."

CHAPTER VII.

KEES STEALING EGGS.

When Minnie was nine years of age, she accompanied her parents to a
menagerie, and there, among other animals, she saw a baboon. She was
greatly excited by his curious, uncouth manoeuvres, asking twenty
questions about him, without giving her father time to answer. On their
way home, she inquired,--

"Are baboons one kind of monkeys, father?"

"Yes, my daughter; and a more disagreeable, disgusting animal I cannot
conceive of."

"I hope you are not wishing for a baboon to add to your pets," added her
mother, laughing.

"I don't believe Jacko would get along with that great fellow at all,"
answered the child. "But, father, will you please tell me something
more about the curious animals?"

The conversation was here interrupted by seeing that a carriage had
stopped just in front of their own, and that quite a crowd had gathered
about some person who seemed to be hurt.

Minnie's sympathies were alive in an instant. She begged her father to
get out, as possibly he might be of some use.

The driver stopped of his own accord, and inquired what had happened,
and then they saw that it was a spaniel that was hurt. He had been in
the road, and not getting out of the way quick enough, the wheel had
gone over his body.

The young lady who was in the buggy was greatly distressed, from which
Minnie argued that she was kind to animals, and that they should like
her.

The owner of the dog held the poor creature in her arms, though it
seemed to be in convulsions, and wept bitterly as she found it must die.

Mr. Lee, to please his little daughter, waited a few minutes; but he
found her getting so much excited over the suffering animal, he gave
John orders to proceed.

During the rest of the drive, she could talk of nothing else, wondering
whether the spaniel was alive now, or whether the young man in the buggy
paid for hurting it.

The next day, however, having made up her mind that the poor creature
must be dead, and his sufferings ended, and having given Tiney many
admonitions to keep out of the road when carriages were passing, her
thoughts turned once more to the baboon.

Mr. Lee found in his library a book which gave a short account of the
animal, which he read to her.

"The baboon is of the monkey tribe, notwithstanding its long, dog-like
head, flat, compressed cheeks, and strong and projecting teeth. The form
and position of the eyes, combined with the similarit