A STUDY FROM LIFE. 581 



ily, always answered when spoken to, and came at a call like a 

 dog, a thing very rare among animals of his sort. He also knew 

 his own box, his chosen seats, his place before the fire, and insisted 

 that they should not be used by others. In pictures he recognized 

 a bird, or, at least, he tried to snatch it out of the paper, and the 

 same with figures that looked like insects. He disapproved of 

 change, complained when I closed the shutters, and looked askance 

 at me when I put on a different dress. He knew with perfect cer- 

 tainty who would let him out of the cage and who would not ; 

 one of the gentlemen of the house might sit in the parlor all day, 

 and, except for keeping an eye on him, the little beast made no 

 sign ; but let either of his mistresses enter, and he was excited at 

 once, weaving, grunting, and demanding that the door be opened. 

 He understood at once, too, when forbidden to do anything. 



On the occasion of a several days' visit of a child, he was at 

 first very jealous ; did not like her occupying a lap he had con- 

 sidered his own, and opposed with a squealing grunt her sitting on 

 his special stool before the fire. But she was a gentle child, and 

 a little later he became very fond of her, let her pat him, sit beside 

 him on his seat, and at last insisted upon lying on some article of 

 her dress if any were in the room. 



What the small African set his mind on he always secured in 

 the end, for his persistence was simply marvelous. He was as 

 fond of apples as any school-boy, and the head of the family liked 

 to tantalize him by coming in with one hidden in his pocket. The 

 sharp little nose sniffed it at once, and the eager little fellow 

 sprang upon the apple-bearer, tried to dive into his pocket head 

 first, then to dig into it from below, and, despairing of this, went 

 to work to tear away the garments that covered it. No doubt he 

 would have succeeded, but before he went so far the owner gave 

 in, and delivered the fruit to the impatient creature. He snatched 

 it at once, and fairly " gobbled " at it, biting off pieces with his 

 back teeth, throwing his head up to chew them, and carefully 

 separating and dropping the skin. He never at any time made a 

 full meal, as do many beasts. His desire seemed to be merely to 

 stop the cravings of hunger ; the moment these were satisfied he 

 opened his hand, and whatever food was in it dropped, he being 

 apparently as unconscious as if he had nothing to do with it. He 

 ate bread, sweet potato, and banana, and drank milk and water ; 

 but his delight was — with the girls — in candy, and that he never 

 dropped. If there was a bit in sight, and he not sharing it, he 

 was simply wild. A piece being offered, he snatched it, chewed 

 it down, and instantly begged for more. The favorite trick of a 

 mischievous youth was to give him a licorice-drop, which be- 

 came soft and tenacious in the mouth, held his jaws together, 

 and in every way was troublesome ; but, in spite of his strug- 



