Minnie's Pet Monkey   By: Madeline Leslie (1815-1893)

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."