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Tale of Major Monkey - Arthur Scott Bailey · Black Beauty

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  Speaker 1: Chapter one at the Tale of Major Monkey. This is
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  Speaker 1: a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: For more information all to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
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  Speaker 1: The Tale of Major Monkey by Arthur Scott Bailey, Chapter one,
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  Speaker 1: Strange Whispers. The wild folk in Pleasant Valley were whispering
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  Speaker 1: strange stories to one another. If the stories were true,
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  Speaker 1: they were most amazing, And if they were merely made
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  Speaker 1: up to cause talk, certainly they succeeded. Perhaps if somebody
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  Speaker 1: less tricky than Peter Mink and Tommy Fox had started
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  Speaker 1: these odd tales, the rest of the wild folk might
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  Speaker 1: have been quicker to believe them. Anyhow, the news offered
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  Speaker 1: the best of excuses for gossip, and many of the
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  Speaker 1: field and forest people repeated it so often that they
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  Speaker 1: almost begun to believe it themselves. All but old mister Crow.
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  Speaker 1: He declared stoutly that the whole thing was nothing but
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  Speaker 1: a hoax. You can't fool me, he told people. But
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  Speaker 1: when they said that they had no intention of trying to,
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  Speaker 1: he had to change his statement. I mean, he explained,
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  Speaker 1: I mean that neither Tommy Fox nor Peter Mink can
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  Speaker 1: fool me. They can't make me believe that they've seen
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  Speaker 1: anybody hanging by his tail in a tree top. Why not,
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  Speaker 1: asked mister Crow's cousin, Jasper Jay. Because, said mister Crow.
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  Speaker 1: And then he corrected himself once more, because he replied,
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  Speaker 1: no possum ever came so far north as this. I've
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  Speaker 1: spent a good many winters in the South, and I
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  Speaker 1: ought to know. And besides, he added, although a possum
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  Speaker 1: can hang by his tail, there never was one that
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  Speaker 1: could throw a stick or a stone, and I ought
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  Speaker 1: to know, for I've spent a good many winters in
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  Speaker 1: the South, where the possums live. Everybody had to admit
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  Speaker 1: that old mister Crow must know what he was talking about,
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  Speaker 1: and people began to feel rather foolish when they realized
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  Speaker 1: how near they had been to letting those two rascals,
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  Speaker 1: Peter Ink and Tommy Fox deceive them. As for old
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  Speaker 1: mister Crow, having persuaded his neighbors to his way of thinking,
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  Speaker 1: he began to be more pleased with himself than ever,
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  Speaker 1: and he spent a good deal of time sitting in
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  Speaker 1: a tall tree near the corn field with his head
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  Speaker 1: on one side, hoping that his friends would notice how wise,
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  Speaker 1: he looked. He was engaged in that agreeable pastime. One afternoon,
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  Speaker 1: when thump something struck the limb on which he was perched,
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  Speaker 1: mister Crow gave a squawk and a jump, and then
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  Speaker 1: he glanced quickly toward the ground. There was no one
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  Speaker 1: anywhere in sight, so mister Crow looked somewhat silly. For
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  Speaker 1: a moment, he had thought that Johnny Green had thrown
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  Speaker 1: something at him, but he saw at once that he
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  Speaker 1: was mistaken. Of course, it could have been nothing more
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  Speaker 1: than a dead branch falling. He settled himself again, trying
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  Speaker 1: to appear as if he hadn't been startled, when plump
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  Speaker 1: something gave him a smart blow on his back. Old
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  Speaker 1: mister Crow flopped hastily into a neighboring tree, and this
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  Speaker 1: time he looked up instead of down. At first, he
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  Speaker 1: could see nothing unusual, and he had almost made up
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  Speaker 1: his mind that something had fallen out of the sky
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  Speaker 1: when a head showed itself from behind a limb, and
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  Speaker 1: a queer, wrinkled face peered at him. Mister Crow did
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  Speaker 1: not recognize the face. It was an odd one. In fact,
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  Speaker 1: he thought he had never seen an odder. But if
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  Speaker 1: he thought the face a queer one. It was not
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  Speaker 1: half as peculiar as the stranger's actions. For as missus
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  Speaker 1: mister Crow watched him, the stranger slipped into full view,
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  Speaker 1: hanging by his tail and one hand from a limb,
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  Speaker 1: while with the other hand he waved a red cap.
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  Speaker 1: Old mister Crow's mouth fell open for a time. He
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  Speaker 1: said never a word, and for him that was quite
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  Speaker 1: out of the ordinary. End of chapter one, Chapter two
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  Speaker 1: at the Tale of Major Monkey. This LibriVox recording is
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  Speaker 1: in the public domain. The Tale of Major Monkey by
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  Speaker 1: Arthur Scott Bailey, Chapter two No Possum. At first, Old
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  Speaker 1: mister Crow could scarcely believe his eyes. He stared, and
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  Speaker 1: certainly it was no possum that he saw. And yet
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  Speaker 1: the stranger was hanging by his tail. There could be
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  Speaker 1: no doubt about that. Even as mister Crow watched him,
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  Speaker 1: he waved both hands at mister Crow and swung by
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  Speaker 1: his tail alone. The old gentleman was terribly upset. During
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  Speaker 1: all the summers he had spent in Pleasant Valley, he
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  Speaker 1: had never seen any such person there before. For a moment,
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  Speaker 1: mister Crow was worried about himself. He wondered if he
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  Speaker 1: was not ill. He knew he had eaten a good
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  Speaker 1: deal of corn that day, and he half hoped that
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  Speaker 1: that was the trouble, that perhaps he saw something that
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  Speaker 1: wasn't really in the tree at all. Then he remembered
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  Speaker 1: the blow on his back. Had the queer purse in
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  Speaker 1: the tree top struck him? Mister Crow grew angry. Did
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  Speaker 1: you hit me? He cooled. I'm not sure, said the stranger,
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  Speaker 1: but I think I did, for I saw you jump.
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  Speaker 1: Then you threw something at me. Mister Crow screamed, oh no,
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  Speaker 1: The other replied, I didn't throw anything at you, sir,
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  Speaker 1: I merely dropped something on your back. Mister Crow choked.
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  Speaker 1: Perhaps it was as well that he could not speak.
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  Speaker 1: Just then he coughed and spluttered and swallowed and swayed
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  Speaker 1: back and forth trying to get his breath. And he
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  Speaker 1: had begun at last to feel better when if something
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  Speaker 1: struck him again and all but knocked him over, the
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  Speaker 1: stranger gave a shrill whistle. I threw something that time,
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  Speaker 1: he ed. Old mister Crow felt that he had been
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  Speaker 1: terribly insulted. He looked as dignified as he could, and
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  Speaker 1: he would have turned his back on the stranger had
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  Speaker 1: he dared while he was wondering whether he had better
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  Speaker 1: fly away or stay and quarrel with the rude person
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  Speaker 1: who had pelted him, the boorish stranger leaped from the
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  Speaker 1: tall tree into the smaller one where mister Crow was sitting,
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  Speaker 1: then dropping nimbly from limb to limb with the help
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  Speaker 1: of his hands and his feet and his tail. He
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  Speaker 1: stopped at last when he had reached mister Crow's level.
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  Speaker 1: One thing was certain. The stranger was bold as brass.
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  Speaker 1: He looked mister Crow up and down, and then he said,
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  Speaker 1: you're a gay old bird. What's your name? Now? No
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  Speaker 1: doubt some people would have been angry, but mister Crow
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  Speaker 1: rather liked to be called gay because he couldn't help
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  Speaker 1: looking solemn, and most people knew he was very old,
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  Speaker 1: and everybody was aware he was a bird. So he said, hoarsely,
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  Speaker 1: my name is mister Crow, and please don't forget the mister.
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  Speaker 1: The stranger put on his flat topped red cap and
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  Speaker 1: touched the visor smartly with his right hand in a
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  Speaker 1: military manner. Old mister Crow couldn't help admiring the newcomer's clothes.
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  Speaker 1: He wore a red coat trimmed with gold braid and
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  Speaker 1: bright blue trousers. That's a handsome suit that you have on,
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  Speaker 1: mister Crow observed, I shouldn't mind having one like it myself.
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  Speaker 1: The stranger seemed pleased, and he touched his cap again.
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  Speaker 1: I'm afraid you can't have a suit like this, he said.
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  Speaker 1: It's a uniform, that's what it is. And of course,
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  Speaker 1: a plain mister like you can't wear a uniform, but
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  Speaker 1: I wear one because I'm a soldier. Old mister Crow
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  Speaker 1: was disappointed, but he soon brightened up. Though he wasn't
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  Speaker 1: a soldier himself, at least it was pleasant to know one,
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  Speaker 1: so he decided to forget that he had been angry
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  Speaker 1: with the stranger. What's your name, he asked. Major Monkey,
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  Speaker 1: said the newcomer, knocking off his cap with one hand
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  Speaker 1: and catching it with the other as it fell. When
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  Speaker 1: you speak to me, please don't forget the major, he added.
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  Speaker 1: End of chapter two, chapter three of the Tale of
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  Speaker 1: Major Monkey. This LibriVox recording is in the public domain.
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  Speaker 1: The Tale of Major Monkey by Arthur Scott Bailey. Chapter three.
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  Speaker 1: Getting acquainted, Major Monkey and old mister Crow had a
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  Speaker 1: long talk. They got on famously together because the old
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  Speaker 1: gentleman liked to pry into other people's affairs, and the
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  Speaker 1: Major loved to talk about himself. In reply to mister
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  Speaker 1: Crow's questions, Major Monkey explained that he was a great traveler,
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  Speaker 1: and having found himself in the village a few miles away,
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  Speaker 1: he had taken a notion to see the surrounding country.
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  Speaker 1: This is a delight pull spot, the Major remarked, And
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  Speaker 1: if your neighbors are half as pleasant as you are,
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  Speaker 1: I think i'll stay right here for the present. Naturally,
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  Speaker 1: old mister Crow was flattered. He couldn't remember when anybody
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  Speaker 1: had said he was pleasant. I hope you will settle
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  Speaker 1: in pleasant valley, he told Major Monkey. As for the neighbors, well,
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  Speaker 1: you'll find them a queer lot mostly. What's the matter
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  Speaker 1: with them, the Major asked him. Thereupon old mister Crow
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  Speaker 1: shook his head. They're not at all like me, he replied, slowly.
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  Speaker 1: Of course, there's my cousin, Jasper Jay. He's not a
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  Speaker 1: bad sort, except that he's rude, noisy, and a good
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  Speaker 1: deal of a rascal. But the others, well, most of
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  Speaker 1: them are too greedy. If I didn't watch this cornfield closely,
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  Speaker 1: some of them wouldn't care if they didn't leave a
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  Speaker 1: single colonel for anybody else. Do you like corn, the
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  Speaker 1: major inquired. Mister Crows followed once or twice before answering,
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  Speaker 1: I can eat it, he said, finally, it keeps one alive,
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  Speaker 1: you know, But if you've never had any, I advise
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  Speaker 1: you not to touch it. Major Monkey thanked him. Don't
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  Speaker 1: mention it, said mister Crow. I'm delighted to be of
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  Speaker 1: help to a stranger, and if there is anything else
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  Speaker 1: I can do, don't hesitate to call on me. Major
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  Speaker 1: Monkey thanked him again, and then he said, I'd like
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  Speaker 1: to get acquainted with all the neighbors, such as they are,
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  Speaker 1: and I would suggest that you give a party and
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  Speaker 1: invite me and a lot of people to come to
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  Speaker 1: it so I could meet them. Old mister Crow bit
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  Speaker 1: his tongue. It struck him that madeor Monkey was just
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  Speaker 1: the least bit too forward. What about refreshments, mister Crow
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  Speaker 1: asked him. It's easy to see that you don't know
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  Speaker 1: the neighbors. I can tell you that they have enormous appetites,
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  Speaker 1: every one of them. Ah, that's easily arranged, said Mador Monkey.
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  Speaker 1: Tell everybody to be sure to have his refreshments before
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  Speaker 1: he comes to the party a good idea, mister Crow exclaimed,
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  Speaker 1: with that difficulty removed, he was willing to give a party,
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  Speaker 1: for he quite liked the prospect of introducing everybody to
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  Speaker 1: his old friend made you Monkey, you're sure you don't
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  Speaker 1: know anybody in this valley except me, missus de Crow asked.
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  Speaker 1: He didn't want to divide with any one else the
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  Speaker 1: honor of being a friend of anybody so imposing as
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  Speaker 1: the Major. I haven't spoken to a soul, but you,
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  Speaker 1: Major Monkey, assured him. Mister Crow said he was glad
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  Speaker 1: of that, and then he asked the Major to keep
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  Speaker 1: out of sight until the time came for the party
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  Speaker 1: to begin. At first, Major Monkey objected, and not until
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  Speaker 1: mister Crow promised to have the party that very day,
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  Speaker 1: an hour before sunset, did he consent to hide himself.
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  Speaker 1: Where's a good place, he asked, mister Crow. That tree
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  Speaker 1: is hollow, said mister Crow, pointing to the one in
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  Speaker 1: which he had first seen the Major. Just slip inside
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  Speaker 1: that hole there, about half way up the truck, and
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  Speaker 1: don't come out till I call you. Major. Monkeys scrambled
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  Speaker 1: back into the tall tree, and mister Crow watched him
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  Speaker 1: narrowly until he was out of sight. Indeed, the old
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  Speaker 1: gentleman even continued to stare at the hole after his
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  Speaker 1: friend had vanished inside it. End of chapter three, chapter
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  Speaker 1: four of the Tale of Major Monkey. This LibriVox recording
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  Speaker 1: is in the public domain. The Tale of Major Monkey
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  Speaker 1: by Arthur Scott Bailey, Chapter four wanted a lodging. Afterward,
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  Speaker 1: Old mister Crow had to admit that he must have
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  Speaker 1: been forgetful. He had told Major Monkey to hide inside
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  Speaker 1: the hollow tree, and being a total stranger in the neighborhood,
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  Speaker 1: of course, the Major didn't know that an owl lived there,
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  Speaker 1: so he entered the dark hole boldly, and soon he
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  Speaker 1: came dashing out a bit much faster than he had
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  Speaker 1: gone in, shrieking at the top of his voice. Old
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  Speaker 1: mister Crow was poised on a branch as if he
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  Speaker 1: were waiting for something, and he almost smiled as he
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  Speaker 1: looked at the Major and saw that he was shaking.
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  Speaker 1: The poor fellow's teeth were chattering too. What's the matter,
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  Speaker 1: mister Crow called to him, there's a tiger inside this tree.
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  Speaker 1: Major Monkey stammered, I know it's a tiger, for I
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  Speaker 1: saw his eyes. Nonsense, mister Crow exclaimed, and he burst
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  Speaker 1: into a loud haw haw. It's nothing but an old owl.
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  Speaker 1: I forgot all about him. A fine soldier, you are
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  Speaker 1: afraid of an old owl. Major Monkey straightened his cap
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  Speaker 1: and looked as soldierly as he could. You're mistaken in
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  Speaker 1: a way, he told mister Crow. I admit I was afraid.
