue STAR
ing stupidity at the object of our dispute
a little green-eyed monkey with bright
brown eyes and a deeply-furrowed fore
head. sitting huddled in Toms arms. :
"He has cost me a good deal from
first to last" continues my cousin, N
an injured tone. TO begin, there was
the catching of him to pay for"
.tWhati Is he a wild monkeyp" | ask
in fresh alarm.
A grim smile passes like a ray of
watery sunshine over Toms face.
''They are rather difficult creatures
to train" he explains; but Bonnie is
perfectly free from vice"
l heave a sigh of relief.
''Then his voyage, n way and an
other, cost me ten pounds; and now
there is his hotel BILL" Tom winds up
complainIngly.
"His hotel bill?"I say laughing in
spite of my dilemma.
eyes. You see, when l landed at
Liverpool, | wasn't very clear what to
do with him. | couldn't very well take
him to my lodgings, and there was no
chance for some days of finding time to
run down here, so l left him at the
Mona Hotel in Liverpool. On the day
before yesterday l wrote and told them
to send him by the first train this NOR.
ming, which they did. They also, by
last evenings post, sent me his bill.
See it comes to two pounds ten shil-
lingsl'
81 don't wonder at it," is my some
what unsympathetic comment, II am
only astonished that they consented to
lodge him at any price. | wonder where
they kept himp"
HE was chained to the leg Of the
kitchen table"
FOR how long2"
''Ten days"
swell, two pounds ten is rather a
heavy charge for that accommodation,
| admit.
"He is a clever little fellow-aren't
you, Bonnie2" Bonnie answers by a
blink of his eyelids. And | am sure,
Vera, when you get to know him, you
will be awfully fond of him; you were
always SO devoted to pets"
''Pets-yes," / admit doubtfully.
"But do you call that thing a petp'
Tom is beginning to get hufy.
"Of course, if you won't have him
you won't" he says sharply; "but
must say that your conduct strikes me
as being a tri1e capriciOus. The very
last words you said to me before l left
England were, mind and bring me
home a monkeyi' Well, at no small
trouble to myself l procured a monkey,
and with still more trouble | brought
1t home; and now all you can do is to
sit there and abuse the both of u.s."
The case is a hard one, even |, with
the facts thus thrust before me, am
obliged to admit. 1t has been brought
about by Toms stupidity, of course.
In an ungarded moment, with an over
flow of unladylike animal spirits, when
Tom had asked me, in a slightly lacka-
daisical tone, "Shall | bring you any
thing from India:" / had answered
loosely, "Oh, do bring me a monkey"
Well, Tom-blundering, good natured
Tom had taken my small joke az
SerietT; and there he sits in the June
sunshine with that awful little brown
object in his arms. OF course l shall
never joke again; but that does not
alter existing circumstances.
Did | not know my Cousins DISPOSE
tion thoroughly, I should suspect him
of having revenged himself for M par.
ting im~pertinence by a practical joke;
but no-only stolid, unselfisn good.
nature has impelled him to comply with
my unfortunate request. AS these
thoughts rush through my mind, l be-
gin to feel sorry for Tom and his dis
appointment; at the same time l feel a
good deal more sorry for myself. Only
one loop-hole of escape al | see.
81 think he is very h~andsome-for a
monkey" l say, in a conclliatOry way,
Don't you think, Tom, they would be
delighted TO have him at the-the
Zoo?"
Alas, goodbye to my hopel Toms
face suddenly clouds again; he is quite
tragic.
"Do you think | have gone to all
this trouble and expense merely to pre-
sent him to the Zoo?'' be cries angrily.
"Besides, | have grown fond of the
poor little beast"-laying his sun brown
ed hand caressingly upon the tiny head
land look here, Vera-If yon won't
have him"-savagely-"I have quite
determined what to do with him."
"Wbat?"I ask eagerly, with a re-
pickering of my lost hope.