The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1893-11-05
A Pet O1ang-Outang.

Borneo is the home of the orang- ou-
tang, which, leaving out the genus
man, occupies the third place from
the highest in the animal kingdom.
The gorilla has the highest place, the
chimpanzee comes next in order. then
the 1g. The males are as fond of
fghti as are human roughs, and,
like them, bite off each others fingers
and lips.
They all show, in human-like way,
the emotions of pain, rage, satisfac-
ton and affection. Baby orangs
range, as human infants do, from
good to bad Some, when they are
good, are very good, indeed, and
others, when they are bad, ''are hor-
rid" Mr.. Hornaby, the naturalist,
took a baby orang from its dead
| mother, shot in the cause of science,
which had the temper of a tiger.
An orang's instinct is to seize and
bring an offending hand to its mouth,
| that it may bite the member. This
baby orang, though only six months
old, made SO many attempts to put the
naturalists hands up to its mouth
that he was obliged to tie its elbows
together behind it's back.
Even then. when he was not watch
| ing it, the orang rolled over and seized
But for the hunting trousers and
woolen stockings, the naturalist would
have lost a piece of his leg. At last it
relieved the naturalist by dying. A
] baby orang of more gentle disposi-
| ton was brought to Mr.. Hornaby
with its hands and feet bound
When he approached it, instead of
attempting to bite, it whined softly
and rolled up its big brown eyes so
appealingly that the naturalist cut its
bands and placed it on pile of soft
straw. It soon became a pet and was
named "Old Man." on account of its
bald head and an air of profound grav-
ity. 1t vas fond of being held in the
naturalist's arms, and when he grew
tired it would grasp the folds of his
flannel shirt and hold itself, thus show
ing it's physical superiority to helpless
human infants.
1t would lie on Mr.. Horuaby's lap
while he was writing, reading or eat
ing, and amuse itself by catching hold
of his penholder or book or by tug
ging at the table-cloth. Its favorite
food was bananas and sugar, but it
learned to relish rice, cooked meat,
canned fruit and bread, and to drink
tea and coffee, milk and chocolate.
Beer, wine or spirits it would not
touch.
The baby did its best to amuse its
master. Drawing his hand to its
mouth and making a pretence of
biting and making wry faces were its
favorite tricks If the naturalist sat
down to a meal and began to eat with
out feeding the baby, it would whine,
scream, throw itself on the floor on
its back and kick like a spoiled child.
Its happiness was complete when its
master permitted the baby to sleep
with him. 1t would lie sprawling
upon Mr.. Hornabv's breast, with it's
head on his shoulder, its face close to
his neck, and its arms and legs clasp
ing his body. 1t could not learn to
swim, and, on Mr.. Hornaby putting it
In the water. sank helplessly, as if it
had been an iron bar.
Howard's Way.
Billy sat beside the well curb with
Swo streams of tears running down
his plump cheeks.
"Why. Billy. what is the matter?''
sail Howard, looking up from the big
book that he was studying
's."ve dropped my knife down the
well," sobbed Billy. ''And mamma
lost one in the hay NOW, and two at
somersa ults, and one l traded for q
whistle that wouldn't whistle-oh,
dearT'
'.But how did you drop your knife
eown the ;vell?" asked Howard.
II was Just cuttings big b In eAe