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  Speaker 1: I was afraid I had frightened him waking up so suddenly,
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  Speaker 1: so I retreated. Old mister Crow stopped laughing and looked
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  Speaker 1: very thoughtful. It occurred to him that Major Monkey was
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  Speaker 1: a somewhat slippery person. Certainly he could slip out of
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  Speaker 1: a hole about as easily as anybody. Mister Crow knew,
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  Speaker 1: you'll have to find some other place for me to hide.
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  Speaker 1: The Major announced, I don't want to stay in this
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  Speaker 1: tree all day, for I shouldn't like to disturb a
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  Speaker 1: gentleman's rest. Mister Crow pondered for a few moments. You
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  Speaker 1: see that old haystack, he said, at last, pointing across
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  Speaker 1: the fields. Go and burrow under that and be back
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  Speaker 1: here exactly an hour before sunset, may you Monkey saluted?
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  Speaker 1: That suits me, he said, and then he turned and
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  Speaker 1: scurried down to the ground, leaped quickly upon the fence,
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  Speaker 1: and galloped off along the topmost rails. Mister Crow spent
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  Speaker 1: a very busy day inviting everybody to his party to
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  Speaker 1: meet his old friend, made you Monkey. He's a famous soldier,
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  Speaker 1: mister Crow explained when people asked him questions, and I
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  Speaker 1: hope you'll all wear your best clothes because the Major
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  Speaker 1: himself is very handsomely dressed. There's a gold braid on
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  Speaker 1: his coat and on his cap too. The old gentleman
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  Speaker 1: talked so much about the major's uniform that a good
• 20:13
  Speaker 1: many of the neighbors thought that mister Crow ought to
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  Speaker 1: postpone his party for a few days until they could
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  Speaker 1: get mister Frog, the tailor, to make them some new clothes.
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  Speaker 1: But mister Crow wouldn't listen to them. No, he said,
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  Speaker 1: we mustn't wait. My friend, the Major is a great traveler.
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  Speaker 1: There's no knowing when he will take it into his
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  Speaker 1: head to move on, and if you want to meet him,
• 20:43
  Speaker 1: there's no time like the present. Well, people were so
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  Speaker 1: busy getting ready for the party that there was a
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  Speaker 1: great flurry everywhere all day long, except at the haystack,
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  Speaker 1: where Major Monkey was hiding. And even he did not
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  Speaker 1: have so dull a time as you might suppose. Luckily,
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  Speaker 1: he had discovered a lone apple tree nearby, and being
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  Speaker 1: fond of fruit, he crept out at the haystack every
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  Speaker 1: few minutes and gathered apples. What he could eat he
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  Speaker 1: ate greedily, and what he couldn't he hid under the stack.
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  Speaker 1: And on the whole he had rather a pleasant time.
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  Speaker 1: End of chapter four, Chapter five of the Tale of
• 21:43
  Speaker 1: Major Monkey. This LibriVox recording is in the public domain.
• 21:49
  Speaker 1: The Tale of Madejor Monkey by Arthur Scott Bailey. Chapter five,
• 21:55
  Speaker 1: Meeting Madeor Monkey. Everybody was prompt when the hour came
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  Speaker 1: to mister Crow's party. In fact, everybody was ahead of time.
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  Speaker 1: Old mister Crow had talked so much about his old
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  Speaker 1: friend Major Monkey and the Major's gold braided uniform that
• 22:17
  Speaker 1: people simply couldn't wait to see the stranger and his
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  Speaker 1: fine clothes. There was just one difficulty. The Major himself
• 22:28
  Speaker 1: was not on hand. Old mister Crow begun to be
• 22:32
  Speaker 1: terribly worried, but he tried not to let anybody know
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  Speaker 1: that he was disturbed. He'll be here soon, he said,
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  Speaker 1: when people asked him where Major Monkey was. I've never
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  Speaker 1: known my friend the Major to break an engagement. He's
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  Speaker 1: a bit late, that's all. I only hope he isn't lost.
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  Speaker 1: You know, he's a stranger in these parts. Now, mister
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  Speaker 1: Crow was sitting in a tree, gazing toward the haystack
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  Speaker 1: in the distance, where he had told the Major to hide,
• 23:10
  Speaker 1: and he had hardly finished speaking when a big red
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  Speaker 1: apple struck the tree just above his head with a
• 23:18
  Speaker 1: loud smack and broke into bits. Mister Crow jumped, and
• 23:24
  Speaker 1: so did everybody else. But before the party had time
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  Speaker 1: to scatter, Major Monkey peeped from behind a neighboring tree
• 23:35
  Speaker 1: and uttered a piercing whistle. Don't go, friends, mister Crow
• 23:41
  Speaker 1: cried to his companions. Here he is now, he's Major
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  Speaker 1: Monkey himself. That's only one of his jokes, he added,
• 23:51
  Speaker 1: for he noticed that some of his cronies appeared somewhat nervous.
• 23:57
  Speaker 1: Major Monkey drew nearer his face bore a wide grin,
• 24:02
  Speaker 1: while in his hand he clutched another red apple, which
• 24:07
  Speaker 1: he threatened playfully to throw at the company. Don't do that, major,
• 24:13
  Speaker 1: mister Crow called. You might get hungry, you know, and
• 24:17
  Speaker 1: if you do, you can eat that apple. Major Monkey
• 24:21
  Speaker 1: touched his cap to mister Crow. He seemed to think
• 24:25
  Speaker 1: that was good advice that he lowered the hand that
• 24:29
  Speaker 1: held the apple. On hearing mister Crow's suggestion, the whole
• 24:35
  Speaker 1: company began to laugh. They seemed to think that mister
• 24:39
  Speaker 1: Crow was joking. Whoever heard of anybody going hungry at
• 24:45
  Speaker 1: a party, Fatty Coon exclaimed, and turning to mister Crow,
• 24:51
  Speaker 1: he asked him where the refreshments were. The old gentleman
• 24:56
  Speaker 1: seemed taken aback I declare, he gasped, I've forgot to
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  Speaker 1: tell you all to have your refreshments before you came.
• 25:07
  Speaker 1: Isn't there going to be anything to eat? Fatticoon asked
• 25:11
  Speaker 1: him anxiously. Mister Crow shook his head. It really doesn't matter,
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  Speaker 1: he said, talking very fast. You know, I invited everybody
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  Speaker 1: to meet my old friend, made you monkey, and here
• 25:26
  Speaker 1: he is all ready to tell you about his travels.
• 25:31
  Speaker 1: But first we'll have a little music. It was now
• 25:35
  Speaker 1: the major's turn to look uneasy music, He echoed, I
• 25:41
  Speaker 1: hope you haven't gone and got a hand organ. No,
• 25:45
  Speaker 1: not that, said mister Crow. The Woodchuck brothers are going
• 25:50
  Speaker 1: to whistle for us. Oh, said the Major, who appeared
• 25:55
  Speaker 1: much relieved. I was afraid you had a hand organ,
• 26:00
  Speaker 1: and I don't care for that sort of music. I've
• 26:03
  Speaker 1: heard too much of it on my travels. At a
• 26:06
  Speaker 1: signal from mister Crow, the Woodchuck brothers stepped forward and
• 26:11
  Speaker 1: started to whistle a lively tune called clover Blossoms. Being
• 26:18
  Speaker 1: very fond of clover blossoms, the musicians begun whistling in
• 26:24
  Speaker 1: a most spirited fashion, but they had bad luck. Though
• 26:28
  Speaker 1: he did not know the tune made, a monkey insisted
• 26:32
  Speaker 1: on whistling too, and all the company stopped up their
• 26:36
  Speaker 1: ears except mister Crow. He stood the noise as long
• 26:42
  Speaker 1: as he could, and then he ordered the whistlers to stop.
• 26:46
  Speaker 1: What tune were you whistling, he asked the major It's
• 26:51
  Speaker 1: called banana blossoms. Major Monkey explained, You see, I'm very
• 26:57
  Speaker 1: fond of bananas. Old mister Crow laughed. The two tunes
• 27:03
  Speaker 1: don't go well together, he said, so we won't have
• 27:07
  Speaker 1: any more music. And Fatty Coon cried that he was
• 27:12
  Speaker 1: glad of that, because when people whistled about things to eat,
• 27:18
  Speaker 1: it only made him hungrier than ever. End of chapter five,
• 27:30
  Speaker 1: chapter six of the Tale of Major Monkey. This LibriVox
• 27:36
  Speaker 1: recording is in the public domain. The Tale of Major
• 27:41
  Speaker 1: Monkey by Arthur Scott Bailey, Chapter six, too many disputes
• 27:49
  Speaker 1: on the whole. Mister Crow's party would have been a
• 27:53
  Speaker 1: great success if it hadn't been for Peter Mink and
• 27:57
  Speaker 1: Tommy Fox. As soon as made Monkey showed himself after
• 28:02
  Speaker 1: throwing the apple at mister Crow, those two begun whispering
• 28:07
  Speaker 1: slyly together, And when the Major climbed a tree and
• 28:12
  Speaker 1: hung from a limb by his tail, they both jumped
• 28:16
  Speaker 1: up and said to mister Crow, we saw Major Monkey
• 28:20
  Speaker 1: before you ever did. Mister Crow promptly flew into a rage.
• 28:27
  Speaker 1: You did, not, He squalled, Yes, we did, they declared.
• 28:32
  Speaker 1: We told people several days ago that we had seen
• 28:36
  Speaker 1: a stranger hanging by his tail, and nobody believed us
• 28:40
  Speaker 1: a possum could do that, and that no possum ever
• 28:44
  Speaker 1: came as far north as Pleasant Valley. Old mister Crow
• 28:49
  Speaker 1: was very angry. Although he knew that Tommy and Peter
• 28:53
  Speaker 1: were speaking the truth, he did not care to hear it.
• 28:58
  Speaker 1: Certainly there was no use of his denying what they said.
• 29:02
  Speaker 1: But an idea popped into his head. Which of you
• 29:07
  Speaker 1: saw the Major first? He asked, I did. They both
• 29:12
  Speaker 1: balled at the same time, and then followed a terrible dispute.
• 29:18
  Speaker 1: You didn't I did, I did? You didn't. Now that
• 29:23
  Speaker 1: was exactly what mister Crow wanted. He had started Peter
• 29:28
  Speaker 1: Mink and Tommy Fox to quarreling. They'll never agree, mister
• 29:33
  Speaker 1: Crow cried, let's ask Major Monkey to settle the dispute.
• 29:39
  Speaker 1: Let's leave it to him, and turning to his friend
• 29:43
  Speaker 1: the Major, mister Crow said, which of these two sharp
• 29:48
  Speaker 1: nosed rascals did you see first? Major Monkey took a
• 29:53
  Speaker 1: bite out of his apple while he looked closely at
• 29:57
  Speaker 1: Peter Mink and Tommy Fox. I never saw either of
• 30:01
  Speaker 1: them until I came to this party, he declared. And
• 30:06
  Speaker 1: then I saw both at the same time because they
• 30:09
  Speaker 1: were whispering together. There, mister Crow shouted to the whole company.
• 30:15
  Speaker 1: You hear what my old friend, the Major, says. Tommy
• 30:20
  Speaker 1: Fox and Peter Mink stopped quarreling. You didn't ask the
• 30:25
  Speaker 1: Major the proper question, They objected. We never said he
• 30:30
  Speaker 1: saw us at all, we said, But mister Crow waved
• 30:35
  Speaker 1: them aside. If you aren't too hungry, he muttered to
• 30:40
  Speaker 1: Major Monkey, I'd suggest that you let fly with that
• 30:44
  Speaker 1: red apple. The Major was only too willing with deadly
• 30:49
  Speaker 1: aim he flung the apple at Peter Mink and Tommy Fox.
• 30:54
  Speaker 1: First it hit Peter on the nose, and then it
• 30:58
  Speaker 1: bounced up and struck Tommy on his nose, and then
• 31:02
  Speaker 1: the party came to an end in an awful uproar.
• 31:06
  Speaker 1: For Peter and Tommy were very angry. Those that could
• 31:10
  Speaker 1: fly flew away in a great hurry, and those that
• 31:14
  Speaker 1: could run scampered quickly out of sight. As for the
• 31:19
  Speaker 1: soldier Major Monkey, he climbed a tree and hung by
• 31:24
  Speaker 1: his tail from a limb, where he swung backwards and
• 31:28
  Speaker 1: forwards and made faces at Tommy Fox and Peter Mink
• 31:33
  Speaker 1: until their rage was terrible to see. Mister Crow did
• 31:39
  Speaker 1: not desert his friend, the Major. He remained in a
• 31:43
  Speaker 1: tree near by to watch the fun. And there's no
• 31:47
  Speaker 1: telling how long it would have lasted had not. Major
• 31:51
  Speaker 1: Monkey pulled himself suddenly up on a limb and laid
• 31:56
  Speaker 1: a hand across the front of his red coat. There
• 32:00
  Speaker 1: was a look of pain upon his face. What's the matter,
• 32:05
  Speaker 1: mister Crow asked him. Are you wounded? He inquired, Knowing
• 32:10
  Speaker 1: that the Major was a soldier, he could think of
• 32:14
  Speaker 1: nothing but a wound that would make him act as
• 32:17
  Speaker 1: he did, I'm not sure, Major Monkey replied, it may
• 32:24
  Speaker 1: be that I've eaten too many apples. End of chapter
• 32:30
  Speaker 1: six Chapter seven of the Tale of Major Monkey. This
• 32:41
  Speaker 1: LibriVox recording is in the public domain. The Tale of
• 32:46
  Speaker 1: Major Monkey by Arthur Scott Bailey. Chapter seven, The Major
• 32:53
  Speaker 1: has a pain. The party had come to an end.
• 32:57
  Speaker 1: Nobody was left except mister Crow and his friend Madeor Monkey.
• 33:03
  Speaker 1: Mister Crow himself was fast growing sleepy, for it was
• 33:09
  Speaker 1: almost dark, and he wanted to fly home and go
• 33:13
  Speaker 1: to bed, but he hardly felt that he ought to
• 33:16
  Speaker 1: leave just then. There was no doubt that the Major
• 33:20
  Speaker 1: was in great pain. He kept one hand pressed against
• 33:25
  Speaker 1: the lowest button of his short red coat. His cap
• 33:29
  Speaker 1: was awie, and his wrinkled face showed a careworn and
• 33:34
  Speaker 1: anxious look. How many apples have you eaten to day?
• 33:39
  Speaker 1: Mister Crow asked his friend. I haven't the slightest idea.
• 33:44
  Speaker 1: The Major answered, after I had finished two dozen. I
• 33:48
  Speaker 1: lost count. My goodness, mister Crow exclaimed, it's no wonder
• 33:55
  Speaker 1: you're reel. We'll hurry over to the pasture and see
• 33:59
  Speaker 1: Aunt Polly Chuck, the herb doctor. She'll know what to
• 34:03
  Speaker 1: do for you. Major Monkey was more than willing, so
• 34:08
  Speaker 1: they set out at once. The Major traveled through the
• 34:12
  Speaker 1: treetops where he could, while mister Crow flew slowly, alighting
• 34:17
  Speaker 1: now and then to wait for his friend to overtake him.
