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Produced by Julia Miller and the Online Distributed | |
Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was | |
produced from images generously made available by The | |
Internet Archive/American Libraries.) | |
Transcriber's Note | |
Obvious typographical errors have been corrected. A list of corrections | |
is found at the end of the text. Oe ligatures have been expanded. | |
[Illustration: MONKEY IN CHURCH. Page 88.] | |
[Illustration: MINNIE and her PETS. | |
BY MRS MADELINE LESLIE. | |
MINNIE'S PET MONKEY.] | |
MINNIE'S PET MONKEY. | |
BY | |
MRS. MADELINE LESLIE, | |
AUTHOR OF "THE LESLIE STORIES," "TIM, THE SCISSORS-GRINDER," | |
ETC. | |
ILLUSTRATED. | |
BOSTON: | |
LEE AND SHEPARD, | |
SUCCESSORS TO PHILLIPS, SAMPSON & CO. | |
1864. | |
Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1863, by | |
A. R. BAKER, | |
In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of | |
Massachusetts. | |
ELECTROTYPED AT THE BOSTON STEREOTYPE FOUNDRY. | |
TO MY YOUNG FRIEND, | |
HENRY FOWLE DURANT, JR. | |
=These Little Volumes= | |
ARE AFFECTIONATELY INSCRIBED | |
BY THE AUTHOR, | |
IN THE EARNEST HOPE THAT THEY MAY INCREASE IN HIM THAT | |
LOVE OF NATURE AND OF RURAL LIFE WHICH HAS EVER | |
EXERTED SO SALUTARY AN INFLUENCE IN THE | |
FORMATION OF THE CHARACTERS OF | |
THE WISE AND GOOD. | |
MINNIE AND HER PETS. | |
Minnie's Pet Parrot. | |
Minnie's Pet Cat. | |
Minnie's Pet Dog. | |
Minnie's Pet Horse. | |
Minnie's Pet Lamb. | |
Minnie's Pet Monkey. | |
MINNIE'S PET MONKEY. | |
CHAPTER I. | |
JACKO AND HIS WOUNDED TAIL. | |
Did you ever see a monkey? If you have not, I suppose you will like to | |
hear a description of Jacko, Minnie's sixth pet. | |
He was about eighteen inches high, with long arms, covered with short | |
hair, which he used as handily as a boy, flexible fingers, with flat | |
nails, and a long tail, covered with hair, which seemed to answer the | |
purpose of a third hand. | |
Though monkeys are usually very ugly and unpleasant, from their | |
approaching so nearly to the human face, and still bearing so strongly | |
the marks of the mere brute, yet Jacko was a pretty little fellow. | |
He had bright eyes, which sparkled like diamonds from beneath his | |
deep-set eyebrows. His teeth were of the most pearly whiteness, and he | |
made a constant display of them, grinning and chattering continually. | |
But I ought to tell you about his passage in uncle Frank's ship. | |
On one of Captain Lee's voyages, he touched upon the coast of Africa, | |
where he saw the little fellow in a hen-coop, just about to be carried | |
on board a whaler. The gentleman had often thought he should like to | |
carry his favorite niece a little pet; but as she already had a parrot, | |
he did not know what she would wish. | |
But when he listened to the chattering of the monkey, and heard the | |
sailor who owned him say what a funny little animal it was, he thought | |
he would buy it and take it home to her. | |
On the voyage, Jacko met with a sad accident. The hen-coop in which he | |
was confined was too small to contain the whole of his tail, and he was | |
obliged, when he slept, to let the end of it hang out. This was a great | |
affliction to the poor animal, for he was very proud of his tail, which | |
was indeed quite an addition to his good looks. | |
It so happened that there were two large cats on board ship; and one | |
night, as they were prowling about, they saw the tail hanging out while | |
Jacko was sound asleep; and before he had time to move, one of them | |
seized it and bit it off. | |
The monkey was very indignant, and if he could have had a fair chance at | |
his enemies, would have soon punished them for their impudence. It was | |
really amusing to see him afterward. He would pull his bleeding tail in | |
through the bars of the hen-coop, and give it a malicious bite, as much | |
as to say,-- | |
"I wish you were off. You are of no use to me now; and you look terribly | |
short." | |
When they reached New York, at the end of their voyage, Captain Lee took | |
Jacko out of the hen-coop, and put him in a bag, which was carried into | |
the depot while he was purchasing his ticket. The monkey, who must needs | |
see every thing that was going on, suddenly poked his head out of the | |
bag, and gave a malicious grin at the ticket-master. | |
The man was much frightened, but presently recovered himself, and | |
returned the insult by saying,-- | |
"Sir, that's a dog! It's the rule that no dog can go in the cars without | |
being paid for." | |
It was all in vain that the captain tried to convince him that Jacko | |
was not a dog, but a monkey. He even took him out of the bag; but in the | |
face of this evidence, the man would persist in saying,-- | |
"He is a dog, and must have a ticket before he enters the cars." | |
So a ticket was bought, and Jacko was allowed to proceed on his journey. | |
The little fellow was as pleased as the captain when he arrived at the | |
end of his journey, and took possession of his pleasant quarters in the | |
shed adjoining Mr. Lee's fine house. He soon grew fond of his little | |
mistress, and played all manner of tricks, jumping up and down, swinging | |
with his tail, which had begun to heal, and chattering with all his | |
might in his efforts to please her. | |
Mr. Lee, at the suggestion of his brother, the captain, had a nice | |
house or cage made for Minnie's new pet, into which he could be put if | |
he became troublesome, and where he always went to sleep. The rest of | |
the time he was allowed his liberty, as far as his chain would reach. | |
Jacko came from a very warm climate, and therefore often suffered from | |
the cold in the northern latitude to which he had been brought. | |
Mrs. Lee could not endure to see a monkey dressed like a man, as they | |
sometimes are in shows. She said they looked disgustingly; but she | |
consented that the little fellow should have a tight red jacket, and | |
some drawers, to keep him comfortable. Minnie, too, begged from her some | |
old pieces of carpeting, to make him a bed, when Jacko seemed greatly | |
delighted. He did not now, as before, often stand in the morning | |
shaking, and blue with the cold, but laughed, and chattered, and showed | |
his gratitude in every possible way. | |
Not many months after Jacko came, and when he had become well acquainted | |
with all the family, Fidelle had a family of kittens, which she often | |
carried in her mouth back and forth through the shed. The very sight of | |
these little animals seemed to excite Jacko exceedingly. He would | |
spring the entire length of his chain, trying to reach them. | |
One day, when the kittens had begun to run alone, and were getting to be | |
very playful, the cook heard a great noise in the shed, and Fidelle | |
crying with all her might. She ran to see what was the matter, and, to | |
her surprise, found Jacko sitting up in the cage, grinning with delight, | |
while he held one of the kittens in his arms, hugging it as if it had | |
been a baby. | |
Cook knew the sight would please Minnie, and she ran to call her. But | |
the child sympathized too deeply in Fidelle's distress to enjoy it. She | |
tried to get the kitten away from Jacko, but he had no idea of giving it | |
up, until at last, when Mrs. Lee, who had come to the rescue, gave him a | |
