Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1896-06-12
90

station. There l spent most miserable
night. My utmost ontreaties failed to in
duce the police to send to Mrs. Tromaine
to bail mo out. think their malcvolence
was prompted by the policeman who had
been so rudCly interrupted in his tryst
with tho cook.
TN the morning we appeared before his
worship. The Italian and / were charged
with creating n disturbance and assaults
and breaches of the peace and that Kind of
thing, and, rs far as remember, the police
throw in charge of drunk and disorderly
against me. His worship asked to SEQ the
monkcy,and whom they brought him in,
10 and behold, there were two Jackos.
After some explanation tho magistrate
dismissed the charges against us with
caution, on the Ground of excusable mis-
take, and indeed it WAS most excusable.
Apparently the Italian had really lost his
monkey, and whether it was his monkey
or Jacko that no had been pursuing when
l encountered it l do not know to this
day. At all events, the police had captured
tho other monkey during the night and
had shut the two up together. There they
sat, two ugly, grinning, indistinguishabe
creatures, both guilty, according to the
evidence, of aggravated assaults on the
police.
"When we were released from the dock,
the magistrate asked us to remove the
monkeys. The Italian and 1 stared at
each other blankly. He knew no more
than l which was his property. OF course
it was useless to consult the police about
their identity. AS the magistrate pointed
out, there is no presumption either in law
or in fact as to the ownership of two stray
monkeys. l appealed to him TO decide the
question, and he pointed out that it was
tho duty of the police to restore property
to it's owners. He said that he was not
solomon, but only a police magistrate,
and that he doubted whether even the
house of lords could throw much light on
the subject. The matter, he thought, was
eminently one to be settled out of court.
'At first l tried to solve the difficulty
by buying out the Italians claim to either
of the monkeys, with the idea of sorting
them afterward But he also, it appeared,
had romantic attachment for his CARTS
simo monkey ind he declined my over
lures with few 5nt appeals to most of the
saints on the register. The whole thing,
he seemed to think, was base attempt on
tho part of foreign brutal government to
trample on tho rights of an Italian citizen
and to consicn his monkey to the dun
choice OF the two, and this might have
saved all trouble if Mrs. Trcmaine had
not arrived at that mUmont to inquire for
Jacko ana had not learned the whole affair
from communicative inspector.
Neither JACKIE nor the alleged Jacko
showed the faintest signs Of recognition.
Indeed they almost at once devoted them
selves to "A sanguinaYy fight in which Mrs.
Tremaine interviewed with considerable
injury to herself Thea she turned to me,
and l could SEQ from Der manner that she
considered mo responsible for the whole
difficulty. For quarter of an hSur had
a really lively timo. Mrs. Tremaine hec-
tOred the Italian, and the Italian objur-
gated Mrs. Temaino. Neither of them
understood a word that the other said, and
h99fo act as interpreter and buffer.
Eventually / made the best terms that
/ could. THO Italian agreed, for n consid-
Grafton, to allow us to keep both monkoys
for week, during which we might dis
cover their identity. Mrs. Tremaine quite
readily agreed 10 tho PROPOSAL for she was
confident that 10 monkey bur Jacko could
possess Jnckos virtues. | was more
doubtful believing that the virtues were
few enough to he common To many mon
keys. And so it turned out. Both mon
keys made then. Ives quito at home, over
ate themselves equally, stole as ceverly
and, what was most remarkable, searched
with identical persistence Tor the deceased
Captain Tremuinc Twice that week l
had to catch two monkeys, and when they
were both in the butterfly net they nearly
killed each other Mrs. Tremaine used to
look at them by the hour and sob and call
JACKIE softly. TheF both answered to the
other times preferred to be tho other mon
key.
AT the end of the week the organ
grinder appeared punctually, and heart
rending scene followed NO decision had
been como to till the morning Of his ar
rival, and then Mrs. Tremaine and Maud
differed as 20 which was the real Jacko.
Tho question had ID be decided somehow,
and, thinking il really mattcred little
which we kept, I suggested that we should
toss up. The llippancy of the suggestion
annoyed them and led them to recrimina-
ton, but at last We agreed to decide by
lot, that being biblical way out of the
difficulty and suitable TO the occasion.
The organ grinder went on his way con-
tontedly, ana hoped the affair was at an
end. But l was very much mistaken.
No sooner had he gone than Mrs. IRE
maine and Maud became alike convinced
that they had given up the real Jacko,
They said they were now certain of it.
Poor dear Jacko was sitting on barrel
organ in the cold street and engaged in
the degrading occupation of collecting cop
pers and monkeys were so liable to con-
sumption, and what would dear papa think
if lie were aliveY
II stood this for about ten days, and
then l went after the Italian again, having
obtained his address in case of further
complications. His affections were appar
emily now extended to both monkeys, for
he consented to an exchange for further
consideration. Surely, thought to my
self, Maud and her mother will be content
now. But no; the thing began all over
again. The former Jacko was their dar-
| ling, and they'd given him up when they d