• 34:22
  Speaker 1: In a little while, they came to the pasture, and
• 34:26
  Speaker 1: Major Monkey was glad to find Aunt Polly at home.
• 34:30
  Speaker 1: She was a wise old lady. She knew right away
• 34:34
  Speaker 1: without being told that it was Major Monkey and not
• 34:39
  Speaker 1: mister Crow. That was ill. You're in pain, she remarked
• 34:44
  Speaker 1: to the Major. I knew it the moment I set
• 34:47
  Speaker 1: eyes on you, Major Monkey moaned faintly. I hope you'll
• 34:53
  Speaker 1: give me something to make me feel better, he wailed,
• 34:57
  Speaker 1: I will, Aunt Polly Woodchuck promised, and putting her hand
• 35:01
  Speaker 1: inside a basket that she carried on her arm, she
• 35:05
  Speaker 1: drew forth a red apple. Here, she said, eat this.
• 35:11
  Speaker 1: Major Monkey drew back. No, he groaned. I don't want
• 35:16
  Speaker 1: any more apples. I've had too many already. Aunt Pollywoodchuck
• 35:22
  Speaker 1: shot a triumphant look at mister Crowe. I've thought so,
• 35:26
  Speaker 1: she said, and she dropped the red apple back into
• 35:30
  Speaker 1: her basket. Now she went on, turning again to the Major,
• 35:37
  Speaker 1: I should like to ask whether you're fond of corn.
• 35:41
  Speaker 1: Old mister Crow stepped forward quickly. I object, he cried.
• 35:47
  Speaker 1: The less said about corn the better, Aunt Pollywoodchuck hastened
• 35:52
  Speaker 1: to explain that she meant no offense to any one.
• 35:57
  Speaker 1: I merely wondered. She said, whether you you gave your
• 36:00
  Speaker 1: guests corn to eat at your party? Certainly not, mister
• 36:06
  Speaker 1: Crow exploded, certainly not, and he glared at the old
• 36:10
  Speaker 1: lady as if to say, change the subject for pity's sake.
• 36:16
  Speaker 1: You're a stranger in these parts, I take it, Aunt
• 36:19
  Speaker 1: Polly said, turning once more to Major Monkey. No doubt
• 36:25
  Speaker 1: you've been used to eating different food from what you
• 36:28
  Speaker 1: get here abouts. That's so, the Major admitted. I've been
• 36:33
  Speaker 1: living mostly on boiled rice with a baked potato now
• 36:37
  Speaker 1: and then. Ah cooked food, said Aunt Polly. And if
• 36:43
  Speaker 1: you had that sort of affair, you must have been
• 36:46
  Speaker 1: living with men. The Major looked uneasy. I don't care
• 36:51
  Speaker 1: to talk about my past, he murmured. Just you give
• 36:55
  Speaker 1: me something to warm my stomach a bit, that's all
• 36:59
  Speaker 1: I ask. Well, Aunt Polly Woodchuck handed him some peppermint leaves.
• 37:06
  Speaker 1: Chew these, she directed him, And if you don't feel
• 37:10
  Speaker 1: better tomorrow, I'll lose my guests, madeor Monkey put the
• 37:15
  Speaker 1: leaves into his mouth and made a wry face. Haven't
• 37:20
  Speaker 1: you a lump of sugar to make this dost taste better?
• 37:24
  Speaker 1: He asked her. There, Aunt Polly cried, you've been fed
• 37:29
  Speaker 1: by men. I knew it all the time. Major Monkey
• 37:34
  Speaker 1: made no comment on her remark, and settling his cap
• 37:38
  Speaker 1: firmly on his head, he said that he must be going,
• 37:43
  Speaker 1: so he and mister Crow went off. Where are you
• 37:47
  Speaker 1: going to spend the night? Mister Crow asked him as
• 37:51
  Speaker 1: soon as they were out of Aunt Polly's hearing, that
• 37:55
  Speaker 1: haystack is a good place, said the Major I believe
• 38:00
  Speaker 1: I'll live there as long as I stay in Pleasant Valley.
• 38:04
  Speaker 1: It's not far from the farmhouse. Mister Crow observed, perhaps
• 38:09
  Speaker 1: she could steal or I mean, find a little cooked
• 38:12
  Speaker 1: food there now and then. That's an idea. Major Monkey
• 38:17
  Speaker 1: told him that he did not explain whether he thought
• 38:21
  Speaker 1: it a good one or not. End of chapter seven
• 38:33
  Speaker 1: Chapter eight of the Tale of Major Monkey. This LibriVox
• 38:38
  Speaker 1: recording is in the public domain. The Tale of Major
• 38:43
  Speaker 1: Monkey by Arthur Scott Bailey. Chapter eight A secret When
• 38:50
  Speaker 1: Major Monkey awoke the following morning. His pain had left
• 38:55
  Speaker 1: him creeping from the haystack where he had slept last,
• 39:00
  Speaker 1: longing eyes at the red apples in the tree near by.
• 39:05
  Speaker 1: But he remembered his trouble of the evening before, and
• 39:09
  Speaker 1: he remembered, likewise what mister Crow had said about finding
• 39:14
  Speaker 1: something to eat at the farmhouse. But for some reason,
• 39:19
  Speaker 1: the Major wanted to avoid Farmer Green's house. To be sure.
• 39:24
  Speaker 1: He would have enjoyed sitting down with the family at
• 39:28
  Speaker 1: the breakfast table, but he was afraid something might prevent
• 39:32
  Speaker 1: his leaving after he had eaten. Luckily, Major Monkey was
• 39:38
  Speaker 1: the person who could usually find a way out of
• 39:42
  Speaker 1: any difficulty, and now he made up his mind that
• 39:46
  Speaker 1: a light meal of eggs was the very thing he
• 39:50
  Speaker 1: needed in order to begin the day right. So he
• 39:54
  Speaker 1: went straight to the woods and climbed the first tree.
• 39:58
  Speaker 1: He came to, pine tree just beyond the fence. There,
• 40:03
  Speaker 1: Major Monkey found exactly what he was looking for, in
• 40:08
  Speaker 1: a warbler's nest a dozen feet from the ground, he
• 40:13
  Speaker 1: beheld five speckled eggs. The owners of the nest were
• 40:18
  Speaker 1: not at home, but knowing that one or the other
• 40:22
  Speaker 1: would soon return, the Major did not care to linger
• 40:26
  Speaker 1: long over their treasures. He noticed that one of the
• 40:30
  Speaker 1: eggs was bigger than the others. Really, there are too
• 40:35
  Speaker 1: many eggs here for this small nest. The major said
• 40:39
  Speaker 1: to himself, if I take the big one, I'll be
• 40:43
  Speaker 1: doing the owners a favor. So he picked up the
• 40:47
  Speaker 1: big egg, and, holding it carefully in one hand, he
• 40:51
  Speaker 1: hurried away. When he had put some distance between himself
• 40:56
  Speaker 1: and the nest, Major Monkeys stopped to in joy his breakfast.
• 41:02
  Speaker 1: He was just on the point of opening the egg
• 41:05
  Speaker 1: when who should come up but old mister Crow. The
• 41:09
  Speaker 1: Major quickly hid his breakfast behind his back. Good morning,
• 41:15
  Speaker 1: said mister Crow. I hope you are feeling better to day.
• 41:19
  Speaker 1: Oh yes, thank you, said Major Monkey. I'm quite well again.
• 41:26
  Speaker 1: Mister Crow's sharp eyes pierced him through and through. What
• 41:31
  Speaker 1: are you holding behind you? He asked bluntly. The Major
• 41:36
  Speaker 1: saw that he was caught. It's my breakfast, he confessed,
• 41:41
  Speaker 1: giving mister Crow a quick glance at what was in
• 41:45
  Speaker 1: his hand. I I found it, he said, Wasn't I lucky?
• 41:51
  Speaker 1: A bird's egg? Mister Crow exclaimed, disapprovingly. What kind is it?
• 41:58
  Speaker 1: It's nothing but a warbler's egg. Major Monkey replied. The
• 42:03
  Speaker 1: old gentleman smiled knowingly, and feeling more comfortable, Major Monkey
• 42:09
  Speaker 1: opened his hand and gave mister Crow a good look
• 42:13
  Speaker 1: at his prize. That's too big for a warbler's egg,
• 42:18
  Speaker 1: mister Crow cried, I've found it in a warbler's nest.
• 42:22
  Speaker 1: Major Monkey insisted, were there any more like this one
• 42:27
  Speaker 1: in the nest? Mister Crow asked, oh yes, The major answered,
• 42:34
  Speaker 1: were they as big as this egg? Mister Crow inquired.
• 42:38
  Speaker 1: Major Monkey explained that they were not, just as I supposed.
• 42:45
  Speaker 1: The old gentleman exclaimed, this isn't a warbler's egg. It's
• 42:50
  Speaker 1: a cowbird's egg. And you've done that warbler family a
• 42:54
  Speaker 1: good turn by taking it out of their nest. I
• 42:59
  Speaker 1: know missus, our bird, he went on, she's too lazy
• 43:03
  Speaker 1: to bring up her own children, so she sneaks through
• 43:06
  Speaker 1: the woods and lays her eggs in other folk's nests.
• 43:11
  Speaker 1: I must tell of this, mister Crow added, people will
• 43:15
  Speaker 1: think very kindly of you when they hear what you
• 43:18
  Speaker 1: have done. But Major Monkey begged him not to mention
• 43:22
  Speaker 1: the matter to any one. He pleaded so hard that
• 43:26
  Speaker 1: at last mister Crow consented to keep the affair a
• 43:30
  Speaker 1: secret between them, and mister Crow couldn't help thinking that
• 43:35
  Speaker 1: Major Monkey was one of the most modest people he
• 43:39
  Speaker 1: had ever met. Then the Major opened the egg with
• 43:43
  Speaker 1: great skill and ate its contents without spilling a drop. Now,
• 43:49
  Speaker 1: he said, now I'm ready for business. End of chapter eight,
• 44:02
  Speaker 1: chapter nine of The Tale of Major Monkey. This LibriVox
• 44:07
  Speaker 1: recording is in the public domain. The Tale of Major
• 44:12
  Speaker 1: Monkey by Arthur Scott Bailey. Chapter nine. The Major has
• 44:19
  Speaker 1: a plan. What is your business, if I may ask?
• 44:24
  Speaker 1: Mister Crow inquired of Major Monkey. Lately, I've been spending
• 44:29
  Speaker 1: my time traveling, the Major replied, But you know, I'm
• 44:34
  Speaker 1: a soldier, and while I'm in Pleasant Valley, I intend
• 44:38
  Speaker 1: to form an army. Old mister Crow looked somewhat worried
• 44:44
  Speaker 1: when he heard that. I hope you aren't going to
• 44:47
  Speaker 1: guard the cornfield, he said hastily. Major Monkey said, his
• 44:53
  Speaker 1: fears at rest. We'll let Farmer Green do that, he said,
• 44:58
  Speaker 1: with a wink. This is what will do. We'll band
• 45:02
  Speaker 1: ourselves together and will fight any strangers that come to
• 45:06
  Speaker 1: Pleasant Valley to live. That's not a bad plan, mister
• 45:11
  Speaker 1: Crow remarked, But it's lucky for you that you didn't
• 45:15
  Speaker 1: form the army before you got here yourself, else we'd
• 45:20
  Speaker 1: have to fight you. Of course, Major Monkey agreed, but
• 45:25
  Speaker 1: trust me not to make such a mistake as that.
• 45:29
  Speaker 1: Who's going to be in the army? Mister Crow wanted
• 45:33
  Speaker 1: to know everybody. The major answered with a wave of
• 45:38
  Speaker 1: the hand that took in the whole valley for as
• 45:42
  Speaker 1: long as a minute. Old mister Crow was very thoughtful.
• 45:47
  Speaker 1: I shall not care to be in it unless I
• 45:50
  Speaker 1: can be a general, he announced at last. Why, certainly,
• 45:55
  Speaker 1: said Major Monkey. Certainly you shall be a general. Mister
• 46:01
  Speaker 1: mister Crow swelled himself up and looked as important as
• 46:06
  Speaker 1: he could. Get everybody to come to the edge of
• 46:09
  Speaker 1: the woods near the pasture early tomorrow morning, Major Monkey commanded,
• 46:16
  Speaker 1: Aren't you going to do any of the work? Mister
• 46:19
  Speaker 1: Crow demanded, I thought generals didn't have to do anything
• 46:24
  Speaker 1: except look wise. It's easier for you to get about
• 46:29
  Speaker 1: than it is for me. But as soon as we
• 46:31
  Speaker 1: have our army together, I'll take entire charge of it,
• 46:36
  Speaker 1: Major Monkey informed him. Mister Crow was satisfied. After all,
• 46:43
  Speaker 1: it wouldn't really be work. He told himself to fly
• 46:47
  Speaker 1: around and tell the people the news. In fact, the
• 46:51
  Speaker 1: more he thought about the plan, the better he liked it,
• 46:56
  Speaker 1: so he bade Major Monkey goodbye and hurried away. When
• 47:01
  Speaker 1: mister Crow had flown out of sight, the Major rolled
• 47:05
  Speaker 1: over and over on the ground, and then he climbed
• 47:09
  Speaker 1: a tree and swung by his tail from a limb
• 47:13
  Speaker 1: while he made an odd chuckling sound at General, He said,
• 47:19
  Speaker 1: General Crow, why he never wore a uniform in all
• 47:24
  Speaker 1: his life. On the following morning, the field and forest
• 47:28
  Speaker 1: folk began gathering at the edge of the woods near
• 47:32
  Speaker 1: the pasture, almost before it was light. And when Major
• 47:37
  Speaker 1: Monkey left his snug bed in the haystack and went
• 47:41
  Speaker 1: to the meeting place, he found an eager throng waiting
• 47:46
  Speaker 1: for him. Old mister Crow was flitting about, talking in
• 47:51
  Speaker 1: a loud voice and ordering people around to his heart's content.
