The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1898-11-22
STOLEN BY APES.

STOLEN BY APES.
This is the story of Ruf1es, who got
his funny little name in faroff East
Indian army post, and it tells how he
came near being adopted by tribe Of
balloons just about the time when he
got his name.
/ Ruffles is quite big boy now. When
his father, who is captain in the
British Indian army, comes home after
parade. Ruffies can carry his big saber
quite like a soldier, and he can go
around by the back of the compound,
which is the name for the big yard
where his father and lots Of other SOL
diers live, and, walking very heavily
upon the veranda of his own home, he
can make his mother believe that a very
important visitor has arrived at the
/ front door. Then his mother looks at
herself in the mirror for fear her pretty
hair may be mussed and sends one Of
the black servants to receive the caller.
Then, of course, Ruffles is very delight
ed with his joke and everybody laughs,
including the new "syoe," or groom,
just down from the hills, where there
are only black people, and he doesn't
understand in the least what it is all
/ about.
1t was long time ago when Ruff1es
was carried off by the baboons but 1t is
the most exciting of stories still. In the
long evenings when Ruffies' father is
busy in his study with reports and pa
pers and other tiresome things Ruf1es
draws cassock up to his mother knee
and says "Now, MON, tell me how
daddy found me when the balloons were
carrying me away" Then Ruffies'
mother twists her fingers in the curls
which Ruff1es secretly hopes to get rid
of before long, and her eyes shine with
the memory of the terrible night when
she thought her poor little son was the
victim of the jungle beasts
at was when the regiment was sta
toned in a little fort up in the hills
near King Williams Town, says she.
''There had been fighting with the
Kaffirs, and just the minute it was over
you and and Nurse O'Brien set off in
bullock carts to see your daddy. When
we got there, they made a great well
come for you, because you were the first
white baby ever seen in that part Of
India. We had taken your perambulator
along, and Nurse o. Brien used to wheel
you about in the kloof." AS Ruff1es had
been raised in India he, of course, knew
that the "kloof" was simply space in
the jungle where trees and bushes had
been cleared away, so that providing
beasts or providing Kaf1rs might not
come too near. That was before Nurse
O'Brien married Sergeant Brown, con-
tinued Ruffles' mother.
"Of course" said Ruffles sagely.
"Her name wasn't Brown then.
"Correctp' said Ruf1es' mother with
what Ruffles called her young lady
laugh"
"Now," she continued, whether it
was Nurse o. Brien's fault or Sergeant
! Browns fault that you were carried off
by the balloons hasn't ever been set
tied"
Wasn't it both of their faults?" In
quired Rufies.
81 rather think it was," replied his
mother, Though they haven't yet
agreed to that between themselves. At
any rate, every one knew that when
Nurse O'Brien pushed your perambu-
lator about the kIoof Sergeant Brown
always walked along and talked to
Nurse O'Brien. 1t was very wild,
lonesome place, our fort was, not near
ly as nice station as this, where you
have lots of little friends to go to school
with you. ("
Wasn't there any school there?'
asked Ruffles.
mot sign of one," replied his
mother. "Not a school within 200
miles. Why, they couldn't have had
school for just one little white baby,
you know"
Ruffles was silent and breathed sigh
which might have indicated that even
this frontier hardship could be borne by
patriotic infants.
Nearly every night, +" continued his
mother, "the balloons used to come all
round the kloof, jumping in the trees
and bowling hke-like"-
"Like this said Ruf1es, bowling
beautifully.
"Just like that" said his mother.
"Well, che continued, lone night you
were out In your perambulator, and
Nurse O'Brien and Sergeant Brown
were talking very busily Suddenly there
was an awful howl right at their elbows,
and the perambulator was overturned.
Before either of them could guess
what had happened four or five balloons
rushed past them, and the very biggest
one snatched you up in his arms and
ran off with you into the jungle. You
just gave one little squeal, and the last
they saw of you was your ruffies f1utter-
ing in the moonlight as the baboon car
ried you away. When they told me,
tainted, and when / recovered conscious
ness 1 thought l should go mad"
Here Ruffles' mother caught his fat
little chin in loving grasp and held it
for moment.
"You know, said she, ''your daddy
had ridden to a kraal 19 miles away,
where the Kaffirs had been ugly, and
he wasn't expected back until late in
the night. The whole garrison was
thrown into a perfect turmoil when
the news of your being carried away
reached the barracks. The men rushed
into the jungle without orders, some Of
them only half dressed, but nearly all
carrying their rifles. l stood at the gate
of the kloof until nearly midnight. The
soldiers began to return without having
found trace of poor little Ruffles, and
prayed that might die when the last
man had come in.
"Among the officers who had gone
out to search for you was Captain No
Adams, and it was he who saw the stran-
gest part of it all. He became separated
from the rest of the party, and on lit
tie knoll, where there was big tree
with a wide hollow in it, just little
higher than a mans head, he caught
sight of your daddy going through the
jungle afoot and carrying something In
his arms Captain McAdams had been
so confused and Mortified by your adj
venture that he was quite nervous. He
couldn't imagine why your daddy was
walking in the jungle, and for the mo-
ment he believed that daddy had heard
about the balloons carrying you away,
and that the news had made him lose
his mind. So Captain McAdams just
stood perfectly quiet in the shadow of
bush and waited. He saw your daddy
carefully Law a bundle right in the