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."