• 47:57
  Speaker 1: Silence Madeor Monkey command as soon as he arrived. Mister
• 48:03
  Speaker 1: Crow opened his mouth to speak, but Major Monkey cut
• 48:08
  Speaker 1: him off short. The first thing a soldier has to
• 48:12
  Speaker 1: learn is to obey, he barked. But I'm a general,
• 48:17
  Speaker 1: mister Crow protested, Well, these are general orders, so you'll
• 48:23
  Speaker 1: have to obey him, said Major Monkey glibly, and poor
• 48:28
  Speaker 1: old mister Crow didn't know what to say. To that,
• 48:32
  Speaker 1: but he couldn't help looking rather grumpy. End of chapter nine,
• 48:44
  Speaker 1: Chapter ten of the Tale of Major Monkey. This LibriVox
• 48:49
  Speaker 1: recording is in the public domain. The Tale of Major
• 48:54
  Speaker 1: Monkey by Arthur Scott Bailey. Chapter ten. The new now
• 49:02
  Speaker 1: then fall in, Major Monkey shouted to the whole company
• 49:06
  Speaker 1: of field and forest folk. But nobody had the slightest
• 49:11
  Speaker 1: idea what he meant. You don't suppose he expects us
• 49:16
  Speaker 1: to fall in the brook, do you? Tommy Fox asked
• 49:21
  Speaker 1: his nearest neighbor. If there was anything that Tommy disliked,
• 49:26
  Speaker 1: it was getting his feet wet. Major Monkey soon saw
• 49:31
  Speaker 1: that nobody knew what to do. Form a line too deep,
• 49:36
  Speaker 1: he directed, and then there was trouble because everyone wanted
• 49:42
  Speaker 1: to be in the front rank, as Major Monkey called it,
• 49:47
  Speaker 1: in order to see everything. After a good deal of
• 49:51
  Speaker 1: jostling and squirming on the part of the company, a
• 49:55
  Speaker 1: much loud talk on the part of Major Monkey, the
• 49:59
  Speaker 1: new army at last stood stretched out in a double
• 50:03
  Speaker 1: line along the pasture fence. Major Monkeys seemed much pleased
• 50:09
  Speaker 1: as he walked up and down in front of his soldiers,
• 50:13
  Speaker 1: and then he happened to glance up. There was mister
• 50:17
  Speaker 1: Crow perched on a limb over his head. Here you,
• 50:22
  Speaker 1: the Major shouted, didn't you hear me say? Fall in? Certainly,
• 50:28
  Speaker 1: said mister crow. But I'm a general, you know. Well?
• 50:33
  Speaker 1: What of that? The major snapped, So are all these
• 50:37
  Speaker 1: people generals? You didn't think, did you, that I'd have
• 50:41
  Speaker 1: anybody in my army that wasn't at least a general.
• 50:46
  Speaker 1: For a wonder, mister Crow said, never a word. He
• 50:51
  Speaker 1: was angry, but he didn't want to be left out
• 50:54
  Speaker 1: of the army, so he decided that he had better obey,
• 50:59
  Speaker 1: and he flapped down and took his place just in
• 51:02
  Speaker 1: front of the front rank. You mustn't stand there, Major
• 51:07
  Speaker 1: Monkey said to him severely. You're late falling in. There's
• 51:12
  Speaker 1: no place left for you, so you'll have to stand
• 51:16
  Speaker 1: behind all the others. That was just a little more
• 51:20
  Speaker 1: than old mister Crow could bear. I'll do nothing of
• 51:24
  Speaker 1: the sort, he squawked, And I must say that this
• 51:28
  Speaker 1: is shabby treatment to receive from an old friend. Madeor
• 51:33
  Speaker 1: Monkeys certainly didn't want any trouble right at the beginning,
• 51:37
  Speaker 1: so he hastened to soothe mister Crow's wounded feelings. Look here,
• 51:44
  Speaker 1: he said to the old gentleman. If I were you,
• 51:47
  Speaker 1: I shouldn't care to be a common general. What else
• 51:51
  Speaker 1: can I be? Asked mister Crow, with a hopeful gleam
• 51:55
  Speaker 1: in his eye. You can be the cook, the major
• 51:59
  Speaker 1: suggest There are dozens of generals, but you'd be the
• 52:04
  Speaker 1: only cook. You see. Mister Crow rather liked that idea.
• 52:10
  Speaker 1: I accept your offer, he said, somewhat stiffly, and then
• 52:15
  Speaker 1: he marched down the line and took his place behind
• 52:18
  Speaker 1: It made a monkey breathed a sigh of relief. He
• 52:23
  Speaker 1: was glad that the trouble had proved no worse, and
• 52:27
  Speaker 1: now he turned once more to inspect the crowd of
• 52:30
  Speaker 1: generals that was to make up his army. Here you,
• 52:36
  Speaker 1: he said, suddenly, pointing to a brownish gentleman at one
• 52:40
  Speaker 1: end of the front rank. What's your name? Rusty Wren
• 52:45
  Speaker 1: was the meek reply. Don't stick your tail up in
• 52:49
  Speaker 1: the air like that madeor monkey cried, you're spoiling the
• 52:54
  Speaker 1: looks of the whole army. Rusty Wren replied that it
• 52:58
  Speaker 1: was very hard for him him to keep his tail
• 53:01
  Speaker 1: down for longer than a few moments at a stretch.
• 53:06
  Speaker 1: I don't believe I'll be in the army, he announced,
• 53:10
  Speaker 1: Probably my wife is wondering where I am this moment,
• 53:14
  Speaker 1: so I'm going home. And thereupon he flew away toward
• 53:20
  Speaker 1: Farmer Green's store yard, where he lived. Well, we're rid
• 53:25
  Speaker 1: of him, anyhow, said Madjor Monkey. And then he noticed
• 53:30
  Speaker 1: something else that wasn't as it should have been. Here you,
• 53:34
  Speaker 1: he called to Peter Mink. Pull in your neck. It's
• 53:39
  Speaker 1: too long. It sticks out and spoils the looks of
• 53:43
  Speaker 1: the whole army. Now, Peter Mink was a rude fellow,
• 53:48
  Speaker 1: and he made such a rude reply that Madjor Monkey
• 53:52
  Speaker 1: discharged him on the spot. Go away, he cried, we
• 53:57
  Speaker 1: don't want any rowdies in our army. End of chapter ten,
• 54:09
  Speaker 1: chapter eleven of the Tale of Major Monkey. This LibriVox
• 54:14
  Speaker 1: recording is in the public domain. The Tale of Major
• 54:20
  Speaker 1: Monkey by Arthur Scott Bailey, Chapter eleven, War in the Woods.
• 54:28
  Speaker 1: Although Major Monkey had ordered him out of the army,
• 54:32
  Speaker 1: Peter Mink declared that he wasn't going till he was
• 54:35
  Speaker 1: ready to leave. Very well, said the Major easily, you
• 54:40
  Speaker 1: may stay here and will go. But Peter Mink was
• 54:45
  Speaker 1: an obstinate fellow. The moment the army started to move,
• 54:50
  Speaker 1: he went along with it, and what was worse, he
• 54:53
  Speaker 1: insisted on walking right behind, made you Monkey, and trying
• 54:58
  Speaker 1: to strut just as the Major did. Some of the
• 55:02
  Speaker 1: generals couldn't help snickering, and of course Major Monkey couldn't
• 55:08
  Speaker 1: overlook such behavior. Order in the ranks. He shouted as
• 55:14
  Speaker 1: fiercely as he knew. How the general stopped tittering at once.
• 55:20
  Speaker 1: For a minute or two, everybody marched on in silence,
• 55:25
  Speaker 1: and then the cry holt rung suddenly out. The generals
• 55:31
  Speaker 1: all stopped. Major Monkeys stopped too, and his face seemed
• 55:36
  Speaker 1: more wrinkled than ever as he looked every general in
• 55:40
  Speaker 1: the face. Naturally, that took some time, for there were
• 55:45
  Speaker 1: several dozens of them who shouted holt. The Major asked
• 55:51
  Speaker 1: at last, but nobody knew. At least nobody answered, and
• 55:58
  Speaker 1: there was a good deal of bla talking and craning
• 56:02
  Speaker 1: of necks. For some reason or other. Everybody peered at
• 56:07
  Speaker 1: Peter Mink, but he stared straight ahead in the most
• 56:11
  Speaker 1: innocent fashion. Made a Monkey said nothing more, but he
• 56:16
  Speaker 1: walked behind the army and picked up a stick. Forward march,
• 56:22
  Speaker 1: he commanded then, and as the army moved on, he
• 56:26
  Speaker 1: continued to walk in the rear, just behind old mister Crow.
• 56:33
  Speaker 1: Soon the cry holed sounded again, and as soon as
• 56:38
  Speaker 1: he heard it, made a Monkey threw his stick with
• 56:41
  Speaker 1: a great force and caught Peter Mink neatly in the
• 56:45
  Speaker 1: back of his head. Peter Mink toppled over where he
• 56:49
  Speaker 1: stood there. Made a Monkey remarked he won't bother us
• 56:55
  Speaker 1: any more today, and before the army had stopped gasping,
• 57:00
  Speaker 1: he marched it forward again, leaving Peter Mink stretched upon
• 57:05
  Speaker 1: the ground. Some of the generals objected and said that
• 57:10
  Speaker 1: they thought that Peter Mink ought to be looked after,
• 57:14
  Speaker 1: but Major Monkey told them that they were in the
• 57:17
  Speaker 1: army and that it was war and they must accept
• 57:22
  Speaker 1: even worse things to happen now. Jimmy Rabbit was a
• 57:27
  Speaker 1: tender hearted chap. He couldn't bear the thought of leaving
• 57:31
  Speaker 1: even a rascal like Peter Mink wounded and alone. I
• 57:37
  Speaker 1: think you ought to send the cook back to take
• 57:40
  Speaker 1: care of him, Jimmy told Major Monkey. At that mister Crow,
• 57:45
  Speaker 1: who was the cook, spoke up and said that he
• 57:49
  Speaker 1: was going to stay with the army. I don't see,
• 57:53
  Speaker 1: he said, how you could get along without me, an
• 57:57
  Speaker 1: army without a cook is as good as lot. Major
• 58:01
  Speaker 1: Monkey promptly agreed with mister Crow. Certainly, we mustn't get lost,
• 58:07
  Speaker 1: he said. If we were lost, the enemy never could
• 58:12
  Speaker 1: find us, and we might wander about in the woods
• 58:15
  Speaker 1: for years and years. His remarks made some of the
• 58:20
  Speaker 1: generals a bit uneasy, and one of them, a soldier
• 58:24
  Speaker 1: called Billy Woodchuck, announced that he would have to be
• 58:28
  Speaker 1: leaving end of chapter eleven chapter twelve of the Tale
• 58:40
  Speaker 1: of Major Monkey. This LibriVox recording is in the public domain.
• 58:47
  Speaker 1: The Tale of Major Monkey by Arthur Scott Bailey, Chapter
• 58:52
  Speaker 1: twelve over and under. When Billy Woodchuck talked about leaving
• 58:58
  Speaker 1: the army, a monkey became greatly excited. He muttered something
• 59:04
  Speaker 1: under his breath about deserters and shooting them at sunrise,
• 59:11
  Speaker 1: and he strutted up to billy Woodchuck and asked him
• 59:14
  Speaker 1: what he meant by quitting the army without permission. Though
• 59:19
  Speaker 1: Billy Woodchuck hung his head, he insisted that he must
• 59:23
  Speaker 1: go home. I have an engagement, he explained, to stand
• 59:28
  Speaker 1: guard in the clover patch while my father and some
• 59:32
  Speaker 1: other old gentleman feast on clover tops are they expecting
• 59:38
  Speaker 1: an attack, madeor Monkey inquired, pricking up his ears. Of
• 59:43
  Speaker 1: course not, said billy Woodchuck, they're not expecting one, or
• 59:48
  Speaker 1: they would stay safe at home. But you never can
• 59:52
  Speaker 1: tell what old dog Spot is going to do. My
• 59:56
  Speaker 1: father and his friends would be disappointed if I do
• 1:00:00
  Speaker 1: didn't come, they would be angry too, and just as
• 1:00:04
  Speaker 1: likely as not, I'd be put to bed an hour
• 1:00:08
  Speaker 1: before sunset. So I shall go home now, whether you
• 1:00:12
  Speaker 1: give me leave or not. Then I'll give you leave.
• 1:00:16
  Speaker 1: If that's the case, said Major Monkey. I can't have
• 1:00:20
  Speaker 1: anybody disobeying orders. So I'll give you leave, and I'll
• 1:00:25
  Speaker 1: dismiss the army until to morrow. The last man over
• 1:00:30
  Speaker 1: the fence will be shot at sunrise. He added. It
• 1:00:34
  Speaker 1: seemed as if he was determined to shoot somebody anyhow well,
• 1:00:40
  Speaker 1: every one turned and ran like the wind. Naturally, nobody
• 1:00:45
  Speaker 1: wanted to be last. After what Major Monkey had said,
• 1:00:50
  Speaker 1: it looked for a few moments as if the whole
• 1:00:54
  Speaker 1: army was going to cross the fence at the same instant.
• 1:00:58
  Speaker 1: But billy Wood was so unlucky as to step into
• 1:01:03
  Speaker 1: a hole. He fell head over heels, and by the
• 1:01:07
  Speaker 1: time he had picked himself up and reached the fence.
• 1:01:11
  Speaker 1: All the rest were safe on the other side of it.
• 1:01:15
  Speaker 1: Things looked very dark for billy Woodchuck, especially when Major
• 1:01:20
  Speaker 1: Monkey grinned horribly at him between the rails and said,
• 1:01:26
  Speaker 1: too bad, my boy, but this is war, you know.
• 1:01:30
  Speaker 1: Please don't forget the time to morrow at sunrise. Billy
• 1:01:35
  Speaker 1: Woodchuck's heart sunk. He wished he had never joined the army,
• 1:01:40
  Speaker 1: and then an idea came to him. It was such
• 1:01:43
  Speaker 1: a simple one that it is a wonder he hadn't
• 1:01:47
  Speaker 1: thought of it instantly. Instead of going over the fence,
• 1:01:52
  Speaker 1: to everybody's surprise, he squirmed under it, and everybody was
• 1:01:57
  Speaker 1: vastly relieved. Even Major Monkey appeared to be delighted. I'm afraid,
• 1:02:05
  Speaker 1: he said, with a smile. I'm afraid we'll have to
• 1:02:08
  Speaker 1: shoot the rest of the army at sunrise, for they
• 1:02:11
  Speaker 1: went over the fence last. But mister Crow spoke up
• 1:02:16
  Speaker 1: and said, nonsense, the rest of us went over first.
• 1:02:21
  Speaker 1: Major Monkey had to admit that that was true, and
• 1:02:26
  Speaker 1: he showed plainly that he was disappointed. Although he did
• 1:02:31
  Speaker 1: not look at the least bit cruel, it was clear
• 1:02:35
  Speaker 1: that he had looked forward to shooting and the more
• 1:02:38
  Speaker 1: the merrier. It's really a great pity, he said that
• 1:02:42
  Speaker 1: we can't have a shot at somebody. End ofb Chapter twelve,
• 1:02:55
  Speaker 1: Chapter thirteen of the Tale of Major Monkey. This LibriVox
• 1:03:01
  Speaker 1: recording is in the public domain. The Tale of Major
• 1:03:06
  Speaker 1: Monkey by Arthur Scott Bailey, Chapter thirteen. The Major hesitates.
• 1:03:14
  Speaker 1: Major Monkey's army soon became known far and wide, as
• 1:03:19
  Speaker 1: fame reached beyond Pleasant Valley to the other side of
• 1:03:24
  Speaker 1: Blue Mountain, and a good many persons who had been
• 1:03:28
  Speaker 1: in the habit of making excursions into the valley now
• 1:03:32
  Speaker 1: and then began to think that it was a good
• 1:03:36
  Speaker 1: place to avoid. Old mister Crow had a good deal
• 1:03:40
  Speaker 1: to do with spreading the news. He took several long
• 1:03:45
  Speaker 1: trips just to tell people that the army was ready
• 1:03:49
  Speaker 1: and eager to fight all strangers. In fact, the Major
• 1:03:54
  Speaker 1: said he wished mister Crow would mind his own affairs.