piece of cake, of which he was very fond, he relaxed his hold, and she | |
instantly released the poor, frightened little animal. | |
Fidelle took warning by this occurrence, and never ventured through the | |
shed again with her babies, though Jacko might seem to be sound asleep | |
in his cage. | |
Jacko had been at Mr. Lee's more than a year before they knew him to | |
break his chain and run about by himself. The first visit he made was to | |
Leo, in the barn, and he liked it so well that, somehow or other, he | |
contrived to repeat the visit quite as often as it was agreeable to the | |
dog, who never could endure him. | |
After this, he became very mischievous, so that every one of the | |
servants, though they often had a great laugh at his tricks, would have | |
been glad to have the little fellow carried back to his home in Africa. | |
I don't think even Minnie loved her pet monkey as well as she did her | |
other pets. She could not take him in her arms as she did Fidelle and | |
Tiney, nor play with him as she did with Nannie and her lamb, and he | |
could not carry her on his back, as Star did. | |
"Well," she said, one day, after discussing the merits of her animals | |
with her mamma, "Poll talks to me, and Jacko makes me laugh; but if I | |
should have to give up one of my pets, I had rather it would be the | |
monkey." | |
CHAPTER II. | |
JACKO BLACKING THE TABLE. | |
One morning, cook went to her mistress with loud complaints of Jacko's | |
tricks. | |
"What has he been doing now?" inquired the lady, with some anxiety. | |
"All kinds of mischief, ma'am. If I didn't like you, and the master, and | |
Miss Minnie so well, I wouldn't be living in the same house with a | |
monkey, no ways." | |
Here the woman, having relieved her mind, began to relate Jacko's new | |
offence, and soon was joining heartily in the laugh her story caused her | |
mistress. | |
"Since the trickish fellow found the way to undo his chain, ma'am, he | |
watches every thing that is done in the kitchen. Yesterday I polished | |
the range, and the door to the oven. I suppose he saw me at work, and | |
thought it would be good fun; for when I was out of the kitchen hanging | |
some towels to dry on the line, in he walks to the closet where I keep | |
the blacking and brushes, and what should he do but black the table and | |
chairs? Such a sight, ma'am, as would make your eyes cry to see. It'll | |
take me half the forenoon to clean them." | |
"I think you will have to take a little stick, Hepsy," said Mrs. Lee, | |
smiling, "and whip him when he does mischief." | |
"Indeed, ma'am, and it's little strength I'd have left me to do the | |
cooking if I gave him half the whippings he deserves; besides, I'd be | |
sure to get the cratur's ill will; and they say that's unlucky for any | |
one." | |
"What does she mean, mamma, by its being unlucky?" inquired Minnie, when | |
the cook had returned to her work in the kitchen. | |
"I can't say, my dear. You know Hepsy has some strange ideas which she | |
brought with her from Ireland. It may be she has heard of the | |
superstitious reverence some nations have for the monkey." | |
"O, mamma, will you please tell me about it?" | |
"I have read that in many parts of India, monkeys are made objects of | |
worship; and splendid temples are dedicated to their honor. | |
"At one time, when the Portuguese plundered the Island of Ceylon, they | |
found, in one of the temples dedicated to these animals, a small golden | |
casket containing the tooth of a monkey. This was held in such | |
estimation by the natives, that they offered nearly a million of dollars | |
to redeem it. But the viceroy, thinking it would be a salutary | |
punishment to them, ordered it to be burned. | |
"Some years after, a Portuguese, having obtained a similar tooth, | |
pretended that he had recovered the old one, which so rejoiced the | |
priests that they purchased it from him for more than fifty thousand | |
dollars." | |
Minnie laughed. "I should suppose," she said, "that if cook thinks so | |
much of monkeys, she would be pleased to live with them. Do you know | |
any more about monkeys, mamma?" | |
"I confess, my dear, that monkeys have never been among my favorites. | |
There are a great many kinds, but all are mischievous, troublesome, and | |
thievish. The dispositions of some of them are extremely bad, while | |
others are so mild and tractable as to be readily tamed and taught a | |
great variety of tricks. They live together in large groups, leaping | |
with surprising agility from tree to tree. Travellers say it is very | |
amusing to listen to the chattering of these animals, which they compare | |
to the shouting of a grand cavalcade, all speaking together, and yet | |
seeming perfectly to understand one another. | |
"In the countries of the Eastern Peninsula, where they abound, the | |
matrons are often observed, in the cool of the evening, sitting in a | |
circle round their little ones, which amuse themselves with their | |
various gambols. The merriment of the young, as they jump over each | |
other's heads, and wrestle in sport, is most ludicrously contrasted with | |
the gravity of their seniors, who are secretly delighted with the fun, | |
but far too dignified to let it appear. | |
"But when any foolish little one behaves ill, the mamma will be seen to | |
jump into the throng, seize the juvenile by the tail, take it over her | |
knee, and give it a good whipping." | |
"O, how very funny, mamma! I wonder whether Jacko was treated so. Will | |
you please tell me more? I do like to hear about monkeys." | |
"If you will bring me that book from the library next the one about | |
cats, perhaps I can find some anecdotes to read to you." | |
The little girl clapped her hands with delight, and running gayly to the | |
next room, soon returned with the book, when her mother read as | |
follows:-- | |
"A family in England had a pet monkey. On one occasion, the footman | |
retired to his room to shave himself, without noticing that the animal | |
had followed him. The little fellow watched him closely during the | |
process, and noticed where the man put his razor and brush. | |
"No sooner had the footman left the room, than the monkey slyly took the | |
razor, and, mounting on a chair opposite the small mirror, began to | |
scrape away at his throat, as he had seen the man do; but alas! not | |
understanding the nature of the instrument he was using, the poor | |
creature cut so deep a gash, that he bled profusely. He was found in | |
the situation described, with the razor still in his fingers, but | |
unfortunately was too far gone to be recovered, and soon died, leaving a | |
caution to his fellows against playing with edged tools." | |
"I hope Jacko will never see any body shave," said Minnie, in a | |
faltering voice. | |
"Here is a funny story, my dear, about a monkey in the West Indies. The | |
little fellow was kept tied to a stake in the open air, and was | |
frequently deprived of his food by the Johnny Crows. He tried to drive | |
them off, but without success, and at last made the following plan for | |
punishing the thieves. | |
"Perceiving a flock of these birds coming toward him one day just after | |
his food had been brought, he lay down near his stake, and pretended to | |
be dead. For some time, he lay perfectly motionless, when the birds, | |
