Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1896-06-26
A MONKEY QUARREL

without her hat"
"Ah," ho said, coming to the window,
4 thought it must DO shei She's catch
ing the monkey. / expect she misses me
! uo>y sometimes. You didn't SEQ which way
it went, did your
"No," said. as she addicted to hunt
ing monkcysf".
"Only tho monkey" no replied IL
used to TO it once"
Dear me!' said "It's fashionable
amusement in the neighborhood. them"
"No," he answered lnournfuily. II
was engaged to that girl once, and that
beast of monkey broke the engagement
off,
Were you," asked, "cut out by the
monkey, thenP'
"a man." no said, ''must be very, very
toung to mako remark like that"
.....'Who is she's" inquired
EEEOs.. sAe's Miss Tremaino!' he said
ExTN tell you tho story if you like. 1t
Nkl DO warning to you never to get Gil
gagged to "a girl who Keeps a monkey.
AT present" l said, "thero Is no girl
If tho sort in my minds eye, but it's bet
er to DO prepared for all emergencies -
II got engaged to Miss Iremaine, he
said, "about three years ago. l. met her
At the tennis club and dances and around
5he place generally here, but had never
seen much of her at home, and / was uIl-
aware even of the monkeys existence. AS
loon as we were engaged was introduced
20 Jacko. He was small monkey, of or
binary appearance and was not at first
light prepossessing, but in tho Tremaina
household he was a family fetieh. It's
furious to notice tho dominant influence
different families. Sometimes It's tho
,aby, sometimes the butler, sometimes a
irst husbands memory and sometimes
he daily paper. But in this case .Iacl.o
reigned supreme. Captain Tremaine who
was dead, had bought the beast, and it
vas concerned in "a touching deathbed'
scene or something of the kind. AT any
cate, Mrs. Tromaine regarded 1t as sacred
relic of the dear deceased and layished all
her love and affection on it. =.
II well remember the first night ! saw
Jacko and discovered the habit that even
5ually wrecked an engagement. 1t was q
sitting evening, and l suggested to Maud
he desirability OF opening window.
oh, no. she said, we never can have the
windows open in the evening! Jacko
would get out!' My first hint of Jacko's
habits was enlarged by Mrs. Tremaine's
requent and objectionable intrusions to
inquire rs to the beasts whereabouts A
nan IN the first rapture of an engagement
naturally dislikes the inrushes of some one
'ise in pursuit of monkey. The next
morning the nuisance increased A sery-
mt cane round-they live a few doors
rom hereto tell me that JACKIE had Just
escaped and would help to catch him: /
ound him about lunchtime and over
,aulcd him after a long and exciting
;hase. As seemed obvious, 1 caught him
y the tail, and the brute bit me aud went
IN for another half hour. Mrs. Tremaine
explained reprcachfuliy that Jacko always
bit people who touched his tail.
For some months JACKIE continued to
be nuisance at homo and abroad. When
he escaped, which he managed to do about
once week, | was expected to secure him.
This generally happened in the morning,
when the windows were open and the
5radesnen were calling, and at first on
shose occasions did not reach chambers
ill the afternoon. Afterward l became
quite an adept at catching him. His plan
If campaign was to wait till his pursuer
vas quite close, and then jump about 20
Yards. l bought large butterfly net.
With a long handle, and he never got the
hang of that. When had discovered this
invention, l was comparatively happy, but
waited with dread for the tmo when
jacko should escape after dark, and l
should be compelled to hunt for tho brute
through the watches of the night on the
leril of losing the regard of the Tremane
iamily. Jacko's noma,lic habits were l
may explain, attributed to desire to find
his dead master.
g. AT last the event that dreaded occur
red. One cold winters evening JACKIE
disappeared while the cook was interview
ing her favorito policeman at the back
door and got well away. The cook received
n months notice on the spot, and l was at
once put on tho track of the animal Mrs.
Tremaine was much annoyed because !
wished to put my boots on before starting,
and even Maud seemed only anxious for
tho monkeys health. After tramping
through three or tour miles of streets OK
perienced what at first regarded as unex-
pected good luck. The brute came tearing
round "a corner and in a second he was in
the butterfly net l was just preparing tc
return, elated that the run had been so
numerically cut short, when crowd also
came round the corner, headed by an an
CRY and breathless Italian. Isoon discov-
cred the connection of events. The Italian
could not speak much English, but
gathered that he claimed JACKIE as his
monkey, his carissimo monkey. The |
crowd, who had become excited in the
chase, and who imagined that was at |
tempting to cheat poor, ignorant for. |
eigner out Of his only solace in strange |
land, demanded that I should give tn
monkey up. The vision of Maud's face
II the sacred animal spent the night in the |
possession of an untrustworthy Italian, |
rose before my eyes, and distinctly d.. |
clined to relinquish Jacko
''In the course Of conversation with the |
crowd lost my temper and considerabl.
portion of my clothes, and by tho time
that policeman arrived suppose my ap. |
pearance did justify him in conveying |
Jacko, the italian and me to the police |
station. There spent a most miserable |
night My utmost entreaties failed to in
duce tho police to send to Mrs. Tremaine |
to bail me out. I think their malevolenco |
was prompted by the policeman who had |
been so rudely interrupted in his tryst
with the cook.
''In the morning we appeared before his
Il. - =