• 1:03:59
  Speaker 1: The how the army ever going to fight if all
• 1:04:03
  Speaker 1: the enemies kept out of its way. All the generals
• 1:04:07
  Speaker 1: began to tell one another that Major Monkey was a
• 1:04:11
  Speaker 1: very brave soldier, and certainly he said nothing to change
• 1:04:16
  Speaker 1: their opinion of him. He was always telling how much
• 1:04:21
  Speaker 1: he liked to fight, and complaining that he was only
• 1:04:25
  Speaker 1: wasting his valuable time in pleasant Valley. In a way,
• 1:04:30
  Speaker 1: the Major was right, and probably there never would have
• 1:04:34
  Speaker 1: been the least trouble if Johnny Green and his friends
• 1:04:39
  Speaker 1: hadn't happened to have a picnic in the woods on
• 1:04:42
  Speaker 1: the same day and in the same spot that the
• 1:04:46
  Speaker 1: Major had chosen to call his generals together. Of course,
• 1:04:51
  Speaker 1: the Major couldn't drill his soldiers with Johnny Green and
• 1:04:56
  Speaker 1: a half a dozen other boys on hand to watch,
• 1:05:00
  Speaker 1: so the generals looked behind trees and wished that the
• 1:05:04
  Speaker 1: picnickers would go away. Meanwhile, Major Monkey himself sulked in
• 1:05:11
  Speaker 1: the tree tops, hidden high up among the leafy branches
• 1:05:16
  Speaker 1: where nobody would be likely to spy him. He watched
• 1:05:21
  Speaker 1: the boys while they ate their luncheon, which they devoured
• 1:05:25
  Speaker 1: as soon as they reached the picnic grove, and then
• 1:05:28
  Speaker 1: he looked on while they played games hide and Seek,
• 1:05:33
  Speaker 1: and duck on the Rock, and follow my Leader, and
• 1:05:36
  Speaker 1: ever so many others now and then old mister Crow
• 1:05:41
  Speaker 1: flew up and tried to talk with Major Monkey, but
• 1:05:45
  Speaker 1: the Major had very little to say, and at last
• 1:05:49
  Speaker 1: mister Crow lost all his patience with him. Are you
• 1:05:53
  Speaker 1: going to sit here all day and do nothing? Mister
• 1:05:57
  Speaker 1: Crow demanded, sh Major Monkey said, do be quiet. Do
• 1:06:03
  Speaker 1: you want them to hear you? I don't care if
• 1:06:06
  Speaker 1: they hear me, mister Crow cried. It's plain to me
• 1:06:10
  Speaker 1: that these boys will stay here all day if they're
• 1:06:14
  Speaker 1: not driven away, no doubt. Major Monkey agreed, as he
• 1:06:19
  Speaker 1: plucked a tender shoot of the tree and ate it.
• 1:06:23
  Speaker 1: But what can we do do, said mister crow. What's
• 1:06:28
  Speaker 1: the army for? I'd like to know, if not to fight.
• 1:06:33
  Speaker 1: Major Monkey's wrinkled face seemed somewhat pale. Quite true, he
• 1:06:39
  Speaker 1: agreed again. But I'm not sure we're strong enough to
• 1:06:43
  Speaker 1: do anything against these ruffians down below. I'm not sure
• 1:06:48
  Speaker 1: that I can depend on the army. In a pinch.
• 1:06:53
  Speaker 1: To the Major's great alarm, mister Crow squalled with rage.
• 1:06:58
  Speaker 1: You've insulted me, he shrieked, and he made such a
• 1:07:02
  Speaker 1: commotion that Major Monkeys scampered off, beckoning to mister Crow
• 1:07:08
  Speaker 1: to follow him. Just as they left, a stone came
• 1:07:12
  Speaker 1: crashing through the leaves, thrown by some boy who had
• 1:07:16
  Speaker 1: noticed mister Crow's hoarse cries, and that made Major Monkey
• 1:07:22
  Speaker 1: run all the faster end of chapter thirteen Chapter fourteen
• 1:07:35
  Speaker 1: of the Tale of Major Monkey. This LibriVox recording is
• 1:07:40
  Speaker 1: in the public domain. The Tale of Major Monkey by
• 1:07:45
  Speaker 1: Arthur Scott Bailey, Chapter fourteen, Throwing Stones. Major Monkey never
• 1:07:54
  Speaker 1: stopped running until he had gone so far that the
• 1:07:57
  Speaker 1: voices of the picnickers reached him only faintly. Old mister Crow,
• 1:08:04
  Speaker 1: who had followed him closely, began to think that the
• 1:08:08
  Speaker 1: Major was frightened, that he knew he must be mistaken.
• 1:08:12
  Speaker 1: When Major Monkey came to a halt and said, now
• 1:08:17
  Speaker 1: we can talk without disturbing anybody. So mister Crow repeated that,
• 1:08:23
  Speaker 1: in his opinion, the Major had insulted him. You've just
• 1:08:28
  Speaker 1: the same as said that I'm a poor soldier, he declared.
• 1:08:33
  Speaker 1: Major Monkey told him that it was not so. It's
• 1:08:37
  Speaker 1: the generals that I can't trust, he explained. But you
• 1:08:42
  Speaker 1: are different. You're the cook. You remember, in the midst
• 1:08:46
  Speaker 1: of a fight. You wouldn't be expected to cook. Then
• 1:08:50
  Speaker 1: my part would be to do nothing at all, mister
• 1:08:53
  Speaker 1: Crow inquired exactly, Major Monkey cried, and I've no doubt
• 1:09:00
  Speaker 1: that you'd be a great success. Old mister Crow always
• 1:09:05
  Speaker 1: liked praise, and of course the Major's remark pleased him.
• 1:09:10
  Speaker 1: It made him all the more eager too to see
• 1:09:13
  Speaker 1: the army attack Johnnie Green and his friends. Let's go back,
• 1:09:19
  Speaker 1: said mister Crow, and drive those boys out of the
• 1:09:22
  Speaker 1: picnic grove. But Major Monkey shook his head. I don't
• 1:09:27
  Speaker 1: want to lose my army, he said, And besides, we
• 1:09:31
  Speaker 1: haven't any guns. You can throw stones, can't you, mister
• 1:09:36
  Speaker 1: Crow asked him. Oh, yes, said the major. Well, then
• 1:09:41
  Speaker 1: if I were you, I'd get some stones down by
• 1:09:44
  Speaker 1: the brook and go straight back to the grove and
• 1:09:47
  Speaker 1: hurl them at the enemy. He said so much more
• 1:09:51
  Speaker 1: that at last Major Monkey yielded, and a little later
• 1:09:56
  Speaker 1: he crept back through the tree tops with all the
• 1:09:59
  Speaker 1: stones he could carry. Hidden high above the heads of
• 1:10:03
  Speaker 1: the picnic party. Major Monkey gave several short whistles the attack.
• 1:10:09
  Speaker 1: He whispered to old mister Crow, who had returned with
• 1:10:13
  Speaker 1: him to see the fun. Hullo, Johnny Green shouted, stopping
• 1:10:18
  Speaker 1: short in the midst of a game of leap frog.
• 1:10:21
  Speaker 1: Who's up there? And he peered into the greenery above.
• 1:10:27
  Speaker 1: Nobody seemed to know the answer to his question. Certainly
• 1:10:31
  Speaker 1: there was nobody missing from the picnic party. I wonder
• 1:10:36
  Speaker 1: if it's Redhead, said Johnny. You remember he said he
• 1:10:40
  Speaker 1: couldn't come because he had worked to day. But he
• 1:10:44
  Speaker 1: must have sneaked over here ahead of us and climbed
• 1:10:47
  Speaker 1: a tree. The words were scarcely out at Johnny Green's
• 1:10:52
  Speaker 1: mouth when a small stone plunged down from the trees
• 1:10:56
  Speaker 1: and struck one of his great toes. Being there footed,
• 1:11:00
  Speaker 1: Johnny Green led out a yell out. He cried, it's Redhead,
• 1:11:07
  Speaker 1: There's no doubt about it. If anybody else had any doubts,
• 1:11:12
  Speaker 1: they faded quickly when a small shower of stones descended
• 1:11:17
  Speaker 1: stop that. The boys began to shout, come down, and
• 1:11:21
  Speaker 1: they threatened Redhead with terrible punishments. Of course, Major Monkey
• 1:11:28
  Speaker 1: was delighted. He knew that his army of generals could
• 1:11:31
  Speaker 1: see and hear everything, And after he had thrown his
• 1:11:36
  Speaker 1: last stone, he felt so bold that he slipped down
• 1:11:41
  Speaker 1: upon a lower limb, which gave him a better view
• 1:11:44
  Speaker 1: of the picnic ground. One of the boys caught a
• 1:11:48
  Speaker 1: glimpse of a queer figure above him, and with a shriek,
• 1:11:52
  Speaker 1: he turned and fled. His companions looked at him in wonder,
• 1:11:57
  Speaker 1: and Johnny Green couldn't imagine what had happened when his
• 1:12:01
  Speaker 1: staring eyes beheld the Major hanging from a bough over
• 1:12:06
  Speaker 1: his head. It's the monkey, Johnny Green gasped, Where in
• 1:12:11
  Speaker 1: the world could he have come from? End of chapter fourteen,
• 1:12:23
  Speaker 1: Chapter fifteen of the Tale of Major Monkey. This LibriVox
• 1:12:28
  Speaker 1: recording is in the public domain. The Tale of Major
• 1:12:33
  Speaker 1: Monkey by Arthur Scott Bailey, Chapter fifteen, The retreat. Major
• 1:12:40
  Speaker 1: Monkey quite enjoyed the amazement of the picnickers, and he
• 1:12:45
  Speaker 1: did two very odd things for the commander of an army.
• 1:12:49
  Speaker 1: First he took off his red cap and made a
• 1:12:53
  Speaker 1: low bow to Johnny Green and his mates. And next
• 1:12:57
  Speaker 1: he swung off the limb of the tree and hung
• 1:13:00
  Speaker 1: Bowie's tail and one hand. The boys whooped with delight.
• 1:13:06
  Speaker 1: Let's catch him, Johnny Green cried, And then he shouted
• 1:13:10
  Speaker 1: to the boy who had run away, and who stood
• 1:13:13
  Speaker 1: a good safe distance off, looking back and wondering what
• 1:13:18
  Speaker 1: was going on. High Bill, it's a monkey, Johnny bellowed.
• 1:13:23
  Speaker 1: Bill came running back at top speed. We're going to
• 1:13:27
  Speaker 1: catch him, said Johnny Green. How we going to do that,
• 1:13:32
  Speaker 1: asked the boy who had been frightened and run away
• 1:13:35
  Speaker 1: and come back. Nobody answered him, for at the moment,
• 1:13:40
  Speaker 1: one of the youngsters flung a butternut at the Major,
• 1:13:44
  Speaker 1: who caught the missile deathly and shot it back again.
• 1:13:48
  Speaker 1: A howl of delight from the ground below greeted the
• 1:13:52
  Speaker 1: Major's ears. Let's stone him, somebody cried, but Johnny Green
• 1:13:58
  Speaker 1: said no, we won't want to hurt him. We'll climb
• 1:14:02
  Speaker 1: the tree and get him. His friends agreed that that
• 1:14:06
  Speaker 1: was the better way after all, and one after another
• 1:14:11
  Speaker 1: they began to shin up the tree where Major Monkey
• 1:14:14
  Speaker 1: was still cutting his queer capers. The boys had no
• 1:14:19
  Speaker 1: sooner started to climb after him than the Major gave
• 1:14:22
  Speaker 1: a shrill whistle. He was calling for help, but there
• 1:14:27
  Speaker 1: was not a general in sight anywhere. He could see,
• 1:14:31
  Speaker 1: not a single one of his whole army except the
• 1:14:35
  Speaker 1: cook old mister Crow, and even he flapped away to
• 1:14:40
  Speaker 1: a neighboring tree top. As mister Crow remarked, afterward, since
• 1:14:45
  Speaker 1: he had to do nothing, he thought he could do
• 1:14:48
  Speaker 1: it much better if he wasn't too near. Major Monkey
• 1:14:52
  Speaker 1: began to chatter, and mister Crow always declared that the
• 1:14:57
  Speaker 1: Major trembled. There is no doubt out that he was alarmed.
• 1:15:02
  Speaker 1: He scrambled to the very top of the tree, while
• 1:15:05
  Speaker 1: the boys went up, up, up, until at last Major
• 1:15:10
  Speaker 1: Monkey gave a scream and jumped into another and smaller tree,
• 1:15:16
  Speaker 1: the top of which was far below him. He plunged,
• 1:15:20
  Speaker 1: sprawling through the leafy boughs until he managed to seize
• 1:15:25
  Speaker 1: a branch and steady himself. Then he was off like
• 1:15:29
  Speaker 1: a squirrel, and long before the boys had reached the
• 1:15:33
  Speaker 1: ground again, Major Monkey was far away in the woods.
• 1:15:38
  Speaker 1: Mister Crow took good care not to lose sight of
• 1:15:42
  Speaker 1: Major Monkey, and when the major at last stopped panting
• 1:15:46
  Speaker 1: and slipped down to the ground to have a drink
• 1:15:49
  Speaker 1: out of the brook, old mister Crow promptly joined him. Aha, said,
• 1:15:55
  Speaker 1: mister Crow, you were scared. You ran away. Ajor wiped
• 1:16:00
  Speaker 1: his mouth on the back of his hand and looked
• 1:16:03
  Speaker 1: at mister Crow uneasily. I came away, yes, he said.
• 1:16:10
  Speaker 1: Mister Crow snorted. A fine soldier you are, he cried, scornfully.
• 1:16:15
  Speaker 1: You aren't brave enough to lead an army. I should
• 1:16:19
  Speaker 1: think you'd be ashamed. Major Monkeys seemed pained. He said
• 1:16:24
  Speaker 1: it hurt him to have mister Crow say such cruel things.
• 1:16:29
  Speaker 1: It's plain, said he, that you don't know much about
• 1:16:33
  Speaker 1: an army in spite of all I've tried to teach you,
• 1:16:37
  Speaker 1: of course I had to leave. I'm the leader of
• 1:16:40
  Speaker 1: the army and I must keep out of danger. So
• 1:16:44
  Speaker 1: when the generals failed to come to my rescue when
• 1:16:47
  Speaker 1: I whistled for help, there was nothing I could do
• 1:16:51
  Speaker 1: except retreat. For a long time. Mister Crow was silent.