really deceived, approached by degrees, and got near enough to steal his | |
food, which he allowed them to do. This game he repeated several times, | |
till they became so bold as to come within reach of his claws, when he | |
suddenly sprang up and caught his victim in his firm grasp. Death was | |
not his plan of punishment. He wished to make a man of him, according | |
to the ancient definition, 'a biped without feathers,' and therefore, | |
plucking the crow neatly, he let him go to show himself to his | |
companions. This proved so effectual a punishment, that he was | |
afterwards left to eat his food in peace." | |
"I don't see," said Minnie, thoughtfully, "how a monkey could ever think | |
of such a way." | |
"It certainly does show a great deal of sagacity," responded the lady, | |
"and a great deal of cunning in carrying out his plan." | |
"I hope there are ever so many anecdotes, mamma." | |
Mrs. Lee turned over the leaves. "Yes, my dear," she said, cheerfully, | |
"there are quite a number; some of them seem to be very amusing, but I | |
have only time to read you one more to-day." | |
"Dr. Guthrie gives an amusing account of a monkey named Jack. | |
"Seeing his master and friends drinking whiskey with great apparent | |
relish, he took the opportunity, when he thought he was unseen, to empty | |
their half-filled glasses; and while they were roaring with laughter, he | |
began to hop, skip, and jump. Poor Jack was drunk. | |
"The next day, his master wanted to repeat the experiment, but found | |
Jack had not recovered from the effects of his dissipation. He commanded | |
him to come to the table; but the poor fellow put his hand to his head, | |
and not all their endeavors could induce him to taste another drop all | |
his life. | |
"Jack became a thorough teetotaller." | |
CHAPTER III. | |
JACKO RUNNING AWAY. | |
Minnie had a cousin Frank, the son of Mr. Harry Lee. He was three years | |
older than Minnie, and was full of life and frolic. | |
At one time he came to visit Minnie; and fine fun indeed they had with | |
the pets, the monkey being his especial favorite. | |
Every day some new experiment was to be tried with Jacko, who, as Frank | |
declared, could be taught any thing that they wished. One time, he took | |
the little fellow by the chain for a walk, Minnie gayly running by his | |
side, and wondering what her cousin was going to do. | |
On their way to the barn, they met Leo, who at once began to bark | |
furiously. | |
"That will never do, my brave fellow," exclaimed the boy; "for we want | |
you to turn horse, and take Jacko to ride." | |
"O, Frank! Leo will kill him. Don't do that!" urged Minnie, almost | |
crying. | |
"But I mean to make them good friends," responded the lad. "Here, you | |
take hold of the chain, and I will coax the dog to be quiet while I put | |
Jacko on his back." | |
This was not so easy as he had supposed; for no amount of coaxing or | |
flattery would induce Leo to be impressed into this service. He hated | |
the monkey, and was greatly disgusted at his appearance as he hopped, | |
first on Frank's shoulder, and then to the ground, his head sticking out | |
of his little red jacket, and his face wearing a malicious grin. | |
Finding they could not succeed in this, they went into the stable to | |
visit Star, when, with a quick motion, Jacko twitched the chain from | |
Minnie's hand, and running up the rack above the manger, began to laugh | |
and chatter in great glee. | |
His tail, which had now fully healed, was of great use to him on this | |
occasion, when, to Minnie's great surprise, he clung with it to the bar | |
of the rack, and began to swing himself about. | |
[Illustration: JACKO RUNNING AWAY. Page 52.] | |
"I heard of a monkey once," exclaimed Frank, laughing merrily, "who made | |
great use of his tail. If a nut or apple were thrown to him which fell | |
beyond his reach, he would run to the full length of his chain, turn his | |
back, then stretch out his tail, and draw toward him the coveted | |
delicacy." | |
"Let's see whether Jacko would do so," shouted Minnie, greatly excited | |
with the project. | |
"When we can catch him. But see how funny he looks. There he goes up the | |
hay mow, the chain dangling after him." | |
"If we don't try to catch him, he'll come quicker," said Minnie, | |
gravely. | |
"I know another story about a monkey--a real funny one," added the boy. | |
"I don't know what his name was; but he used to sleep in the barn with | |
the cattle and horses. I suppose monkeys are always cold here; at any | |
rate, this one was; and when he saw the hostler give the horse a nice | |
feed of hay, he said to himself, 'What a comfortable bed that would make | |
for me!' | |
"When the man went away, he jumped into the hay and hid, and every time | |
the horse came near enough to eat, he sprang forward and bit her ears | |
with his sharp teeth. | |
"Of course, as the poor horse couldn't get her food, she grew very thin, | |
and at last was so frightened that the hostler could scarcely get her | |
into the stall. Several times he had to whip her before she would enter | |
it, and then she stood as far back as possible, trembling like a leaf. | |
"It was a long time before they found out what the matter was; and then | |
the monkey had to take a whipping, I guess." | |
"If his mother had been there, she would have whipped him," said Minnie, | |
laughing. | |
"What do you mean?" | |
The little girl then repeated what her mother had told her of the | |
discipline among monkeys, at which he was greatly amused. | |
All this time, they were standing at the bottom of the hay mow, and | |
supposed that Jacko was safe at the top; but the little fellow was more | |
cunning than they thought. He found the window open near the roof, where | |
hay was sometimes pitched in, and ran down into the yard as quick as | |
lightning. | |
The first they knew of it was when John called out from the barnyard, | |
"Jacko, Jacko! Soh, Jacko! Be quiet, sir!" | |
It was a wearisome chase they had for the next hour, and at the end they | |
could not catch the runaway; but at last, when they sat down calmly in | |
the house, he stole back to his cage, and lay there quiet as a lamb. | |
Minnie's face was flushed with her unusual exercise, but in a few | |
minutes she grew very pale, until her mother became alarmed. After a few | |
drops of lavender, however, she said she felt better, and that if Frank | |
would tell her a story she should be quite well. | |
"That I will," exclaimed the boy, eagerly. "I know a real funny one; | |
you like funny stories--don't you?" | |
"Yes, when they're true," answered Minnie. | |
"Well, this is really true. A man was hunting, and he happened to kill a | |
monkey that had a little baby on her back. The little one clung so close | |
to her dead mother, that they could scarcely get it away. When they | |
reached the gentleman's house, the poor creature began to cry at | |
finding itself alone. All at once it ran across the room to a block, | |
where a wig belonging to the hunter's father was placed, and thinking | |
that was its mother, was so comforted that it lay down and went to | |
sleep. | |
"They fed it with goat's milk, and it grew quite contented, for three | |
weeks clinging to the wig with great affection. | |
"The gentleman had a large and valuable collection of insects, which | |
were dried upon pins, and placed in a room appropriated to such | |
