IV. 



MONKEY MISCHIEF. 



Gila was brimful of what is called the 

 " mother instinct ; " she always wanted a baby 

 to fondle. She was as fond of a doll as any 

 girl, and played with a rag-doll I made her for 

 hours at a time, though she generally ended by 

 tearing its clothes off. But what can one expect 

 of the most restless fingers in the world, — six- 

 teen of them at that, — and obliged to pass away 

 the long hours somehow ? I never blamed her 

 for tearing her doll. Unfortunately, she liked 

 best a live baby. Not a cat, or any small ani- 

 mal, could come within reach of her long arms 

 or her tail, but she would snatch it with either 

 of the five that was nearest, and scramble to the 

 top of her box, where she sat down to enjoy it, 

 hugging it tight in her arms, no matter whether 

 the head was up or down. 



Among my pets was a baby tiger, as it is 

 called in Central America, really an ocelot. 

 This little fellow was very amusing, being as 

 big as a cat, and as lumbering and playful as a 

 kitten. Gila watched him with great interest 

 as another live doll-baby, and if in a moment of 



