The Louisa Alcott Reader: a Supplementary Reader for the Fourth Year of SchoolAlcott, Louisa May
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The Louisa Alcott Reader: a Supplementary Reader for the Fourth Year of School
Alcott, Louisa May
Children's stories; Readers (Elementary)
Neddy was much ashamed, and told the man his aunt would pay for all the
broken things. Then he took his naughty pet, and started to go home and
tie him up, for it was plain this monkey was not to be trusted. But as
soon as they got out, Jocko ran up a tree and dropped on to a load of
hay passing underneath. Here he danced and pranced, and had a fine time,
throwing off the man's coat and rake, and eating some of the dinner tied
up in a cloth. The crusts of bread and the bones he threw at the horse;
this new kind of whip frightened the horse, and he ran away down a steep
hill, and upset the hay and broke the cart. Oh, such a time! It was
worse than the candy scrape; for the man swore, and the horse was hurt,
and people said the monkey ought to be shot, he did so much mischief.
Jocko didn't care a bit; he sat high up in a tree, and chattered and
scolded, and swung by his tail, and was so droll that people couldn't
help laughing at him. Poor Neddy cried again, and went home to tell his
troubles to Aunt Jane, fearing that it would take all the money in his
bank to pay for the damage the bad monkey had done in one hour.
As soon as he was alone Jocko came skipping along, and jumped on his
back, and peeped at him, and patted his cheeks, and was so cunning and
good Neddy couldn't whip him; but he shut him up in a closet to punish
him.
Jocko was tired; so he went to sleep, and all was quiet till
dinner-time. They were ready for the pudding, and Neddy had saved a
place for a good plateful, as he liked snow-pudding, when shrieks were
heard in the kitchen, and Mary the maid rushed in to say,--
"Oh, ma'am, that horrid beast has spoilt the pudding, and is scaring
Katy out of her life!"
They all ran; and there sat that naughty monkey on the table, throwing
the nice white snow all over poor cook, till her face looked as if she
was ready to be shaved. His own face looked the same, for he had eaten
all he wanted while the pudding stood cooling in the pantry. He had
crept out of a window in the closet, and had a fine rummage among the
sugar-buckets, butter-boxes, and milk-pans.
Kate wailed, and Mary scolded; but Aunt Jane and grandpa laughed, and
Neddy chased Jock into the garden with the broom. They had to eat bread
and jelly for dessert, and it took the girls a long time to clear up the
mess the rascal made.
"We will put his collar and chain on again, and keep him tied up all the
time till the man comes," said Aunt Jane.
"But I can't catch him," sighed Neddy, watching the little imp whisk
about in the garden among the currant-bushes, chasing hens and tossing
green apples round in high glee.
"Sit quietly down somewhere and wait till he is tired; then he will come
to you, and you can hold him fast," said Aunt Jane.
So Neddy waited; and though he was much worried at his new pet's
naughtiness, he enjoyed his pranks like a boy.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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