The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1891-05-24
FOR THE YOUNG FOLKS.
Account Of Some Of the Funny CaperS Of q
Very Funny Pet Crow.
GREATNESS OF zENOS CURIOSITY.
How He Bit the Newfoundland Dor and
Tweaked the Logs ofthe Little Negroes.
Notes of Interest.

"S OH inc tTlOe OF pets nave ncVe
seen one that compared in originality ant
qualntness with a certain crow that was
member of an old North Carolina family fo
more years than any one cared 10 remember
n merry trio of children grew up with hin
anu made pet and plaything of him unit
'hey were old enough to lay playthings aside
and when they had children Of their own THU
new generation rolled and tumbled with hin
about the lawn, or went hunting or walking
with him promenading along at their heels.
Ieno was on good terms with all the family
Uut ne made no secret of his preference fol
tne young people, and if any of the children
wanted TO 60 on an expedition and leave hin
Dehlnd ne generally had TO be locked up in
the closet. Poor Ieno. How he did crv and
snHek murder" on such occasions until
ms capt0rs We're glad enough to open the
door and let him 60.
Inc lanily had always been very anxious
Ior Ieno to learn To talk, and they spent a
great zeal OF time In repeating expressions
that they wished TO teach him. He did in
ueed' learn TO say good many things. but
am sorry to say that none of them were the
thlngs they. had tried TO teach him. He
listened. indeed. with his head on one side
and the air of critic, while Lucille sung to
hlm or Bob whistled, or Howard talked. but
In the hrst pause be remarked with an air of
Iocose surprise: BLESS us and save us :"
And the strangest part Of it was that no one
knew where he had learned that
He was very quick, however in picking up
| expressions that tickcd his fancy. One day
while Bob was dressing in great hurry, his
collar button fell and rolled away under the
bureau, as such things WILL and Bob ex-
claimed impatiently, Hang that button 4"
After that, whenever anything disturbed
| Zeno. he exclaimed. Hang that button" as
| Clfhlv fbp1rrh he. boI
from his youth up.
Not long afterwards he was poking curiously
about bonfire in the yard. where one of the
servants was burning some trash, and he step
ped upon a coal. Away he went back to the
| house. shrieking, cawing and circulating
Hang that button! Oh, hang that button"
until he found the mother of the family. TO
whom he always wentfor comfort in his Attic
tons.
There never was anything to equal Zenos
| curiosity. The presence of any new thing
about the premises drove him wild until he
could properly investigate it and satisfy him
self about IT, When baby was born in the
family some one had to stand guard over it
and introduce Zeno TO it gradually. He
perched up on the side of the cradle, peered
curiousy at the little head and face. turned
the little tiny feet over with his inqusitive
bill and exclaimed in an awe-struck under
tone. BLESS us and save us" moment
afterwards the baby walked and began TO cry,
when Zeno flew TO the back of a chair in great
alarm and sat there screaming. Hang that
button" until the crying had ceased. 1 have
no doubt that be thought he was helping the
baby express itself under trying crcum-
stances.
One day while the workmen were making a
hot-bed in the garden Ieno stood around
looking very much like reflective old gentle
man with his hands under his coat-tails, and
attended to every detail of the whole affair.
Whenever spadeful of earth was turned up
he examined it carefully with his head TO one
side, and then he looked anxiously into the
hole from which it had been taken, and made
remarks 10 himself in low tone
He superintended the business until 10 was
finished and the workmen had packed up
their tools and gone away, and then he went
quietly TO work taking the hot-bed TO pieces.
He had torn one end out and was busily en-
gagged with sash when he was discovered.
and am afraid that he never understood why
he was shut up in the wood-house all through
one long, lonely day.
merry, humorous little soul was Zeno.
He never laughed aloud but one could al
most fancy that. like Tennysons miller, he
had
Slow, wise smile, that round about
HIS dusty forehead drily curled.
All day long when he was not playing off
an old Joke on some unsuspecting victim, he
was studying up new one and no doubt was
chuckling TO himself He would walk about
the ward with that thoughtful look and his
hands under his cOat-tails, until old Jep. the
Newfoundland, would feel convinced that he
had no evil designs, and would drop peace
fully off TO sleep. Then Ieno would APP
proach on tiptoe and bite Jeps nose until he
hOwled. after which he stood on the fence
and looked away down the road until the
storm had subsidized.
He would follow the little negroes about for |
hours at time. merely for a chance 70 catch |
them at some ungarded moment and tweak |
their bare legs numerically. The Old black |
hated him with all heart, and was |
always watching for him. but her cOmforta- |
BILE fat ankles were seldom without some mark |
Of his attentions.
When Miss Sallie" laid down her sewing !
for q minute and left the room, she was sure 1
TO find scissors or thimble gone when she re-
turned, and If she was very quick IN pursuit
she captured ZenO in the act of carrying the |
missing article to some safe hiding place
where he was making stOrehouse Some
tines she carefully hid the thimble under the |
folds of her work. and then ZenO would lift
he garment with his bill and peer about until
he found what he wanted.
When too many things were missing a pri-
vate detective would be employed TO watch
LenO, and if the detective was very shrewd
10 would generally find hole under the
teps or in the corner of the chimney or down
~ the garden wall, from which thmbles,
late pencils, halr pins, buttons, DaDy'S stock |
ngs, nails, articles of jewelry, anything and
everything would be unearthed
One of Zeno's chief pleasures was TO stand
Iround the blacksmith-shop and watch Chris,
he negro blacksmith, about his work Every
notion that Chris made was watched as
agerly as though Zeno intended TO begin
himself, and every nail that he
lropped was pounced upon and carried off,
,hris had been warning Zeno for some time
hat dis yer halter be stopped" and at last,
Turing Zeno's temporary absence. he heated
ail until it was at least uncomfortably warm,
nd when Zeno came back with that funny
title mincing walk of his the nail was limo
emily dropped down before him. He seized
/, dropped it. and went flying and running
D Miss Sallie," screaming:
oh murder. Bless us and save us Hang
nat button"
Miss Sallie took him in her arms and soothed
i'm. as well as she could for laughing, but
emo could never be persuaded 10 touch nail
gain Dallas Houston in Philadelphia Times. |
Uncle Sans Library.
Certain prize puzzles that the Eight O'clock
Rs had made it necessary that its members
lould become familiar with some large pub
C library. yet few of them, perhaps, have
yer seen the big bookcases in Uncle Sans
udy. Our National Library is huge triple
,om in the west front of the Capitol build
~ and holds more than SIX hundred thou