Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1889-01-31

werp Monkey.
l have always liked monkeys, and
had been very sorry that it was really
impossible to stay more than two min
utes in any monkey home or resort ]
ever stumbled upon, SO l was delight
ed to go into the great monkey-house
in the Antwerp Zoo, by some persons
regarded as the finest in Europe, and
find if, with its marble floors and glass
fronted cages, clean and sweet-smelling
as the most fastidious could desire.
We stopped some time in front of the
large airy room which had been set
aside for bedroom and parlor for Mon
sieur and Madame Chimpanzee, a low
partition separating the two rooms.
The happy pair had just been present
ed with new set of furniture, and
monsieur was very much. out Of tenn
per because so many people had come
to see how they liked it.. Madame, his
wife, was very busy shaking out the
rugs, busting the chairs, putting on
the table-cloth, tidying up generally.
and the children clustered in front of
the cage were laughing with delight,
but her husband sat in an ill-tempered
bunch until at last, his feelings, being
too much for him, he swoOped upon his
wife, picked her up in his arms, car
ried her into the bedroom, put her into
the little French bedstead, shook her
well when she struggled and objected,
and slapped her severely, / grieve to
say, covered her up, neck and nose,
with a sheet, tucking her in so that
not even her tail could be seen. and
then sat down with his back to the
audience in most suggestive way.
Then we passed ON to the large CEN
trail, many-sided cage whore hosts
of little monkeys were disporting
themselves They were sociable
little people. Not content with chat
tering to their friends in the same in
closure. they lodged and grinned,
through the glasses to their neighbors
on both sides.
But one small monkey, a bright-eyedi
little fellow. sat on his launches, chin.
in hand, quite apart from the Others,
searching the crowd anxiously with
his black eyes. While / watched him.
an attendant came up and asked in fair
though labored English, eff madame
saw that little monkey" and when L
replied in the affirmative, he con-
tinued: IF madame would watch but
q moment more, she would be able to
amuse herself much.
ut is now the time," he went on,
looking up at the clock, ''for the
friend, that he come-ah, he now; APP
proaches."
As he spoke, the monkey suddenly
sprang up, eurled his tail and one lit
tie black hand round bar where the
glass had been lowered, and began to-
wave the other small morsel of a hand
in the air, throwing kisses with, it,
bobbing his head, and acting as If mad
with Joy. Through the crowd comes a,
little curly-headed Flemish boy. cap
in hand, school-books under arm,
showing all his pretty white teeth as
he laughed and nodded quite as hap
PLY as. the monkey. Up he came to
the cage, and between the bars, went
out two little brown arms, drawing
him close enough for his tiny furry
friend to clasp him about the: neck,
pat his cheeks, smooth his hair. az
range his collar and necktie, and kiss;
him again and again.
At last when the first transport OF
Joy was over, the boy put his books
down On the floor, and submitted him
self to an examination conducted with
wonderful rapidity and exactness-
Each pocket in turn was rified, its con-
tents noted, first the boys nose, then
the monkeys, wiped with small cot
ton handkerchief, which the monkey
then carefully folded and returned to
it's owners pocket A piece oil Lead
pencil next occasioned much rejoicing,
and was slowed away in capacious
cheek while the search went on unin-
terrupted. At last a small cracker
was drawn from one pocket, a nut from
the other, and called forth wild demon
STATIONS of delight and gratitude.
The books were now in turn submit
ted for his inspection, and the monkey
examined each one. turning the leaves
with marvellous rapidity, and yet not
seeming to miss one page. handing
each one back, held upright that it
might slip safely between the bars as
soon as the last leaf had been tnrned.
The last one the boy handed in was
a small handbook, which he wen
through carefully, turning the leaves
back and forth till he had selected a
sDecial one. which he then tore out, SO
carefully that the rest of the book was
uniniured. Seating himself on cross
bar, he spread the sheet out On the
cover of the book, took the pencil
from his mouth and began to scribble
industriously, looking up now and
again. for the smile and nod of APP
prevail which never failed to greet him.
At last, when the sheet vas quite
covered up with pencil-marks, he pol
ished the pencil up on his little furry
arm, restored it to it's owners pocket,
handed back the book, rolled his piece
of paper into hard, round bali, pat
ted and pressed it with both hands
slipped down from his perch, and hur-
ried off to conceal it in the hiding
place which had received his othel
treasures. This time he came bach
with a detected air, which l under
stood when saw the boy gather up hi
possessions-the hour of parting wa!
evidently drawing near.