purposes. | |
"One day, when the monkey had become so familiar as to be a favorite | |
with all in the family, he found his way to this apartment, and made a | |
hearty breakfast on the insects. | |
"The owner, entering when the meal was almost concluded, was greatly | |
enraged, and was about to chastise the animal, who had so quickly | |
destroyed the work of years, when he saw that the act had brought its | |
own punishment. In eating the insects, the animal had swallowed the | |
pins, which very soon caused him such agony that he died." | |
"I don't call the last part funny at all," said Minnie, gravely. | |
"But wasn't it queer for it to think the wig was its mother?" asked the | |
boy, with a merry laugh. "I don't think it could have had much sense to | |
do that." | |
"But it was only a baby monkey then, Harry." | |
"How did it happen," inquired Mrs. Lee, "that Jacko got away from you?" | |
"He watched his chance, aunty, and twitched the chain away from Minnie. | |
Now he's done it once, he'll try the game again, I suppose, he is so | |
fond of playing us tricks." | |
And true enough, the very next morning the lady was surprised at a visit | |
from the monkey in her chamber, where he made himself very much at home, | |
pulling open drawers, and turning over the contents, in the hope of | |
finding some confectionery, of which he was extremely fond. | |
"Really," she exclaimed to her husband, "if Jacko goes on so, I shall | |
be of cook's mind, and not wish to live in the house with him." | |
CHAPTER IV. | |
THE MONKEY IN CHURCH. | |
One day, Jacko observed nurse washing out some fine clothes for her | |
mistress, and seemed greatly interested in the suds which she made in | |
the progress of her work. | |
Watching his chance, he went to Mrs. Lee's room while the family were at | |
breakfast one morning, and finding some nice toilet soap on the marble | |
washstand, began to rub it on some fine lace lying on the bureau. After | |
a little exertion, he was delighted to find that he had a bowl full of | |
nice, perfumed suds, and was chattering to himself in great glee, when | |
Ann came in and spoiled his sport. | |
"You good for nothing, mischievous creature," she cried out, in sudden | |
wrath, "I'll cure you of prowling about the house in this style." | |
Giving him a cuff across his head with a shoe, "Go back to your cage, | |
where you belong." | |
"Jacko is really getting to be very troublesome," remarked the lady to | |
her husband. "I can't tell how much longer my patience with him will | |
last." | |
"Would Minnie mourn very much if she were to lose him?" asked Mr. Lee. | |
"I suppose she would for a time; but then she has so many pets to take | |
up her attention." | |
Just then the child ran in, her eyes filled with tears, exclaiming,-- | |
"Father, does Jacko know any better? Is he to blame for trying to wash?" | |
Mr. Lee laughed. | |
"Because," she went on, "I found him crouched down in his cage, looking | |
very sorry; and nurse says he ought to be ashamed of himself, cutting | |
up such ridiculous capers." | |
"I dare say he feels rather guilty," remarked Mr. Lee. "He must be | |
taught better, or your mother will be tired of him." | |
When her father had gone to the city, Minnie looked so grave that her | |
mother, to comfort her, took the book and read her some stories. A few | |
of them I will repeat to you. | |
"A lady was returning from India, in a ship on board of which there was | |
a monkey. She was a very mild, gentle creature, and readily learned any | |
thing that was taught her. When she went to lie down at night, she made | |
up her bed in imitation of her mistress, then got in and wrapped herself | |
up neatly with the quilt. Sometimes she would wrap her head with a | |
handkerchief. | |
"When she did wrong, she would kneel and clasp her hands, seeming | |
earnestly to ask to be forgiven." | |
"That's a good story, mamma." | |
"Yes, dear; and here is another." | |
"A gentleman boarding with his wife at a hotel in Paris had a pet | |
monkey, who was very polite. One day his master met him going down | |
stairs; and when the gentleman said 'good morning,' the animal took off | |
his cap and made a very polite bow. | |
"'Are you going away?' asked the owner. 'Where is your passport?' Upon | |
this the monkey held out a square piece of paper. | |
"'See!' said the gentleman; 'your mistress' gown is dusty.' | |
"Jack instantly took a small brush from his master's pocket, raised the | |
hem of the lady's dress, cleaned it, and then did the same to his | |
master's shoes, which were also dusty. | |
"When they gave him any thing to eat, he did not cram his pouches with | |
it, but delicately and tidily devoured it; and when, as frequently | |
occurred, strangers gave him money, he always put it in his master's | |
hands." | |
"Do you think, mamma, I could teach Jacko to do so?" inquired Minnie, | |
eagerly. | |
"I can't say, my dear; and indeed I think it would be hardly worth the | |
pains to spend a great deal of time in teaching him. He seems to learn | |
quite fast enough by himself. Indeed, he is so full of tricks, and so | |
troublesome to cook in hiding her kitchen utensils, I am afraid we shall | |
have to put him in close confinement." | |
"I had rather uncle Frank would carry him back to Africa," sighed the | |
child. "He would be so unhappy." | |
"Well, dear, I wouldn't grieve about it now. We must manage somehow till | |
uncle Frank comes, and then perhaps he can tell us what to do. Now I'll | |
read you another story." | |
"A monkey living with a gentleman in the country became so troublesome | |
that the servants were constantly complaining." | |
"That seems similar to our case," said the lady, smiling, as she | |
interrupted the reading. | |
"One day, having his offers of assistance rudely repulsed, he went into | |
the next house by a window in the second story, which was unfortunately | |
open. Here he pulled out a small drawer, where the lady kept ribbons, | |
laces, and handkerchiefs, and putting them in a foot-tub, rubbed away | |
vigorously for an hour, with all the soap and water there were to be | |
found in the room. | |
"When the lady returned to the chamber, he was busily engaged in | |
spreading the torn and disfigured remnants to dry. | |
"He knew well enough he was doing wrong; for, without her speaking to | |
him, he made off quickly and ran home, where he hid himself in the case | |
of the large kitchen clock. | |
"The servants at once knew he had been in mischief, as this was his | |
place of refuge when he was in disgrace. | |
"One day he watched the cook while she was preparing some partridges for | |
dinner, and concluded that all birds ought to be so treated. He soon | |
managed to get into the yard, where his mistress kept a few pet bantam | |
fowls, and, after eating their eggs, he secured one of the hens, and | |
began plucking it. The noise of the poor bird called some of the | |
servants to the rescue, when they found the half-plucked creature in | |
such a pitiable condition that they killed it at once. After this, Mr. | |
Monkey was chained up, and soon died." | |
Minnie looked very grave after hearing this story, and presently said, | |
"I wonder how old that monkey was." | |
"The book does not mention his age, my dear. Why?" | |
"I was thinking that perhaps, as Jacko grows older, he may learn better; | |
