Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1892-10-29
BUCKLAND'S PET MONKEY.
Jack Loved stolen EdihIcs Better Tha
honestly Acquired Food.

Jack Loved stolen EdihIcs Better Than
honestly Acquired Food.
Frank Buck land, in his Curiosities
of Natural History" writes thus of a
pet monkey
| lately had u little monkey, who was
such great thief, that if he had been n
human being he would have been trans.
ported over and over again for numer.
ous acts of petty larceny. |, however,
turned his thieving propensities to good
account Master Jack (after had had
him some time) showed evident symp-
toms of phthisic or consumption, and |
prescribed cod liver oil 1t was placed
openly before him on the dining room
table, but he refused it with symptoms
of disgust and sundry tail-shakings ]
then poured little into Il saucer, and
placed it in such Il position that Master
Jack should find it for himself, while |
pretended to be reading and not to no.
tire what was going on. The trap took;
Jack, thinking he was stealing the oil,
sucked up the prescribed dose, making
a face not implying nausea but rather
high glee at his own cleverness.
MS utttll, however, WIS UIltI Il
time discovered by the artful creature,
and one day | found my friend with his
long tail and arms tightly coiled round
the table lamp, and stealing the COLA
oil rs it dropped down from the wick.
He managed to get one of his long spi-
der-leg-like fingers through the brass
work of the lamp, and held it till drop
of oil fell on it; then he put it in his
mouth and sucked off the oil like a child
sucking sugar candy. How he could
manage to gaze at the intense light,
which one would have thought would
have hurt his eyes when 50 near tho
lighted wick, / know not | fancy,
however, that the light bothered him
somewhat, for he used to frown dread
fully while he was waiting for the oil to
drop on his finger. l placed COLA oil
before him no, he would not touch
it but, nevertheless, he had no ohjcc-
ton to it when he stole it for himself
from the lamp. He was certainly bet
ter and futter for his medicine, which
was so sweet because stolen. and |
really think it saved his life.
Jack, too had a marvellous propen-
sity for picking things to pieces, and
smashing articles that came in his way;
strange to say, he never tore a useless
hit of paper or broke common or val
urIcss hit of goods. One day he
Sneak"d ont of his cage and had good
mornings work to himself, tearing off
the leather and pulling out the lining
Of an old armchair. He was, after au
hour or two, discovered in the act, and
taken into custody to be duly chastised
for his mischief. He cried murder
when he saw preparations made to pun
iSh him, but ut the same time he held
out his hand firmly closed upon some
thing in it. His pickers and stealers
were umclaspcd, and in the palm of his
hand was discovered a half sovereign,
which he had most certainly found and
picked out of the chair and which
probably had been buried in the lining
of the chair IAN old secondhand ouej
for years. His profered ransom got
him of his punishment, but his inycsti-
cations into the structure of watches,
books, ink and cruet stands, writing
desks, MS. notes, etc, have not since
produced equally valuable discoveries
Nothing pleased Jack so much as to
make his escape, Jack Sheppard fash
ion, from the wire cage in which he was
kept by the kitchen fire He would
pick and pick with his long, skeleton
like fingers till he found the staple
loose, If anybody happened to look
round at him while he was at work. he
would drop instantly on the hay and
pretend TO sleep. When he managed to
get the door unfastcned he would not
bolt out il a moment, but push it open
as gently and gradually us a burglar.
He would then sneak out, and the cum
ning rascal would carry his chain on
his tail to prevent it ratting on the
stones and the servant detecting hia
pranks. His object was to get to my
room, and on looking up | frequently
found my friend nestled inside the
fender He came into the room SO
quietly that | did not know that he had
escaped from his cage till he called my
attention by a friendly chatter as much
as to say, I've got loose so clcverly
that you really must not scold me for
it.