Arizona silver belt., 1888-05-26
kTlcs oF AN APE.

to Catch a Stray Monkey In
 aris-A Question of Ownership.
 Je's tragic tale of the murderous an-
 of an ape in Paris has just found
 snical counterpart. Oddly enough, both dramas were enacted in the same locality, that is to say, not far from the morgue. 4 bevy of newly enlisted conscripts, with painted pictures on their hats, were crossing the Point Neuf, arm in arm, keeping step to the music of the ''Marsel- laise, B when suddenly they saw small but nimble monkey leaping and bound ing in front of them, making a Mgzag course. from one side of the bridge to the other, frightened at the water on either hand, and too beaddled in mind to think of making a straight and swift es- cape to the end of the bridge, and thence to his home. The young conscTipts, for getting their country and its national song, gave a scream of delight, broke ranks and gave instant chase after the lively little beast. The raw recruits, un- diciplined yet eager for action, performed prodigies of valor in running against and knocking one another down, and whisk ing off one another's picture covered hats, but no one of the hunters caught the monkey. He dodged deftly between the collective legs of the whole battalion, and was as brisk in his thew departures ' as the Irishman's flea. Soon the melee, like travelling gust of wind, was trans ferred from the bridge to the adjoining quai de Ia meggisserie. Here the ngmer- ous passers by, on seeing the fun, at once joined init, adding to the bafied military force fresn- -Sivil reserve, The spectacle -,-->-------sl -,=---.-4 t-tteIg. The crowd became dense. and everybody was soon stupidly looking down and around, here and there, expecting the monkey to be found under somebody's feet.
 '.Poor thing, he will probably be trampled to death," exclaimed some humane voices.
 But this apprehension was soon put at rest. A hundred merry threats sud denly burst into a ringing cheer. Had the monkey been caught? No! He was farther than ever from such an igno- minious fate-he had climbed a tree!
 Look at the little brute,' '' said a stout gentleman, who had a legal portfolio under his arm, chow he is grinning at us! showing contempt to the court and jury"
 Two or three ragamuffins, veritable gamins, then climbed the monkeys tree, almost as nimbIy as if they had been monkeys themselves. Did they get their hands upon their Simian brother? Not at all! He hoped from branch to branch, and. on being hotly pressed, made a final and splendid jump-better than anything done on the trapeze at the hippodrome-landing himself safely on the next tree. The gamins were badly laughed at. Nothing so ill succeeds as ill success, as Talleyrand might have ob- served. But the gamins were not to be disconcerted by a laugh nor outwitted by an ape. The young rogues attacked the next tree, and the next, until the monkey, having no more trees to leap into, skipped at last to the only remain ing refuge, which was the top of lamp post. On this low pinnacle of evident danger his chances of maintaining his liberty and life might have been small, except for the opportune interference of a tall policeman, who said:
 ''Stand off, boys, will reach up and take him down, quietly"
 Whereupon the gentle giant out stretched his long right arm, and grazed the willing captive, who showed mani fest signs of relief at thus receiving the protection of tl.e law.
 Was the sport how over? Certainly not. It was, in fact, rebegun.
 ''Who is the owner of this animal? Ct him step forth and claim his proz E-erty, said the officer, magisterially.
 ''The monkey is mine, 5 replied whis- kered young man, with unkempt hair and an uncanny look.
 ''No; he is mine, 5 replied small boy, smaller even than any of the gamins wko had climbed the trees.
 ''You are a little liar, rejoined the unkempt man.
 ''You are a big thief" retOrted the courageous lad.
 In two minutes the popular interest in this dispute grew to fever heat. There was something in the honest, scared, tear ful look of the little boy that excited the sympathy of the bystanders. A police man IS, of all men, pre-eminently sus- picious. The policeman who held the monkey gave a searching and suspicious look at the grizzly whiskerando who stood as claimant.
 'FGive the monkey to the little boy" !" cried several voices in the crowd.
 ''Not without evidence, '' replied the officer. ''So, now, my little man, can you prove to me that this monkey is yours?"
 "Yes, I can," cried the boy trium- phantly; ''this is a he monkey, and have his wife in my pocket!''
 Whereupon, to the astonishment and delight of the applauding crowd, the lad drew forth from his pocket tiny pet fe- male monkey, the animal which the French call the guenon. The evidence was complete, and, as the French journ- alists say, ''the incident was closed. ''- Kansas City Journal.
 The Salt Craze.
 The majority of our readers will re-