and then I said to myself, 'That one must have been young.'" | |
"If a monkey is really inclined to be vicious, he is almost unbearable," | |
remarked the lady. "His company does not begin to compensate for the | |
trouble he makes. Sometimes he is only cunning, but otherwise mild and | |
tractable." | |
"And which, mamma, do you think Jacko is?" | |
"I have always thought, until lately, that he was one of the better | |
kind; but I have now a good many doubts whether you enjoy her funny | |
tricks enough to compensate cook for all the mischief she does. If I | |
knew any one who wanted a pet monkey, and would treat him kindly, I | |
should be glad to have him go. I should hate to have him killed." | |
"Killed!" screamed Minnie, with a look of horror; "O, mamma, I wouldn't | |
have one of my pets killed for any thing." | |
Mrs. Lee thought that would probably be at some time Nannie's fate, but | |
she wisely said nothing. | |
"Please read more, mamma. I don't want to think about such awful | |
things." | |
The lady cast her eyes over the page, and laughed heartily. Presently | |
she said, "Here is a very curious anecdote, which I will read you; but | |
first I must explain to you what a sounding-board is. | |
"In old fashioned churches, there used to hang, directly over the | |
pulpit, a large, round board, like the top of a table, which, it was | |
thought, assisted the minister's voice to be heard by all the | |
congregation. I can remember, when I was a child, going to visit my | |
grandmother, and accompanying her to church, where there was a | |
sounding-board. I worried, through the whole service, for fear it would | |
fall on the minister's head and kill him. But I will read." | |
"There was once an eminent clergyman by the name of Casaubon, who kept | |
in his family a tame monkey, of which he was very fond. This animal, | |
which was allowed its liberty, liked to follow the minister, when he | |
went out, but on the Sabbath was usually shut up till his owner was out | |
of sight, on his way to church. | |
"But one Sabbath morning, when the clergyman, taking his sermon under | |
his arm, went out, the monkey followed him unobserved, and watching the | |
opportunity while his master was speaking to a gentleman on the steps, | |
ran up at the back of the pulpit, and jumped upon the sounding-board. | |
"Here he gravely seated himself, looking round in a knowing manner on | |
the congregation, who were greatly amused at so strange a spectacle. | |
"The services proceeded as usual, while the monkey, who evidently much | |
enjoyed the sight of so many people, occasionally peeped over the | |
sounding-board, to observe the movements of his master, who was | |
unconscious of his presence. | |
"When the sermon commenced, many little forms were convulsed with | |
laughter, which conduct so shocked the good pastor, that he thought it | |
his duty to administer a reproof, which he did with considerable action | |
of his hands and arms. | |
"The monkey, who had now become familiar with the scene, imitated every | |
motion, until at last a scarcely suppressed smile appeared upon the | |
countenance of most of the audience. This occurred, too, in one of the | |
most solemn passages in the discourse; and so horrible did the levity | |
appear to the good minister, that he launched forth into violent rebuke, | |
every word being enforced by great energy of action. | |
"All this time, the little fellow overhead mimicked every movement with | |
ardor and exactness. | |
"The audience, witnessing this apparent competition between the good man | |
and his monkey, could no longer retain the least appearance of | |
composure, and burst into roars of laughter, in the midst of which one | |
of the congregation kindly relieved the horror of the pastor at the | |
irreverence and impiety of his flock, by pointing out the cause of the | |
merriment. | |
"Casting his eyes upward, the minister could just discern the animal | |
standing on the end of the sounding-board, and gesturing with all his | |
might, when he found it difficult to control himself, though highly | |
exasperated at the occurrence. He gave directions to have the monkey | |
removed, and sat down to compose himself, and allow his congregation to | |
recover their equanimity while the order was being obeyed." | |
CHAPTER V. | |
JACKO IN THE PANTRY. | |
In his frequent visits to the stable, Jacko amused himself by catching | |
mice that crept out to pick up the corn. | |
The servants, having noticed his skill, thought they would turn it to | |
good account, and having been troubled with mice in the pantry, | |
determined to take advantage of the absence of Mrs. Lee on a journey, | |
and shut the monkey up in it. So, one evening, they took him out of his | |
comfortable bed, and chained him up in the larder, having removed every | |
thing except some jam pots, which they thought out of his reach, and | |
well secured with bladder stretched over the top. | |
Poor Jacko was evidently much astonished, and quite indignant, at this | |
treatment, but presently consoled himself by jumping into a soup | |
tureen, where he fell sound asleep, while the mice scampered all over | |
the place. | |
As soon as it was dawn, the mice retired to their holes. Jacko awoke | |
shivering with cold, stretched himself, and then, pushing the soup | |
tureen from the shelf, broke it to pieces. After this achievement, he | |
began to look about for something to eat, when he spied the jam pots on | |
the upper shelf. | |
"There is something good," he thought, smelling them. "I'll see." | |
His sharp teeth soon worked an entrance, when the treasured jams, plums, | |
raspberry, strawberry, candied apricots, the pride and care of the cook, | |
disappeared in an unaccountably short time. | |
At last, his appetite for sweets was satisfied, and coiling his tail in | |
a corner, he lay quietly awaiting the servant's coming to take him out. | |
Presently he heard the door cautiously open, when the chamber girl gave | |
a scream of horror as she saw the elegant China dish broken into a | |
thousand bits, and lying scattered on the floor. | |
She ran in haste to summon Hepsy and the nurse, her heart misgiving her | |
that this was not the end of the calamity. They easily removed Jacko, | |
who began already to experience the sad effects of overloading his | |
stomach, and then found, with alarm and grief, the damage he had done. | |
For several days the monkey did not recover from the effects of his | |
excess. He was never shut up again in the pantry. | |
When Mrs. Lee returned she blamed the servants for trying such an | |
experiment in her absence. Jacko was now well, and ready for some new | |
mischief; and Minnie, who heard a ludicrous account of the story, | |
laughed till she cried. | |
She repeated it, in great glee, to her father, who looked very grave as | |
he said, "We think a sea voyage would do the troublesome fellow good; | |
but you shall have a Canary or a pair of Java sparrows instead." | |
"Don't you know any stories of good monkeys, father?" | |
"I don't recollect any at this moment, my dear; but I will see whether I | |
can find any for you." | |
He opened the book, and then asked,-- | |
"Did you know, Minnie, that almost all monkeys have bags or pouches in | |
their cheeks, the skin of which is loose, and when empty makes the | |
animal look wrinkled?" | |
"No, sir; I never heard about it." | |