• 1:16:57
  Speaker 1: You were scared anyway, he remarked. At asked, I wasn't,
• 1:17:02
  Speaker 1: The Major protested you were, said, mister Crow, you were,
• 1:17:08
  Speaker 1: you were? You were? Of course he was very ill mannered,
• 1:17:13
  Speaker 1: but Major Monkey was too polite to tell him, so
• 1:17:17
  Speaker 1: instead he picked up a smooth stone out of the
• 1:17:21
  Speaker 1: brook and threw it at mister Crow's head. The old
• 1:17:25
  Speaker 1: gentleman hopped aside just in time, and without waiting to
• 1:17:30
  Speaker 1: dispute any further, he tore off as fast as he
• 1:17:34
  Speaker 1: could go. Now, who's scared? Major Monkey called after him,
• 1:17:40
  Speaker 1: but old mister Crow did not stop to answer. End
• 1:17:45
  Speaker 1: of chapter fifteen, Chapter sixteen of the Tale of Major Monkey.
• 1:17:57
  Speaker 1: This LibriVox recording is in the puppin the Tale of
• 1:18:02
  Speaker 1: Major Monkey by Arthur Scott Bailey, Chapter sixteen, The Major's
• 1:18:09
  Speaker 1: Trouble After Major Monkey fled from Johnny Green and his
• 1:18:14
  Speaker 1: friends in the Picnic Grove. His generals declared that they
• 1:18:19
  Speaker 1: wanted no leader that ran away from the enemy, and
• 1:18:23
  Speaker 1: since they couldn't agree on any one else to take
• 1:18:26
  Speaker 1: the Major's place, they disbanded. So Major Monkey lost his army,
• 1:18:33
  Speaker 1: but the loss did not seem to trouble him greatly.
• 1:18:38
  Speaker 1: He was almost too cheerful, and his neighbors even claimed
• 1:18:42
  Speaker 1: that his spirits rose higher each day. There is no
• 1:18:47
  Speaker 1: doubt that the Major felt very gay. He was fast
• 1:18:51
  Speaker 1: losing the lean and hungry look he had had when
• 1:18:55
  Speaker 1: he first appeared in Pleasant Valley, and he became freer
• 1:18:59
  Speaker 1: than even as to manners. Nobody else could go about
• 1:19:04
  Speaker 1: the woods with any comfort, because one never knew when
• 1:19:08
  Speaker 1: he would have to dodge a stone, For Major Monkey
• 1:19:13
  Speaker 1: liked nothing better for making a body jump, unless it
• 1:19:17
  Speaker 1: was bowling some one over when he failed to jump
• 1:19:20
  Speaker 1: soon enough, in time, the forest folk grew quite weary
• 1:19:25
  Speaker 1: of that sport, and they began to tell one another
• 1:19:29
  Speaker 1: that something would have to be done to put an
• 1:19:32
  Speaker 1: end to Major Monkey's stone throwing. But nobody could suggest
• 1:19:37
  Speaker 1: any way to cure Major Monkey of his unpleasant habit,
• 1:19:41
  Speaker 1: and at last, mister Crow went to Aunt Polly Woodchuck
• 1:19:45
  Speaker 1: and asked her if she couldn't give the Major an
• 1:19:48
  Speaker 1: herb of some sort to eat, which would make himself
• 1:19:52
  Speaker 1: wanting to pelt every head he saw. But Aunt Polly
• 1:19:57
  Speaker 1: replied that it wasn't possible. The trouble with Major Monkey,
• 1:20:02
  Speaker 1: she said, is that he eats too much as it is,
• 1:20:06
  Speaker 1: and if I give him still more food, he would
• 1:20:09
  Speaker 1: only throw more stones at you. Mister Crow exclaimed that
• 1:20:14
  Speaker 1: he didn't want that to happen. Then you'll have to
• 1:20:18
  Speaker 1: make the Major eat less, said Aunt Polly Woodchuck. On
• 1:20:22
  Speaker 1: what sort of fare is he living at present, she inquired.
• 1:20:27
  Speaker 1: Mister Crow answered that he wasn't quite sure, but he
• 1:20:31
  Speaker 1: thought Major Monkey fed for the most part on cowbird's eggs.
• 1:20:37
  Speaker 1: Aunt Polly Woodchuck shook her head. That's not possible, she cried.
• 1:20:43
  Speaker 1: There aren't enough cowbirds eggs in Pleasant Valley to make
• 1:20:47
  Speaker 1: anybody so fat as the Major is getting. Unless I'm mistaken,
• 1:20:52
  Speaker 1: he's taking the eggs out of a good many others
• 1:20:55
  Speaker 1: besides cowbirds. Mister Crow became greatly excited. Then he's a thief,
• 1:21:03
  Speaker 1: he squawked. Major Monkey is an egg thief, and he
• 1:21:08
  Speaker 1: flapped away across the pasture in a fine rage to
• 1:21:13
  Speaker 1: tell everybody what Aunt Pollywoodchuck had said. A little later
• 1:21:18
  Speaker 1: in the day, Major Monkey began to notice that a
• 1:21:22
  Speaker 1: good many of his neighbors looked at him very coldly.
• 1:21:27
  Speaker 1: The birds especially glared at him as if they were
• 1:21:31
  Speaker 1: actually hungry, and wherever he went they set up a
• 1:21:35
  Speaker 1: loud twittering. Some of them even flew at his head
• 1:21:40
  Speaker 1: and tried to peck him as they darted past. At first,
• 1:21:44
  Speaker 1: he couldn't imagine what was the matter, but before the
• 1:21:48
  Speaker 1: day was done, Jasper Jay let him know what made
• 1:21:52
  Speaker 1: the bird people angry. You're a sneak thief, Jasper told
• 1:21:57
  Speaker 1: the major bluntly. Where found at last, what makes you
• 1:22:01
  Speaker 1: so fat? You've been stealing eggs from every nest in
• 1:22:05
  Speaker 1: the woods. Tut tut, said Major Monkey. When a lazy
• 1:22:10
  Speaker 1: cowbird lays an egg in somebody else's nest, the owner
• 1:22:14
  Speaker 1: ought to be grateful to me for taking the egg
• 1:22:17
  Speaker 1: out and eating it. It's not that, Jasper Jay replied.
• 1:22:23
  Speaker 1: The trouble is you've taken all kinds of eggs. Well, well,
• 1:22:28
  Speaker 1: said Major Monkey. To be sure, I may have made
• 1:22:32
  Speaker 1: a mistake. Now and then. But what's an egg or
• 1:22:35
  Speaker 1: two more or less when one has a half a
• 1:22:38
  Speaker 1: dozen of them? End of chapter sixteen, Chapter seventeen of
• 1:22:50
  Speaker 1: the Tail of Major Monkey. This LibriVox recording is in
• 1:22:55
  Speaker 1: the public domain. The Tail of Major Monkey by Arthur
• 1:23:00
  Speaker 1: Scott Bailey, Chapter seventeen, Major Monkey confesses Major Monkey seemed
• 1:23:09
  Speaker 1: surprised when Jasper Jay told him that there wasn't a
• 1:23:13
  Speaker 1: bird family in the whole valley that felt it could
• 1:23:16
  Speaker 1: spare a single egg. Of course, said Jasper nobody cares
• 1:23:22
  Speaker 1: how many cowbirds eggs you eat. The cowbirds are pests.
• 1:23:27
  Speaker 1: They are too lazy to build nests of their own,
• 1:23:31
  Speaker 1: and no respectable bird family likes to have allowed to
• 1:23:35
  Speaker 1: young cowbird to bring up with their own children. But
• 1:23:39
  Speaker 1: you have gone too far. You have been stealing eggs
• 1:23:42
  Speaker 1: right and left, and the time has come for us
• 1:23:46
  Speaker 1: to put a stop to your thieving. A number of
• 1:23:49
  Speaker 1: Jasper Jay's bird neighbors had gathered around him a Major
• 1:23:54
  Speaker 1: Monkey while they talked, and they all spoke up and
• 1:23:58
  Speaker 1: said in good loud to that Major Monkey was a
• 1:24:02
  Speaker 1: villain and worse. Any one might think that for once
• 1:24:07
  Speaker 1: the Major would have acted the least bit ashamed, but
• 1:24:11
  Speaker 1: he did not. He had not even the grace to
• 1:24:14
  Speaker 1: say that he was sorry for making a few mistakes. Instead,
• 1:24:20
  Speaker 1: he stuck his red cap on one side of his
• 1:24:22
  Speaker 1: head and began dancing something that might have been a
• 1:24:26
  Speaker 1: jig if it had been faster. His actions made all
• 1:24:31
  Speaker 1: the birds very angry, and some of them exclaimed that
• 1:24:35
  Speaker 1: there was no reason to make merry, so as far
• 1:24:38
  Speaker 1: as they could see, Major Monkey promptly stopped dancing and
• 1:24:43
  Speaker 1: looked grieved. Perhaps you would dance too, if you had
• 1:24:48
  Speaker 1: just had a good meal of eggs, he remarked. A
• 1:24:52
  Speaker 1: shriek went up from his listeners, and old mister Crow
• 1:24:56
  Speaker 1: exclaimed loudly put him out. Put Major Monk he out,
• 1:25:01
  Speaker 1: But nobody made a move, and Major Monkey turned to
• 1:25:05
  Speaker 1: mister Crow and said, what's wrong? Have I said something
• 1:25:09
  Speaker 1: I shouldn't said? The old gentleman echoed, You've not only
• 1:25:15
  Speaker 1: said a terrible thing, you've done a still worse one.
• 1:25:20
  Speaker 1: For you've just been stealing eggs again, and you can't
• 1:25:24
  Speaker 1: deny it. A great clamor arose all at once hear
• 1:25:29
  Speaker 1: hear Mister Crow's friends cried, and Major Monkey had hard
• 1:25:34
  Speaker 1: work to make himself heard. Whose eggs. Do you think
• 1:25:38
  Speaker 1: I've been eating? He asked mister Crow, not knowing the
• 1:25:43
  Speaker 1: exact answer to the question. Mister Crow pretended not to
• 1:25:47
  Speaker 1: hear it at all, but he looked so slyly at
• 1:25:51
  Speaker 1: the Major that the Major himself was not deceived. He
• 1:25:56
  Speaker 1: winked at mister Crow and shied a people at him.
• 1:26:00
  Speaker 1: I'll tell you, old boy, the Major cried, I've been
• 1:26:04
  Speaker 1: eating hen's eggs, Hens eggs. Everybody repeated after him, Hens eggs.
• 1:26:13
  Speaker 1: Where do you get em? At Farmer Green's Hen's house?
• 1:26:17
  Speaker 1: Of course, the Major answered, I've been going there regularly
• 1:26:21
  Speaker 1: for some time. I find that the eggs are bigger
• 1:26:25
  Speaker 1: than any I can find in the woods. It's no
• 1:26:29
  Speaker 1: wonder he's getting fat. Jasper Jane murmured as he gazed
• 1:26:33
  Speaker 1: at Major Monkey. You'll have to stop eating so much,
• 1:26:37
  Speaker 1: mister Crow told the Major solemnly. Aunt Pollywood Chuck said
• 1:26:43
  Speaker 1: that the reason you throw so many stones is because
• 1:26:46
  Speaker 1: you overeat and feel in two high spirits. Major Monkey
• 1:26:52
  Speaker 1: looked disgusted when he heard that speech. Aunt Polly Fiddlesticks,
• 1:26:57
  Speaker 1: he jeered, she doesn't know what she's talking about. Why
• 1:27:03
  Speaker 1: the more eggs I eat, the more time I must
• 1:27:06
  Speaker 1: spend at the hen house, and while I'm there, I
• 1:27:09
  Speaker 1: can't throw stones here, can I. Everybody had to agree
• 1:27:15
  Speaker 1: with the Major at least everybody but mister Crow remarked
• 1:27:20
  Speaker 1: that what he said seemed true. Now, friends, said Major
• 1:27:24
  Speaker 1: Monkey at last, if there had been any eggs missing
• 1:27:28
  Speaker 1: from your nests lately, you can't blame me, Then whom
• 1:27:33
  Speaker 1: can we blame? Somebody cried, I'd hate to say, was
• 1:27:38
  Speaker 1: Major Monkey's answer. But since he looked straight at mister
• 1:27:42
  Speaker 1: Crow as he spoke, most of the company could not
• 1:27:46
  Speaker 1: help thinking that the old gentleman was the thief after all.
• 1:27:51
  Speaker 1: And when he flew into a rage, they felt quite
• 1:27:54
  Speaker 1: sure he was guilty. We always knew mister Crow was
• 1:27:59
  Speaker 1: an old rascal, they exclaimed, And so mister Crow took
• 1:28:04
  Speaker 1: himself off. But he soon recovered his good spirits. He
• 1:28:09
  Speaker 1: was used to being called names, and to tell the truth,
• 1:28:14
  Speaker 1: he had taken a few eggs now and then when
• 1:28:17
  Speaker 1: he thought no one was watching. End of chapter seventeen.
• 1:28:30
  Speaker 1: Chapter eighteen of the Tale of Major Monkey. This LibriVox
• 1:28:35
  Speaker 1: recording is in the public domain. The Tale of Major
• 1:28:40
  Speaker 1: Monkey by Arthur Scott Bailey, Chapter eighteen, Planning a journey.
• 1:28:48
  Speaker 1: After they learned that Major Monkey was in the habit
• 1:28:52
  Speaker 1: of going to Farmer Green's henhouse for eggs, the whole
• 1:28:56
  Speaker 1: folk began to have a better opinion of him once more.
• 1:29:00
  Speaker 1: So long as he didn't steal birds eggs, they were
• 1:29:04
  Speaker 1: willing to overlook his stone throwing if you didn't throw
• 1:29:08
  Speaker 1: too many. Somehow, they never seemed to think of Farmer
• 1:29:13
  Speaker 1: Green's lofts, or if they did, no doubt they thought
• 1:29:18
  Speaker 1: that he had so many eggs that he wouldn't mind
• 1:29:21
  Speaker 1: losing a few now and then. So it happened that
• 1:29:25
  Speaker 1: Major Monkey found everybody most agreeable, except old mister Crow,
• 1:29:31
  Speaker 1: who never felt the same toward him again. But Major
• 1:29:36
  Speaker 1: Monkey did not let mister Crow's gruffness trouble him. He
• 1:29:41
  Speaker 1: had so many other cronies that he frequently remarked that
• 1:29:45
  Speaker 1: he had never spent a pleasanter summer. I've decided, he
• 1:29:50
  Speaker 1: told Jolly Robin one day when he stopped in the
• 1:29:54
  Speaker 1: orchard to eat an apple. I've decided to stay right
• 1:29:58
  Speaker 1: here in Pleasant Valley for the rest of my life,
• 1:30:03
  Speaker 1: my gracious Jolly Robin exclaimed, Then you don't mind cold weather?
• 1:30:09
  Speaker 1: Major Monkey asked him what he meant, and it surprised
• 1:30:14
  Speaker 1: him to learn that all winter long, deep snow lay
• 1:30:18
  Speaker 1: upon the ground, and cold winds blew, and fierce storms
• 1:30:23
  Speaker 1: often raged. Though it was a hot summer's day. Made
• 1:30:28
  Speaker 1: a monkey shivered at the mere mention of such things,
• 1:30:33
  Speaker 1: and he pulled his red cap further down upon his head.
