The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-02-23

IN Win HIS Sy cb Ms Dlb DO LhOSC
l. proverbial saucefs we always
hear about but never see. Nurse was
down at the other end of the almost
deserted Animal House, where she
could keep an eye on Donald and at
the same time pass TIE compliments
of the day with the laughing. red
checked Keeper.
Just then the Old Gray Monk who
had been balancing himself for
Donald's edification. on the horizontal
bar across his cage, slipped and fell.
Obj gasped Donald, for he was
very fond of the old gray fellow and
cams to see him quite often of after
Moons when out for walk with
Nurse.
But his friend did not crash to the
floor of the cage as little Donald had
feared he woulc. Instead, his fall
was suddenly and gracefully arrested.
For he had hooked the curl in his
tail 5round the bar and there he huns
suspended, swinging for all the world
like the big pendulum in the tall
Grandfather's Clock in the hall at
Donald,s home.
"Oh-o-o-oi" cried Donald again,
But this time 1t was n cry of relief.
And he began TO laugh.
"Heilo!" cried wee, small voice
that seemed to come right out of the
iron rail on which he was leaning.
Donald looked around but saw no
one.
"Heilo," snid the voice again, quite
reassuringly. Here L am-you're
looking tho wrong way. Right here,
right by your elbow. Look out Don't
start that way or you'll brush me off
the rail-and / haven't q TAIL like
Old Gray Monk has. to save me from
nasty fall"
Donald looked around, and, sure
enough. there on the railing right be-
side his elbow he espied the queerest
little man he had ever seen. Certainly.
you have never seen one SO strange
and fantastic.
He had little spindle legs all covered
with hair that looked like 1t came
from the coat of black bear. His
tiny body was clothed in jacket
made of humming- bird wings and
the tail feathers of a peacock cunning
ly interviewer and hecked here and
there with little tufts of white ermine.
On his hands he wore the tiniest OF
red mittens made from the red of a
robin red-breast. And across his
shoulders he had flung gold and
black cloak fashioned of leopard skin
But his face was the queerest of all
Old and wrinkled and burned a deep
mahogany by sun and wind, 1t was
lighted up with the brightest OF
CHEEKY, welcoming smiles.
You simply could not look at him
without laughing-not at him, but
with him. For it took but q single
glance to see that the little fellow
would make the jolliest of playm ates
His head was bald-as bald and
smooth as those balls you sometime.
see Papa poking a stick at on the table
in the billiard room. And it was red
and soft looking, like the head of a
little baby. Sticking straight up from
his ears were two tusks. They looked
as though they might have been taken
from the head of an elephant and
then reduced until small enough for
the queer little fellow.
II you looked only at the tusks you
would probably be so frightened that
you would not wait to look further
But one glance of the kindly, laugh
ing eyes and you would know Instant
ly that this Little Old Man could never
In the world harm anyone.
And that was precisely why Donald
did not run screaming in fear 10
Nurse. He just stood and stared
and stared--and stared until sudden
ly he remembered that Mamma had
told him ''ow rude 1t was to stare al
people.
"oh. I beg your pardon" he said
quickly. just as he heard grown-up
folks say when they did something
they hadn't meant to do.
But tho Old Fellow was laughing SO
hard at Donald and hopping SO about
on his spindle legs that he seemed in
immediate danger of toppling off the
railing.
. "Thats alright" said he in the same
squeaky, cheerful oice. Stare at me
all you like--it doesn't happen often
that humans can stare at me. Aha
EXCUSE me a moment, / must say
Good afternoon to Old Monk or he
will never stop that chattering SO we
can talk"
And with that the Old Fellow hop
ped straight from the rail to one of
the bars the monkey-cage and hung
on to 1t in some miraculous fashion
while Old Monk put his ear close to