Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-04-06
A MONKEY IN LOVE.
Untimely End of Simian Who
Adored a Girl.

From the London Black and White
Inc little gray monkey sat up on the
DOUGH- OF the lebbek, handling meditatively
the slender chain that limited his freedom.
His wise, blinking eyes looked out toward
the desert and saw the sand clouds dim in
htRe distance. Soon, soon undoubtedly. the
Knamseen would be here, and the last of
the tourists would go. The khamseen, a
hot, dust laden wind, blows, SO the Copts
say, from their Easter until their Pente-
cost; it keeps its appointment with fair
accuracy as a rule
But, after ali, tourists did not concern the
monkey very much. One or two OF them
came now and again on a visit to Kakeem
BasEa, and he had heard them in heated
argument with superfluous guides In the
road beyond the compound. But he was
the hospital monkey; not one of those that
earn their bread and their masters in front
or hotel verandas at a loss of personal dig
nifty, but the monkey of a small but sci
entific-and also religious establishment
True, the little hospital had not the extent
or the equipment OF the great hospital of
kasr-el-AIni, but it was doing good work:
it considered the soul as well as the body
of the patient; the residential monkey at
such place has a position.
And he deserved it; he never bit and he
never scratched; he accepted the proffered
nut with solemn civility. If he was some
what of philosopher that may have been
due to the fact that two or three conflict
ing religions, all in excellent working O. der
We're going on under his very nose. And
to the philosophy may be ascribed his hab-
it's of reserve. He did not come when he
was called, unless it was the soft, coo.ng
voice of the little blind girl.
If any other would pet him or play with
him he retired gently up the tree, turned
his back and thought deeply. He was well
aware, too, that if you keep in the shade
and move rapidly the snapshot photograph
a Ha
certainly had the air of knowing much He
would look over group of ma tiyes as
though he diagnosed which of the common
plaques of Egypt brought them there. This
was tubercular and that would be treated
with dose of thymol that would startie
European practitioner.
Perhaps he was not always accurate. The
first day the pretty blind girl had called
him from her seat on the turf under the
lebbek tree he had come to her at once
and had seen that 1t was her eyes which
troubled her, but that was not ALL nor was
it the worst of the trouble.
The gray monkey turned to the garden
beneath him. There stretched the hedge
of hibiscus, glory of scarlet flames Be-
yond there glimmered family in the sun
the creamy white of the oleander. On the
seat below the .lebbek tree snored a fat ma
tive woman, old and past thirty-five. But
nowhere could be seen the pretty blind girl
And this was now the second day that She
had not been in the garden-the second day
that she had never called to him.
He may be acquitted Of low motives. 1t
is true that she fed him. but their friend
ship dated from the day when she came in
and she had nothing to give then. She
subjugated the hospital in a few hours. 1t
may have been because she was pretty, or
because her cooling laugh was so musical.
or because all her ways were charming,
or because 1t was so sad that she had lost
her sight and likely to lose her life as
well. She became a general pet and the
monkey was her special pet. and she did
not come to him empty handed.
The monkey blinked gravely He could
not think what had happened to her. The
reader has guessed, of course. Inside the
hospital all was over. 1t was the last
chance and it had failed. The doctor went
on TO other cases where his skill might be of
better service. The hard featured English
woman. who did The work of three anu
hated sentimentality. was compelled to be
angry with herself.
If she was going lowell 10 be stupid--
every time little native girl died. of what
use was she likely to be?
As the evening came rapidly on the
monkey made up his mind on two points
Obviously his friend was quite well again
The doctor had given her back her sight,
and she had gone home. The second con-
clusion was that The swivel of his chain
could be negotiated. 1t was dusk when he