• 1:30:37
  Speaker 1: If that's the case, he said, I certainly don't want
• 1:30:41
  Speaker 1: to spend the winter's here. I don't see how you
• 1:30:45
  Speaker 1: managed to live through them. Jolly Robin laughed merrily. Bless you,
• 1:30:51
  Speaker 1: he cried, I don't stay here the year round. As
• 1:30:55
  Speaker 1: soon as it begins to grow chilly, I go south
• 1:30:59
  Speaker 1: where it's now. Major Monkey looked worried when he heard
• 1:31:04
  Speaker 1: about the bitter winters in Pleasant Valley. His queer face
• 1:31:09
  Speaker 1: had screwed itself into even more wrinkles than it usually wore.
• 1:31:15
  Speaker 1: But as soon as Jolly Robin spoke of going to
• 1:31:18
  Speaker 1: a warmer place, the Major brightened at once. I'm going south, too,
• 1:31:24
  Speaker 1: he cried, And if you've no objection, we'll travel together.
• 1:31:30
  Speaker 1: Jolly Robin said that nothing would please him more. I
• 1:31:34
  Speaker 1: shall be glad to go with you. If my wife
• 1:31:37
  Speaker 1: doesn't object, he assured. The Major. Ah, she won't mind,
• 1:31:42
  Speaker 1: said Major Monkey. She can go with us. We'll make
• 1:31:46
  Speaker 1: up a party. She'll be lucky to go anywhere with
• 1:31:49
  Speaker 1: such a famous traveler as I am. Jolly Robin said,
• 1:31:54
  Speaker 1: somewhat doubtfully that he hoped missus Robin would accept their plan,
• 1:32:00
  Speaker 1: and then he dashed Major Monkey's high hopes by remarking,
• 1:32:05
  Speaker 1: of course we always fly when we go south. The
• 1:32:09
  Speaker 1: Major's face fell. He looked careworn and unhappy again. I
• 1:32:15
  Speaker 1: don't know how to fly, he faltered. But if you'll
• 1:32:19
  Speaker 1: fly low and slowly enough, perhaps I can run through
• 1:32:23
  Speaker 1: the treetops fast enough to keep up with you. I
• 1:32:27
  Speaker 1: hope it isn't a long trip, he added, somewhat anxiously.
• 1:32:32
  Speaker 1: It's about one thousand miles, Jolly Robin told him, end
• 1:32:38
  Speaker 1: of chapter eighteen, chapter nineteen of the Tale of Major Monkey.
• 1:32:50
  Speaker 1: This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. The Tale
• 1:32:56
  Speaker 1: of Major Monkey by Arthur Scott Bailey nineteen. The Major's scheme.
• 1:33:04
  Speaker 1: I never can run a thousand miles through the tree tops,
• 1:33:08
  Speaker 1: Madjor Monkey told Jolly Robin in a tone of great disappointment.
• 1:33:13
  Speaker 1: I don't see how I can spend the winter in
• 1:33:16
  Speaker 1: the south, and I certainly don't want to stay here
• 1:33:20
  Speaker 1: if it's as cold as you say. The poor Major
• 1:33:24
  Speaker 1: looks so glum that Jolly Robin was sorry for him.
• 1:33:29
  Speaker 1: Can't you get a ride, he asked. I could ride
• 1:33:33
  Speaker 1: a horse if I had one. Maidor Monkey replied, that's
• 1:33:38
  Speaker 1: not a bad idea, Jolly Robin said, but I'm afraid
• 1:33:42
  Speaker 1: you'd have trouble finding a horse. Farmer Green would scarcely
• 1:33:46
  Speaker 1: care to spare one of his horses for so long
• 1:33:50
  Speaker 1: a trip. Well, I could ride a dog, said Major Monkey.
• 1:33:55
  Speaker 1: There's that dog at the farmhouse, old Spot, as you
• 1:33:59
  Speaker 1: call him. Surely Farmer Green wouldn't mind if I rode
• 1:34:03
  Speaker 1: him away, for he's nothing but a nuisance. Why don't
• 1:34:07
  Speaker 1: you ask Farmer Green, Jolly Robin suggested, But Major Monkey
• 1:34:12
  Speaker 1: shook his head no, he said, No, I don't want
• 1:34:17
  Speaker 1: to do that yet. Before I speak to Farmer Green,
• 1:34:21
  Speaker 1: I prefer to make sure that old dog Spot is
• 1:34:25
  Speaker 1: easy to ride on. Jolly Robin looked puzzled, His mouth
• 1:34:30
  Speaker 1: fell open, and for a few moments he stared at
• 1:34:34
  Speaker 1: Major Monkey without saying a word. When he finally spoke,
• 1:34:40
  Speaker 1: it was to ask Major Monkey how he was going
• 1:34:43
  Speaker 1: to find out what he wanted to know about Old
• 1:34:46
  Speaker 1: dog Spot. There's only one way, said Major Monkey. There's
• 1:34:52
  Speaker 1: only one way, and that's to ride him and see.
• 1:34:57
  Speaker 1: Jolly Robin thought, what a bold fellow Major Monkey was.
• 1:35:02
  Speaker 1: He entirely forgot the Major's flight from the picnic grove.
• 1:35:07
  Speaker 1: Riding a dog with such a feat as Jolly Robin
• 1:35:10
  Speaker 1: himself would never never attempt, and he was sure that
• 1:35:15
  Speaker 1: if Major Monkey really undertook it, there could be no
• 1:35:19
  Speaker 1: doubt of his bravery. How do you know, Jolly asked
• 1:35:24
  Speaker 1: the Major timidly, how do you know that Old dog
• 1:35:27
  Speaker 1: Spot will let you ride him? Don't you worry about that?
• 1:35:32
  Speaker 1: Major Monkey cried lightly, as he swaggered along a limb
• 1:35:37
  Speaker 1: of the apple tree where they were talking. Leave that
• 1:35:40
  Speaker 1: to me, And Jolly Robin thought, what a stout heartbeat
• 1:35:45
  Speaker 1: beneath made a monkey's red coat, and how fine it
• 1:35:49
  Speaker 1: was to be one of his friends. I should like
• 1:35:53
  Speaker 1: to see you when you first ride Old Spot, said
• 1:35:56
  Speaker 1: Jolly Robin, delighted. I'm sure, Major Monkey cried, and I
• 1:36:03
  Speaker 1: hope you've no objection to my bringing my wife along too.
• 1:36:08
  Speaker 1: Major Monkey was not sure that he would care to
• 1:36:11
  Speaker 1: have missus Robin for an onlooker. Women are likely to
• 1:36:16
  Speaker 1: be timid, he remarked. They sometimes scream at the wrong time,
• 1:36:21
  Speaker 1: and if your wife happened to cry out just as
• 1:36:24
  Speaker 1: I was about to drop on Old Spot's back, he
• 1:36:28
  Speaker 1: might jump, and that would spoil everything. Jolly Robin decided
• 1:36:33
  Speaker 1: that Major Monkey knew best. We'll keep this affair a secret,
• 1:36:38
  Speaker 1: he whispered. The Major nodded, and now Jolly Robin asked him,
• 1:36:44
  Speaker 1: now where and when are you going to ride Old Spot?
• 1:36:48
  Speaker 1: Shutting his eyes tightly, Major Monkey wrinkled his low forehead
• 1:36:54
  Speaker 1: until Jolly Robin began to fear that he was in
• 1:36:57
  Speaker 1: great pain. Are you in Jolly asked him, No, said
• 1:37:03
  Speaker 1: the Major. I was only thinking, and it seems to
• 1:37:07
  Speaker 1: me that the other end of the orchard, toward farmhouse
• 1:37:11
  Speaker 1: would be the best place to begin my ride. As
• 1:37:15
  Speaker 1: for the time, he added, that will be when Old
• 1:37:19
  Speaker 1: Spot happens to come that way. I'll be there whenever
• 1:37:24
  Speaker 1: that may be, Jolly Robin assured him. End of chapter nineteen,
• 1:37:37
  Speaker 1: Chapter twenty of the Tale of Major Monkey. This LibriVox
• 1:37:42
  Speaker 1: recording is in the public domain. The Tale of Major
• 1:37:47
  Speaker 1: Monkey by Arthur Scott Bailey. Chapter twenty, A fast Ride
• 1:37:54
  Speaker 1: for once, Missus Robin had reason to complain that her
• 1:37:58
  Speaker 1: husband did not do his shit air of the work.
• 1:38:01
  Speaker 1: Jolly Robin would spend most of his time at the
• 1:38:05
  Speaker 1: further end of the orchard talking with that good for
• 1:38:08
  Speaker 1: nothing madeor Monkey. To use Missus Robin's own words, whenever
• 1:38:14
  Speaker 1: she flew over to speak to her husband, The Major
• 1:38:18
  Speaker 1: was most polite to her, never failing to take off
• 1:38:22
  Speaker 1: his cap and ask after her health, But Missus Robin
• 1:38:27
  Speaker 1: had little to say to him. She had, however, a
• 1:38:31
  Speaker 1: great deal to say to Jolly Robin, But no matter
• 1:38:35
  Speaker 1: how much she urged him to stop idling and come
• 1:38:39
  Speaker 1: home and help her look after their big family, Jolly
• 1:38:43
  Speaker 1: insisted that he and the Major had business to attend too.
• 1:38:49
  Speaker 1: At last, when Missus Robin gave up in despair, Jolly
• 1:38:53
  Speaker 1: began to feel somewhat uncomfortable, and he tried to get
• 1:38:58
  Speaker 1: Major Monkey to go and ask as old dog Spot
• 1:39:01
  Speaker 1: to come to the orchard instead of waiting there uncertainly
• 1:39:06
  Speaker 1: for days and days. But Major Monkey would not consent
• 1:39:11
  Speaker 1: to such a move. He was quite firm. I don't
• 1:39:15
  Speaker 1: want to ask old Spot to give me a ride,
• 1:39:18
  Speaker 1: he explained. Then, how do you ever expect to get one,
• 1:39:22
  Speaker 1: Jolly asked him anxiously. Oh there's a way, was the
• 1:39:26
  Speaker 1: Major's mysterious reply, and that was all he would say.
• 1:39:32
  Speaker 1: The longer Jolly Robin waited to see the fun, the
• 1:39:36
  Speaker 1: more excited he became, and the more Major Monkey seemed
• 1:39:41
  Speaker 1: to enjoy himself. Old dog Spot ought to be here soon,
• 1:39:46
  Speaker 1: the Major kept saying, I can see him now, No,
• 1:39:50
  Speaker 1: I'm mistaken. Jolly Robin had so many disappointments that one
• 1:39:55
  Speaker 1: morning when the Major cried out that at last Old
• 1:39:59
  Speaker 1: Spot was actually crawling through the fence and would be
• 1:40:04
  Speaker 1: in the orchard in about a minute, and the half
• 1:40:07
  Speaker 1: Jolly couldn't believe him it was true. Nevertheless, to Jolly's delight,
• 1:40:14
  Speaker 1: Old dog Spot came darting in and out among the
• 1:40:18
  Speaker 1: apple trees with his nose close to the ground. He
• 1:40:23
  Speaker 1: was following a trail made by Tommy Fox, who had
• 1:40:27
  Speaker 1: visited the hen house the night before, and he was
• 1:40:31
  Speaker 1: so intent on what he was doing that never once
• 1:40:34
  Speaker 1: did he glance up into the apple trees, where Major
• 1:40:38
  Speaker 1: Monkey and Jolly Robin were watching him. Major Monkey dropped
• 1:40:43
  Speaker 1: quickly down to a low hanging limb, and as luck
• 1:40:47
  Speaker 1: had it, Tommy Fox's trail let Old Dog Spot right
• 1:40:52
  Speaker 1: under the tree where the Major waited, hanging gracefully by
• 1:40:57
  Speaker 1: his tail in one hand. As Old Spot passed below,
• 1:41:03
  Speaker 1: Major Monkey loosened his hold on the limb and dropped
• 1:41:07
  Speaker 1: squarely upon Old Spot's back. The moment he landed, the
• 1:41:12
  Speaker 1: Major dug his fingers into Spot's long fur and hung
• 1:41:17
  Speaker 1: on grimly. And at the same instant, Old Dog Spot
• 1:41:22
  Speaker 1: leaped high into the air and let out a frenzied yelp.
• 1:41:27
  Speaker 1: Jolly Robin was glad that his wife was not present,
• 1:41:31
  Speaker 1: for he knew that the sight and the sound, too,
• 1:41:35
  Speaker 1: could not have failed to terrify her. Old Spots seemed
• 1:41:40
  Speaker 1: almost out of his mind. For a few moments. The
• 1:41:44
  Speaker 1: poor fellow tore about the orchard in wide circles, hoping
• 1:41:48
  Speaker 1: in vain that he might shake that strange load off
• 1:41:52
  Speaker 1: his back, But he soon saw that his rider clung
• 1:41:56
  Speaker 1: to him like a bird and wheeling. Suddenly, Spot shot
• 1:42:01
  Speaker 1: like a streak out of the orchard and flew across
• 1:42:04
  Speaker 1: the meadow. Just before he disappeared behind a whole knoll.
• 1:42:10
  Speaker 1: Madjor Monkey turned his face over his shoulder and looked behind,
• 1:42:15
  Speaker 1: then holding on with one hand with the either, he
• 1:42:19
  Speaker 1: waved his red cap at Jolly Robin. The next moment,
• 1:42:24
  Speaker 1: Jolly saw the Major and his strange steed no more.
• 1:42:29
  Speaker 1: They headed straight for the river, Jolly exclaimed, and he
• 1:42:33
  Speaker 1: felt so worried about his friend the Major, that though
• 1:42:37
  Speaker 1: he went home at once, his wife complained that his
• 1:42:41
  Speaker 1: mind wasn't on his work, and that he was more
• 1:42:44
  Speaker 1: bother than help to her. Some time later, Major Monkey
• 1:42:50
  Speaker 1: limped back to his home in the haystack, dripping wet.
• 1:42:55
  Speaker 1: His fine coat was torn, and he had lost his
• 1:42:58
  Speaker 1: red cap. When Jolly Robin saw him, he asked the
• 1:43:03
  Speaker 1: Major if he had had a good ride. Well, said
• 1:43:07
  Speaker 1: Major Monkey, it was a good one, but it was
• 1:43:11
  Speaker 1: too fast. If I started to travel south on Old
• 1:43:15
  Speaker 1: dog Spot's back, I'd reached my journey's end before you
• 1:43:20
  Speaker 1: had gone half way. Dear me, said Jolly Robin. Then
• 1:43:25
  Speaker 1: we can't travel together after all. End of chapter twenty
• 1:43:38
  Speaker 1: Chapter twenty one of the Tale of Major Monkey. This
• 1:43:43
  Speaker 1: LibriVox recording is in the public domain. The Tale of
• 1:43:48
  Speaker 1: Major Monkey by Arthur Scott Bailey, Chapter twenty one a
• 1:43:53
  Speaker 1: Sweet Tooth. After his ride on Old Dog Spot, Major
• 1:43:59
  Speaker 1: Monkey went to the hen house for eggs, even oftener
• 1:44:03
  Speaker 1: than he had gone before. Perhaps he had become fonder
• 1:44:08
  Speaker 1: of eggs, or perhaps he had become bolder. Anyhow, he
• 1:44:13
  Speaker 1: noticed that Old dog Spot gave him a wide berth.