"Yes, that is the case. He puts his food in them, and keeps it there | |
till he wishes to devour it. | |
"There are some kinds, too, that have what is called prehensile tails; | |
that is, tails by which they can hang themselves to the limb of a tree, | |
and which they use with nearly as much ease as they can their hands. The | |
facility which this affords them for moving about quickly among the | |
branches of trees is astonishing. The firmness of the grasp which it | |
makes is very surprising; for if it winds a single coil around a branch, | |
it is quite sufficient, not only to support its weight, but to enable it | |
to swing in such a manner as to gain a fresh hold with its feet." | |
"I'm sure, father," eagerly cried Minnie, "that Jacko has a prehensile | |
tail, for I have often seen him swing from the ladder which goes up the | |
hay mow." | |
"I dare say, child. He seems to be up to every thing. But here is an | |
account of an Indian monkey, of a light grayish yellow color, with black | |
hands and feet. The face is black, with a violet tinge. This is called | |
Hoonuman, and is much venerated by the Hindoos. They believe it to be | |
one of the animals into which the souls of their friends pass at death. | |
If one of these monkeys is killed, the murderer is instantly put to | |
death; and, thus protected, they become a great nuisance, and destroy | |
great quantities of fruit. But in South America, monkeys are killed by | |
the natives as game, for the sake of the flesh. Absolute necessity alone | |
would compel us to eat them. A great naturalist named Humboldt tells us | |
that their manner of cooking them is especially disgusting. They are | |
raised a foot from the ground, and bent into a sitting position, in | |
which they greatly resemble a child, and are roasted in that manner. A | |
hand and arm of a monkey, roasted in this way, are exhibited in a museum | |
in Paris." | |
"Monkeys have a curious way of introducing their tails into the fissures | |
or hollows of trees, for the purpose of hooking out eggs and other | |
substances. On approaching a spot where there is a supply of food, they | |
do not alight at once, but take a survey of the neighborhood, a general | |
cry being kept up by the party." | |
CHAPTER VI. | |
THE CRUEL MONKEY. | |
One afternoon, Minnie ran out of breath to the parlor. "Mamma," she | |
exclaimed, "cook says monkeys are real cruel in their families. Is it | |
true?" | |
The lady smiled. "I suppose, my dear," she responded, "that there is a | |
difference of disposition among them. I have heard that they are very | |
fond of their young, and that, when threatened with danger, they mount | |
them on their back, or clasp them to their breast with great affection. | |
"But I saw lately an anecdote of the cruelty of a monkey to his wife, | |
and if I can find the book, I will read it to you." | |
"There is an animal called the fair monkey, which, though the most | |
beautiful of its tribe, is gloomy and cruel. One of these, which, from | |
its extreme beauty and apparent gentleness, was allowed to ramble at | |
liberty over a ship, soon became a great favorite with the crew, and in | |
order to make him perfectly happy, as they imagined, they procured him a | |
wife. | |
"For some weeks, he was a devoted husband, and showed her every | |
attention and respect. He then grew cool, and began to use her with much | |
cruelty. His treatment made her wretched and dull. | |
"One day, the crew noticed that he treated her with more kindness than | |
usual, but did not suspect the wicked scheme he had in mind. At last, | |
after winning her favor anew, he persuaded her to go aloft with him, and | |
drew her attention to an object in the distance, when he suddenly gave | |
her a push, which threw her into the sea. | |
"This cruel act seemed to afford him much gratification, for he | |
descended in high spirits." | |
"I should think they would have punished him," said Minnie, with great | |
indignation. | |
"Perhaps they did, love. At any rate, it proves that beauty is by no | |
means always to be depended upon." | |
Mrs. Lee then took her sewing, but Minnie plead so earnestly for one | |
more story, a good long one, that her mother, who loved to gratify her, | |
complied, and read the account which I shall give you in closing this | |
chapter on Minnie's pet monkey. | |
"A gentleman, returning from India, brought a monkey, which he presented | |
to his wife. She called it Sprite, and soon became very fond of it. | |
"Sprite was very fond of beetles, and also of spiders, and his mistress | |
used sometimes to hold his chain, lengthened by a string, and make him | |
run up the curtains, and clear out the cobwebs for the housekeeper. | |
"On one occasion, he watched his opportunity, and snatching the chain, | |
ran off, and was soon seated on the top of a cottage, grinning and | |
chattering to the assembled crowd of schoolboys, as much as to say, | |
'Catch me if you can.' He got the whole town in an uproar, but finally | |
leaped over every thing, dragging his chain after him, and nestled | |
himself in his own bed, where he lay with his eyes closed, his mouth | |
open, his sides ready to burst with his running. | |
"Another time, the little fellow got loose, but remembering his former | |
experience, only stole into the shed, where he tried his hand at | |
cleaning knives. He did not succeed very well in this, however, for the | |
handle was the part he attempted to polish, and, cutting his fingers, he | |
relinquished the sport. | |
"Resolved not to be defeated, he next set to work to clean the shoes and | |
boots, a row of which were awaiting the boy. But Sprite, not remembering | |
all the steps of the performance, first covered the entire shoe, sole | |
and all, with the blacking, and then emptied the rest of the Day & | |
Martin into it, nearly filling it with the precious fluid. His coat was | |
a nice mess for some days after. | |
"One morning, when the servants returned to the kitchen, they found | |
Sprite had taken all the kitchen candlesticks out of the cupboard, and | |
arranged them on the fender, as he had once seen done. As soon as he | |
heard the servants returning, he ran to his basket, and tried to look as | |
though nothing had happened. | |
"Sprite was exceedingly fond of a bath. Occasionally a bowl of water was | |
given him, when he would cunningly try the temperature by putting in his | |
finger, after which he gradually stepped in, first one foot, then the | |
other, till he was comfortably seated. Then he took the soap and rubbed | |
himself all over. Having made a dreadful splashing all around, he jumped | |
out and ran to the fire, shivering. If any body laughed at him during | |
this performance, he made threatening gestures, chattering with all his | |
might to show his displeasure, and sometimes he splashed water all over | |
them. | |
"Poor Sprite one day nearly committed suicide. As he was brought from a | |
very warm climate, he often suffered exceedingly, in winter, from the | |
cold. | |
"The cooking was done by a large fire on the open hearth, and as his | |
basket, where he slept, was in one corner of the kitchen, before morning | |
he frequently awoke shivering and blue. The cook was in the habit of | |
making the fire, and then returning to her room to finish her toilet. | |
