110 



FO UB— HANDED FOLK 



If Mr. Crowley happened to be hungry he rested 

 from his performances, and came, like anybody 

 else, at once to the table ; but if he had rather 

 more fruit at his early morning luncheon than 

 usual, or if very much excited about anything, 

 he acted precisely as does a naughty child under 

 the circumstances, — he would not come ; he 

 pranced around the cage, jounced on the spring- 

 board, set the trapezes in violent motion, ran up 

 a ladder with his hands, and hung head down 

 over the table as if he would drop and annihilate 

 it. The keeper meanwhile scolded, threatened 

 to " give it to Kitty," and in fact behaved ex- 

 actly like an exasperated nurse in the presence 

 of a willful youngster. When he did come, he 

 seated himself decorously, spread his napkin over 

 his knees, or sometimes crumpled it in his left 

 hand, took the spoon in his right, and devoted 

 himself to the business before him. That this 

 was not play, but a serious matter, he fully rec- 

 ognized, and he conducted himself accordingly. 

 He handled the spoon as dexterously as anybody, 

 and readily put the napkin to its proper use 

 when necessary, though occasionally his memory 

 needed jogging by his keeper, who was at the 

 moment table-waiter. " Mr. Crowley ! where 's 

 your napkin?" sternly asked, never failed to 

 bring the proper response. 



The soup-plate emptied, and tipped up to 