• 1:44:18
  Speaker 1: Whenever Old Spot saw him, he tucked his tail between
• 1:44:22
  Speaker 1: his legs and ran yelping into the house. Now, Johnny
• 1:44:28
  Speaker 1: Green soon discovered that something or somebody was frightening Old
• 1:44:33
  Speaker 1: Spot almost every day, and, having nothing else to do,
• 1:44:38
  Speaker 1: one morning, he made up his mind that he would
• 1:44:41
  Speaker 1: watch and see what happened. So he climbed to the
• 1:44:45
  Speaker 1: cupola on top of the big barn, and there he
• 1:44:48
  Speaker 1: stayed for a long time, keeping a sharp eye on
• 1:44:52
  Speaker 1: Old Spot as he wandered about the farm buildings. It
• 1:44:57
  Speaker 1: was a good while before anything happened, but Johnny Green
• 1:45:01
  Speaker 1: did not mind that he had brought plenty of cookies
• 1:45:05
  Speaker 1: to munch, and he pretended that he was a sailor
• 1:45:09
  Speaker 1: in the crow's nest of a ship, on the lookout
• 1:45:12
  Speaker 1: for a sail. After a while, he almost forgot what
• 1:45:16
  Speaker 1: he was really doing. He was leaning far out of
• 1:45:20
  Speaker 1: the cupola, shading his eyes with one hand and stuffing
• 1:45:25
  Speaker 1: a cookie into his mouth with the other, and gazing
• 1:45:29
  Speaker 1: off across the meadow, when all at once he heard
• 1:45:33
  Speaker 1: Old spot yelping. That sound brought Johnny to his senses,
• 1:45:38
  Speaker 1: and glancing down, he saw Spot tearing across the barnyard
• 1:45:44
  Speaker 1: making for the woodshed door in great bounds, and behind him,
• 1:45:49
  Speaker 1: perched on the roof of the hen house, Johnny saw
• 1:45:53
  Speaker 1: a familiar figure. It's the monkey again. Johnny Green cried,
• 1:45:58
  Speaker 1: and he clampered quickly to the ground, but when he
• 1:46:02
  Speaker 1: reached the hen house, Mador Monkey had fled. Johnny could
• 1:46:06
  Speaker 1: see his red coat flickering among the leaves in the orchard,
• 1:46:11
  Speaker 1: but he knew it was useless to follow. Although Major
• 1:46:15
  Speaker 1: Monkey was aware that Johnny Green had seen him again,
• 1:46:19
  Speaker 1: he did not stop visiting the hen house to be sure.
• 1:46:24
  Speaker 1: He became somewhat more wary. He never went inside the
• 1:46:29
  Speaker 1: hen house for eggs without first looking around carefully to
• 1:46:34
  Speaker 1: make sure that Johnny Green wasn't watching him, and for
• 1:46:38
  Speaker 1: a time the Major kept an eye out for traps.
• 1:46:42
  Speaker 1: He saw nothing of the sort anywhere, but one day,
• 1:46:46
  Speaker 1: when he leaped to the window sill of the hen house,
• 1:46:50
  Speaker 1: he was delighted to find a lump of maple sugar,
• 1:46:54
  Speaker 1: which someone had carelessly left there. At least that was
• 1:46:59
  Speaker 1: what the Maidjor supposed, And with something a good deal
• 1:47:03
  Speaker 1: like a chuckle, he ate the dainty greedily. It was
• 1:47:07
  Speaker 1: the first bit of sugar he had tasted since he
• 1:47:10
  Speaker 1: came to Pleasant Valley, and Major Monkey was very fond
• 1:47:14
  Speaker 1: of sweets. Johnnie Green or his father or the hired
• 1:47:19
  Speaker 1: man seemed all at once to grow terribly careless with
• 1:47:23
  Speaker 1: maple sugar. The Major hardly ever visited the hen house
• 1:47:27
  Speaker 1: without finding a lump somewhere, and if his liking for
• 1:47:32
  Speaker 1: eggs hadn't brought him thither daily, his taste for sugar
• 1:47:36
  Speaker 1: would have been enough to make him continue his visits.
• 1:47:40
  Speaker 1: At last, there came a day when Major Monkey discovered
• 1:47:44
  Speaker 1: a thick pitcher to the hen house floor. A chain
• 1:47:48
  Speaker 1: was looped through its handle and nailed to the wall.
• 1:47:52
  Speaker 1: The Major grinned when he saw the chain. They don't
• 1:47:56
  Speaker 1: want this picture to run away, he said to himself.
• 1:48:01
  Speaker 1: Being of most curious turn of mind, He looked into
• 1:48:05
  Speaker 1: the picture, and then he promptly thrust in a hand.
• 1:48:09
  Speaker 1: There was a good sized lump of sugar inside, and
• 1:48:13
  Speaker 1: Major Monkey's fingers closed upon it greedily, his face wrinkled
• 1:48:19
  Speaker 1: with annoyance when he found that he could not withdraw
• 1:48:22
  Speaker 1: his hand. Empty it could easily have slipped through the
• 1:48:27
  Speaker 1: mouth of the picture, but with the sugar clutched in it,
• 1:48:31
  Speaker 1: his hand stuck fast. End of chapter twenty one Chapter
• 1:48:44
  Speaker 1: twenty two of the Tale of Major Monkey. This LibriVox
• 1:48:49
  Speaker 1: recording is in the public domain. The Tale of Major
• 1:48:54
  Speaker 1: Monkey by Arthur Scott Bailey, Chapter twenty two caught. Though
• 1:49:02
  Speaker 1: Major Monkey tugged and tugged, he couldn't pull his hand
• 1:49:06
  Speaker 1: out of the picture. To be sure, if he had
• 1:49:10
  Speaker 1: let go of the lump of maple sugar, he might
• 1:49:13
  Speaker 1: have withdrawn his hand easily enough. But the Major loved
• 1:49:18
  Speaker 1: sweets too dearly to loosen his hold on any such
• 1:49:23
  Speaker 1: toothsome morsel, except to pop it in to his mouth.
• 1:49:28
  Speaker 1: So he struggled and fretted. He even tried to break
• 1:49:32
  Speaker 1: the picture by knocking it against the floor. It might
• 1:49:36
  Speaker 1: as well have been made of iron, it was so strong,
• 1:49:40
  Speaker 1: and the Major only succeeded in hurting his own hand.
• 1:49:45
  Speaker 1: Of course, he made a great racket, and the hens,
• 1:49:49
  Speaker 1: who had become used to his more stealthy visits, began
• 1:49:53
  Speaker 1: to flutter and squawk. They made such an uproar. At last,
• 1:49:58
  Speaker 1: that Major Monkey wanted to hurl the picture at them,
• 1:50:02
  Speaker 1: but he couldn't do that with his hands stuck inside it.
• 1:50:06
  Speaker 1: And besides, the picture was chained fast to the wall
• 1:50:10
  Speaker 1: of the hen house, and right there lay the Major's
• 1:50:15
  Speaker 1: greatest trouble. If the picture hadn't been fastened, he would
• 1:50:19
  Speaker 1: have run off on three leads to the woods, where
• 1:50:23
  Speaker 1: he might have tried, in peace and choiet, to get
• 1:50:26
  Speaker 1: at the sugar inside it. On the whole major Monkeys
• 1:50:30
  Speaker 1: spent a most unhappy quarter of an hour in the
• 1:50:34
  Speaker 1: hen house, And the worst moment of all came when
• 1:50:38
  Speaker 1: the window dropped with a loud bang. Then the sound
• 1:50:42
  Speaker 1: of steps on the threshold made the Major turn his head.
• 1:50:48
  Speaker 1: There stood Farmer Green with a broad smile on his face,
• 1:50:52
  Speaker 1: and Johnny Green with his mouth wide open and his
• 1:50:55
  Speaker 1: eyes bulging. And with them was the dark skinned man,
• 1:51:00
  Speaker 1: short and with rings in his ears and a bright
• 1:51:04
  Speaker 1: neckerchief tied about his throat. Aha, cried the little man.
• 1:51:10
  Speaker 1: Look at the monk, he greedy a boy, and picking
• 1:51:13
  Speaker 1: Major Monkey up in his arms, jug and all. He
• 1:51:18
  Speaker 1: patted him fondly, saying ha ha, bad boy. He runned
• 1:51:22
  Speaker 1: away from the old man. No then for a soldier.
• 1:51:26
  Speaker 1: Major Monkey did a strange thing. He began to whimper,
• 1:51:32
  Speaker 1: But there is no doubt that he was weeping because
• 1:51:35
  Speaker 1: he was glad, and not because he was sorry. The
• 1:51:40
  Speaker 1: little dark Man was his master, and the Major was very,
• 1:51:46
  Speaker 1: very fond of him. He knew suddenly that he had
• 1:51:50
  Speaker 1: missed the little man sadly while he roamed about Pleasant Valley.
• 1:51:55
  Speaker 1: Though Johnny Green was staring straight at him, Major Monkey
• 1:51:59
  Speaker 1: clung to his captor and held his wrinkled face close
• 1:52:03
  Speaker 1: to the little man's cheek. He sorrow now. The little
• 1:52:08
  Speaker 1: man said to Johnny Green, what's his name? Johnny inquired, Jocko, said,
• 1:52:15
  Speaker 1: Major Monkey's master. That nicer name, eh. Johnny Green thought
• 1:52:21
  Speaker 1: that it was, and Major Monkey himself appeared to like
• 1:52:25
  Speaker 1: the sound of it. It was a long time since
• 1:52:29
  Speaker 1: he had heard it. No one had called him Jocko
• 1:52:32
  Speaker 1: since that day weeks before, when he had run away
• 1:52:37
  Speaker 1: from his master, the organ Grinder in the village end
• 1:52:43
  Speaker 1: of chapter twenty two Chapter twenty three of the Tale
• 1:52:53
  Speaker 1: of Major Monkey. This LibriVox recording is in the public domain.
• 1:53:00
  Speaker 1: The Tale of Major Monkey by Arthur Scott Bailey, Chapter
• 1:53:05
  Speaker 1: twenty three the Major goes south. Out of one of
• 1:53:11
  Speaker 1: his pockets, the hand organ man pulled a stout collar,
• 1:53:15
  Speaker 1: from which dangled a long, thin chain, and Major Monkey
• 1:53:20
  Speaker 1: made no protest when his master buckled the collar about
• 1:53:24
  Speaker 1: his neck. To tell the truth, the Major appeared to
• 1:53:29
  Speaker 1: like being a captive. He was enjoying, especially the maple
• 1:53:34
  Speaker 1: sugar which the hand organ man had turned out of
• 1:53:38
  Speaker 1: the picture for him. At the farmhouse a little later,
• 1:53:43
  Speaker 1: Major Monkey went through all his tricks for Johnnie Green
• 1:53:47
  Speaker 1: and the rest of the family. Though he had once
• 1:53:50
  Speaker 1: told mister Crow that he never wanted to hear the
• 1:53:54
  Speaker 1: sound of a hand organ again, the music that his
• 1:53:58
  Speaker 1: master ground out while he himself capered about seemed to
• 1:54:03
  Speaker 1: him the sweetest he had ever heard. Of The Major's audience,
• 1:54:09
  Speaker 1: the most astonished of all, sat unnoticed in a tree
• 1:54:14
  Speaker 1: in the dooryard, and listened and looked on as if
• 1:54:17
  Speaker 1: he could scarcely believe his eyes. This one was Jolly Robin.
• 1:54:23
  Speaker 1: And when at length the organ grinder looped the long
• 1:54:27
  Speaker 1: chain over his arm, slung the organ over his back,
• 1:54:32
  Speaker 1: and went toiling up the road with Major Monkey perched
• 1:54:36
  Speaker 1: on top of the hand organ, Jolly Robin had a
• 1:54:39
  Speaker 1: very queer feeling. He flew down and alighted upon Farmer
• 1:54:44
  Speaker 1: Green's fence and trilled a quavering goodbye. Major Monkey stood
• 1:54:50
  Speaker 1: up and made a low bow to him his going
• 1:54:55
  Speaker 1: south after all. Jolly Robin said to himself, that was
• 1:55:00
  Speaker 1: so Old dog Spot must have been glad of it. Anyhow,
• 1:55:05
  Speaker 1: he dashed out of the dooryard and ran a little
• 1:55:08
  Speaker 1: way up the road, growling and barking and telling Major
• 1:55:13
  Speaker 1: Monkey exactly what he thought of him. The Major seemed
• 1:55:18
  Speaker 1: to enjoy Old Spot's farewell. He danced up and down
• 1:55:22
  Speaker 1: and pulled back his arm as if to throw something
• 1:55:26
  Speaker 1: at Spot, but he changed his mind. He had a
• 1:55:30
  Speaker 1: red apple, which Johnny Green had given him, and instead
• 1:55:34
  Speaker 1: of wasting it on Old dog Spot, the Major took
• 1:55:37
  Speaker 1: a bite out of it. Then and there. Old Spot
• 1:55:42
  Speaker 1: had trotted back to the farmhouse, looking very brave in
• 1:55:46
  Speaker 1: spite of the scolding Johnny Green gave him, and Major
• 1:55:51
  Speaker 1: Monkey was busily engaged with his apple when he heard
• 1:55:55
  Speaker 1: a sound that made him look up. Poor cor It
• 1:55:59
  Speaker 1: was old mister Crow, whose keen eyes had caught sight
• 1:56:03
  Speaker 1: of the hand organ man plodding along with his precious load,
• 1:56:08
  Speaker 1: madeor Monkey whistle and just for a moment. As he
• 1:56:12
  Speaker 1: watched mister Crow sailing lazily overhead, he almost wished that
• 1:56:18
  Speaker 1: he hadn't been quite so fond of sugar, for he
• 1:56:22
  Speaker 1: knew that he could no longer wander through Peasant Valley
• 1:56:26
  Speaker 1: wherever his fancy led him. But the hand organ man
• 1:56:30
  Speaker 1: began singing a merry song, and Major Monkey liked it
• 1:56:35
  Speaker 1: so well that before he had gone a mile, he
• 1:56:38
  Speaker 1: wouldn't have turned back for anything. Now that his playtime
• 1:56:43
  Speaker 1: had come to an end, he was eager to journey
• 1:56:46
  Speaker 1: on wherever his master might take him. For Major Monkey,
• 1:56:52
  Speaker 1: as he had told mister Crow in the beginning, was
• 1:56:56
  Speaker 1: a great traveler. End of twenty three end of The
• 1:57:03
  Speaker 1: Tale of Made a Monkey by Arthur Scott Bailey. This
• 1:57:08
  Speaker 1: recording is in the public domain.