MR. ESSEX and his son Arthur had spent an hour riding through the park.
For a change, they entered the museum to see the curiosities there.
Arthur preferred the great hall where the animals were confined in
their iron cages. He never tired of gazing at the glaring eyes of the
tiger, and watching his tread round and round his prison, as if to find
some way out. Now and then he would utter a terrible growl that would
make Arthur tremble. Near by lay asleep "the king of the forest," as
the lion is called. And a little farther yet was the monkey department.
[Illustration: THE STUFFED DONKEY.]
Once there, laughing at their funny pranks, Arthur cared not to go
a step further or see anything else. Suddenly looking around he
exclaimed, "Father, do see that queer chap up there, making faces and
shaking his head at some of us. I wonder what he would do if he could
get at us."
"Scratch your eyes out, maybe," said a strange voice.
Arthur started at the unaccustomed tones and searched anxiously the
many faces for his father's, but it was not among them. Where was he?
Was Arthur alone? Had his father left him in such a place?
He pressed his way out of the throng, hurried this way and that,
wondering what he should do, when to his great joy there sat his
father looking up at a donkey that stood in a high place calmly
contemplating the people below.
"Why, father," broke out Arthur, "I feared I or you was lost. But what
are you doing in this spot, looking at that stupid beast? Did you never
see a donkey before?"
"Not such a donkey," was the answer.
"Umph! what's a donkey pray, but--a donkey? Stubborn, ugly thing. Come
and see the monkeys and enjoy yourself. All the people are there. They
are cutting up enough to make you laugh yourself to pieces."
"And yet, my boy, there is more in that dead, stuffed donkey to
interest your father than all the rest of this museum and every monkey
in Africa to boot. You see the donkey has not a very beautiful face,
neither is his motion the most rapid or graceful, and sometimes he is
a bit stubborn, though that is because he is cruelly treated, yet the
world of business could get on quite well without tigers and monkeys;
not so well without donkeys. They are not for show, but for work, like
some plain folks whose hands are rough doing other people good."
"But what about this donkey? I never saw one in a museum before."
"And you may never again. This one wrote his own history, and he did it
in five minutes, and with his heels!"
"How in the world was that?" asked Arthur.
"That donkey, I am told, was at work in the park. A lion broke from
his cage. He was hungry. He saw the donkey as he went leaping through
the grounds and sprang upon him. A terrible fight followed. The donkey
had neither teeth nor claws like the lion to defend himself. He could
not get away. But God had given him great strength--so, with a mighty
effort, he shook off his enemy and quickly turning, dealt him rapid
and strong kicks, planting his blows between the eyes of the lion and
tumbling him into an abyss, where the stunned beast died from his
wounds. The brave donkey, however, was so dreadfully cut here and there
by the lion's teeth that he soon bled to death.
"The battle was witnessed by many amid great excitement. Their sympathy
was all with the donkey who was only doing what every one should do
when attacked by a bloodthirsty foe--defend themselves.
"Such was the admiration for this beast which you call ugly and
stubborn, that as soon as he died, a taxidermist who makes it his
business to preserve the skins of animals and give them a life-like
look, took this donkey in charge and there you see him.
"Here I've been sitting for one long hour looking at this stuffed
beast. And I've been wondering how many of all that crowd over there by
the monkeys would do and die if necessary for some noble cause. Would
you, my boy?" said Mr. Essex, giving Arthur a searching look.
"God helping me," he answered, "I'll try to be right and true
everywhere and every time. I should be ashamed to be outdone by a
donkey."