The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1904-08-11

Pedro is a monkey-that is. If he is
not something more than a monkey. of
which Aloysia will never be sure. She
believes in guardian angels and the d.
rect Intervention of the saints, but
Pedro does not come under either head.
Pedro was the property Of an Italian
who, on acquiring the monkey, had
given up his push cart and invested in
a street piano. When old Mr.. Wilson
first saw the pair. Pedro was skipping
about In a ridiculous red blouse and
cap in front Of the Eblltt House, and
the Italian was grinding out ''Oh,
Promise Ne" Mr.. Wilson was n fine
old merchant OF the type which pre-
vailed when Norfolk was a slave port,
when the East India wharves were
important to Boston. and when George
town had n big tobacco trade. He had
gone round the world as supercargo
in his youth, and when, STOPPING down.
ne beckoned to the monkey and gave
peculiar call. Pedro described a para
bola from the doorway of the drugstore
and cuddled into the bosom Of his new
friend.
What will you take for him?" asked
Mr. Wilson.
The Italian was prudent In his de-
mand He had found it impossible TO
teach Pedro to dance, and his wife OBJ
jected to the presence Of that kind Of
third member of the family in their one
room So Pedro was added to the col
| lection of curios I'm Mr.. Wilson's big,
! gloomy house in Georgetown.
I 1t was the last purchase the old
gentleman ever made, for not long after
| he died. leaving rather a queer Will. II
] provided that for one year Aloysia
Monahan and Mary Fogarty. the house
keeper and maid and Dennis Mcmahon,
! the man OF all work. should continue
10 care for the house and keep II in
all respects precisely as IL was In his
lifetime, I'm return for which each should
get a legacy. After that, the property
was 20 be disposed of according to in
structions left with the late owner s
lawyer, Charles Congreve. In case Con-
greve Wilson. the only son of the de-
ceased, should return at any time with
! in the year these instructions were void,
and the property was left uncondition-
ally to him.
The care Of that house was no small
| job. for beside the collections Of books.
/ rugs. china. and curios. there were the
/ animals to be fed Besides Pedro. two
other monkeys inhabited the cage in the
| big library; there was an old sulphur
| crested cockatoo, Mana Sahib; there
were the parOquets. Darby and Joan;
| the red headed parrot VeSuvlus, a cage
of white rats In the stable. and Hec-
tor, the veteran deerhound. The house
was pretty lively. all things considered.
II was the livelier because Pedro de-
veloped a habit Of being disconte nted
unless somebody was in the room where
he was, and when he was DISCONTINUED
he would make things interesting foI
Nick and Juliana, his companions. and
the noise they made would start the par
rot tribe. and there would be pandemO-
mum in that room. But II somebody
were there. Pedro would curl up in the
corner of his cage for hours at a time.
with his face pressed against the bars.
and watch with interest whatever the
person was doing.
Now. the legacies in prospect for the
three caretakers were not, severally
large, but If two were put together they
would make a comfortable sum for g
housekeeping outfit. The trouble was
that Dennis could not marry both Alloy
STA and Mary. and they did not know
which he wanted. Aloysia was a thrifty
4 soul, ana had a nice little sum IN Dauk
and she was OF a suitable age for &
man over forty. On the other hand
Mary was pretty. and we all know how
those things go. And they would al
have 10 stay in close proximity unit
the year was UP or young Wilson should
come home. Nobody knew where h,
was. and II was more than likely h
was dead. So Dennis would come int
the shabby old library and play card:
for love. and drink a glass OF beer Of
cup OF tea, and never spend an even
ing elsewhere IL he could help IT. and
the two women were IN densest doub
as TO the outcome.
Sometimes Mary, in a pet, would e
of somewhere with Barney Casey. {
handsome Irish boy with blue eyes ana
black hair. and at such times Aloysis
drew breath more freely. but Denni:
| never seemed to mind. Then Mary
would use her prettiest wiles. and h
did not seem to notice that either.
One night, however. Aloysia felt des