"One morning, having lighted the pile of kindlings as usual, she hung on | |
the tea-kettle and went out, shutting the door carefully behind her. | |
"Sprite thought this a fine opportunity to warm himself. He jumped from | |
his basket, ran to the hearth, and took the lid of the kettle off. | |
Cautiously touching the water with the tip of his finger, he found it | |
just the right heat for a bath, and sprang in, sitting down, leaving | |
only his head above the water. | |
"This he found exceedingly comfortable for a time; but soon the water | |
began to grow hot. He rose, but the air outside was so cold, he quickly | |
sat down again. He did this several times, and would, no doubt, have | |
been boiled to death, and become a martyr to his own want of pluck and | |
firmness in action, had it not been for the timely return of the cook, | |
who, seeing him sitting there almost lifeless, seized him by the head | |
and pulled him out. | |
"He was rolled in blankets, and laid in his basket, where he soon | |
recovered, and, it is to be hoped, learned a lesson from this hot | |
experience, not to take a bath when the water is on the fire." | |
CHAPTER VII. | |
KEES STEALING EGGS. | |
When Minnie was nine years of age, she accompanied her parents to a | |
menagerie, and there, among other animals, she saw a baboon. She was | |
greatly excited by his curious, uncouth manoeuvres, asking twenty | |
questions about him, without giving her father time to answer. On their | |
way home, she inquired,-- | |
"Are baboons one kind of monkeys, father?" | |
"Yes, my daughter; and a more disagreeable, disgusting animal I cannot | |
conceive of." | |
"I hope you are not wishing for a baboon to add to your pets," added her | |
mother, laughing. | |
"I don't believe Jacko would get along with that great fellow at all," | |
answered the child. "But, father, will you please tell me something | |
more about the curious animals?" | |
The conversation was here interrupted by seeing that a carriage had | |
stopped just in front of their own, and that quite a crowd had gathered | |
about some person who seemed to be hurt. | |
Minnie's sympathies were alive in an instant. She begged her father to | |
get out, as possibly he might be of some use. | |
The driver stopped of his own accord, and inquired what had happened, | |
and then they saw that it was a spaniel that was hurt. He had been in | |
the road, and not getting out of the way quick enough, the wheel had | |
gone over his body. | |
The young lady who was in the buggy was greatly distressed, from which | |
Minnie argued that she was kind to animals, and that they should like | |
her. | |
The owner of the dog held the poor creature in her arms, though it | |
seemed to be in convulsions, and wept bitterly as she found it must die. | |
Mr. Lee, to please his little daughter, waited a few minutes; but he | |
found her getting so much excited over the suffering animal, he gave | |
John orders to proceed. | |
During the rest of the drive, she could talk of nothing else, wondering | |
whether the spaniel was alive now, or whether the young man in the buggy | |
paid for hurting it. | |
The next day, however, having made up her mind that the poor creature | |
must be dead, and his sufferings ended, and having given Tiney many | |
admonitions to keep out of the road when carriages were passing, her | |
thoughts turned once more to the baboon. | |
Mr. Lee found in his library a book which gave a short account of the | |
animal, which he read to her. | |
"The baboon is of the monkey tribe, notwithstanding its long, dog-like | |
head, flat, compressed cheeks, and strong and projecting teeth. The form | |
and position of the eyes, combined with the similarity of the arms and | |
hands, give to these creatures a resemblance to humanity as striking as | |
it is disgusting." | |
"Then follows an account," the gentleman went on, "of the peculiarities | |
of different kinds of baboons, which you would not understand." | |
"But can't you tell me something about them yourself, father?" | |
"I know very little about the creatures, my dear; but I have read that | |
they are exceedingly strong, and of a fiery, vicious temper. | |
"They can never be wholly tamed, and it is only while restraint of the | |
severest kind is used, that they can be governed at all. If left to | |
their own will, their savage nature resumes its sway, and their actions | |
are cruel, destructive, and disgusting." | |
"I saw the man at the menagerie giving them apples," said Minnie; "but | |
he did not give them any meat all the time I was there." | |
"No; they subsist exclusively on fruits, seeds, and other vegetable | |
matter. In the countries where they live, especially near the Cape of | |
Good Hope, the inhabitants chase them with dogs and guns in order to | |
destroy them, on account of the ravages they commit in the fields and | |
gardens. It is said that they make a very obstinate resistance to the | |
dogs, and often have fierce battles with them; but they greatly fear the | |
gun. | |
"As the baboon grows older, instead of becoming better, his rage | |
increases, so that the slightest cause will provoke him to terrible | |
fury." | |
"Is that all you know about them?" | |
"Why, Minnie, in order to satisfy you, any one must become a walking | |
encyclopaedia. What other question have you to ask?" | |
"Why, they must have something to eat, and how are they to get it unless | |
they go into gardens?" | |
Mr. Lee laughed aloud. "I rather think I should soon convince them they | |
were not to enter my garden," he said, emphatically. "But seriously, | |
they descend in vast numbers upon the orchards of fruit, destroying, in | |
a few hours, the work of months, or even of years. In these excursions, | |
they move on a concerted plan, placing sentinels on commanding spots, to | |
give notice of the approach of an enemy. As soon as he perceives danger, | |
the sentinel gives a loud yell, and then the whole troop rush away with | |
the greatest speed, cramming the fruit which they have gathered into | |
their cheek pouches." | |
Minnie looked so much disappointed when he ceased speaking, that her | |
mother said, "I read somewhere an account of a baboon that was named | |
Kees, who was the best of his kind that I ever heard of." | |
"Yes, that was quite an interesting story, if you can call it to mind," | |
said the gentleman, rising. | |
"It was in a book of travels in Africa," the lady went on. "The | |
traveller, whose name was Le Vaillant, took Kees through all his | |
journey, and the creature really made himself very useful. As a | |
sentinel, he was better than any of the dogs. Indeed, so quick was his | |
sense of danger, that he often gave notice of the approach of beasts of | |
prey, when every thing was apparently secure. | |
"There was another way in which Kees made himself useful. Whenever they | |
came across any fruits or roots with which the Hottentots were | |
unacquainted, they waited to see whether Kees would taste them. If he | |
threw them down, the traveller concluded they were poisonous or | |
disagreeable, and left them untasted. | |
"Le Vaillant used to hunt, and frequently took Kees with him on these | |
excursions. The poor fellow understood the preparations making for the | |
sport, and when his master signified his consent that he should go, he | |
showed his joy in the most lively manner. On the way, he would dance | |
about, and then run up into the trees to search for gum, of which he was | |
very fond. | |
"I recall one amusing trick of Kees," said the lady, laughing, "which | |
pleased me much when I read it. He sometimes found honey in the hollows | |
of trees, and also a kind of root of which he was very fond, both of | |
which his master insisted on sharing with him. On such occasions, he | |
would run away with his treasure, or hide it in his pouches, or eat it | |
as fast as possible, before Le Vaillant could have time to reach him. | |
"These roots were very difficult to pull from the ground. Kees' manner | |
of doing it was this. He would seize the top of the root with his strong | |
teeth, and then, planting himself firmly against the sod, drew himself | |
gradually back, which forced it from the earth. If it proved stubborn, | |
while he still held it in his teeth he threw himself heels over head, | |
which gave such a concussion to the root that it never failed to come | |
out. | |
"Another habit that Kees had was very curious. He sometimes grew tired | |
with the long marches, and then he would jump on the back of one of the | |
dogs, and oblige it to carry him whole hours. At last the dogs grew | |
weary of this, and one of them determined not to be pressed into | |
service. He now adopted an ingenious artifice. As soon as Kees leaped on | |
his back, he stood still, and let the train pass without moving from the | |
spot. Kees sat quiet, determined that the dog should carry him, until | |
the party were almost out of sight, and then they both ran in great | |
haste to overtake their master. | |
"Kees established a kind of authority over the dogs. They were | |
accustomed to his voice, and in general obeyed without hesitation the | |
slightest motions by which he communicated his orders, taking their | |
places about the tent or carriage, as he directed them. If any of them | |
came too near him when he was eating, he gave them a box on the ear, | |
and thus compelled them to retire to a respectful distance." | |
"Why, mother, I think Kees was a very good animal, indeed," said Minnie, | |
with considerable warmth. | |
"I have told you the best traits of his character," she answered, | |
smiling. "He was, greatly to his master's sorrow, an incurable thief. He | |
could not be left alone for a moment with any kind of food. He | |
understood perfectly how to loose the strings of a basket, or to take | |
the cork from a bottle. He was very fond of milk, and would drink it | |
whenever he had a chance. He was whipped repeatedly for these | |
misdemeanors, but the punishment did him no good. | |
"Le Vaillant was accustomed to have eggs for his breakfast; but his | |
servants complained one morning there were none to be had. Whenever any | |
thing was amiss, the fault was always laid to Kees, who, indeed, | |
generally deserved it. The gentleman determined to watch him. | |
"The next morning, hearing the cackling of a hen, he started for the | |
place; but found Kees had been before him, and nothing remained but the | |
broken shell. Having caught him in his pilfering, his master gave him a | |
severe beating; but he was soon at his old habit again, and the | |
gentleman was obliged to train one of his dogs to run for the egg as | |
soon as it was laid, before he could enjoy his favorite repast. | |
"One day, Le Vaillant was eating his dinner, when he heard the voice of | |
a bird, with which he was not acquainted. Leaving the beans he had | |
carefully prepared for himself on his plate, he seized his gun, and ran | |
out of the tent. In a short time he returned, with the bird in his hand, | |
but found not a bean left, and Kees missing. | |
"When he had been stealing, the baboon often staid out of sight for some | |
hours; but, this time, he hid himself for several days. They searched | |
every where for him, but in vain, till his master feared he had really | |
deserted them. On the third day, one of the men, who had gone to a | |
distance for water, saw him hiding in a tree. Le Vaillant went out and | |
spoke to him, but he knew he had deserved punishment, and he would not | |
come down; so that, at last, his master had to go up the tree and take | |
him." | |
"And was he whipped, mother?" | |
"No; he was forgiven that time, as he seemed so penitent. There is only | |
one thing more I can remember about him. An officer who was visiting Le | |
Vaillant, wishing to try the affection of the baboon for his master, | |
pretended to strike him. Kees flew into a violent rage, and from that | |
time could never endure the sight of the officer. If he only saw him at | |
a distance, he ground his teeth, and used every endeavor to fly at him; | |
and had he not been chained, he would speedily have revenged the | |
insult." | |
* * * * * | |
"Nature is man's best teacher. She unfolds | |
Her treasures to his search, unseals his eye, | |
Illumes his mind, and purifies his heart,-- | |
An influence breathes from all the sights and sounds | |
Of her existence; she is wisdom's self." | |
* * * * * | |
"There's not a plant that springeth | |
But bears some good to earth; | |
There's not a life but bringeth | |
Its store of harmless mirth; | |
The dusty wayside clover | |
Has honey in her cells,-- | |
The wild bee, humming over, | |
Her tale of pleasure tells. | |
The osiers, o'er the fountain, | |
Keep cool the water's breast, | |
And on the roughest mountain | |
The softest moss is pressed. | |
Thus holy Nature teaches | |
The worth of blessings small; | |
That Love pervades, and reaches, | |
And forms the bliss of all." | |
MRS. LESLIE'S JUVENILE SERIES. | |
16mo. | |
FOR BOYS. | |
Vol. I. THE MOTHERLESS CHILDREN. | |
" II. PLAY AND STUDY. | |
" III. HOWARD AND HIS TEACHER. | |
" IV. JACK, THE CHIMNEY SWEEPER. | |
FOR GIRLS. | |
Vol. I. TRYING TO BE USEFUL. | |
" II. LITTLE AGNES. | |
" III. I'LL TRY. | |
" IV. ART AND ARTLESSNESS. | |
MINNIE'S PET CAT. | |
BY | |
MRS. MADELINE LESLIE, | |
AUTHOR OF "THE LESLIE STORIES," "TIM, THE SCISSORS-GRINDER," | |
ETC. | |
ILLUSTRATED. | |
BOSTON: | |
LEE AND SHEPARD, | |
SUCCESSORS TO PHILLIPS, SAMPSON & CO. | |
1864. | |
MINNIE'S PET PARROT. | |
BY | |
MRS. MADELINE LESLIE, | |
AUTHOR OF "THE LESLIE STORIES," "TIM, THE SCISSORS-GRINDER," | |
ETC. | |
ILLUSTRATED. | |
BOSTON: | |
LEE AND SHEPARD, | |
SUCCESSORS TO PHILLIPS, SAMPSON & CO. | |
1864. | |
MINNIE'S PET DOG. | |
BY | |
MRS. MADELINE LESLIE, | |
AUTHOR OF "THE LESLIE STORIES," "TIM, THE SCISSORS-GRINDER," | |
ETC. | |
ILLUSTRATED. | |
BOSTON: | |
LEE AND SHEPARD, | |
SUCCESSORS TO PHILLIPS, SAMPSON & CO. | |
1864. | |
MINNIE'S PET LAMB. | |
BY | |
MRS. MADELINE LESLIE, | |
AUTHOR OF "THE LESLIE STORIES," "TIM, THE SCISSORS-GRINDER," | |
ETC. | |
ILLUSTRATED. | |
BOSTON: | |
LEE AND SHEPARD, | |
SUCCESSORS TO PHILLIPS, SAMPSON & CO. | |
1864. | |
MINNIE'S PET HORSE. | |
BY | |
MRS. MADELINE LESLIE, | |
AUTHOR OF "THE LESLIE STORIES," "TIM, THE SCISSORS-GRINDER," | |
ETC. | |
ILLUSTRATED. | |
BOSTON: | |
LEE AND SHEPARD, | |
SUCCESSORS TO PHILLIPS, SAMPSON & CO. | |
1864. | |
Transcriber's Note | |
The following typographical errors were corrected: | |
Page Error | |
73 "good morning," changed to 'good morning,' | |
112 pet monkey." changed to pet monkey. | |
End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Minnie's Pet Monkey, by Madeline Leslie | |
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