“You surely are a smart monkey!” said the circus man, as he took him back to the tent to do his tricks.  The show went on after a while, and Mappo was more looked at than any animal, for every one heard how he had saved the baby.

And, after the show was over that night, the father of the baby went to the circus man and said: 

“I want to buy the monkey that saved my little girl.  Please sell him to me.  We will give him a good home, and we will always love him, for what he did for us.”

“Well, I don’t like to lose such a good trick monkey,” said Mappo’s master, “but I will let you have him.  Be kind to him, for he is a good little chap.”

“Oh, we’ll be very kind to him,” the baby’s papa promised.  “We have a dog named Don, and a cat named Tabby.  I am sure Mappo will like them.  We will be very good to him.”

And so Mappo, after having lived in the jungle, and afterward joining a circus, went to live at the home of the baby, after it was built over, for it was badly damaged by the fire.  And Mappo made friends with Don and Tabby and had a lovely time.

But there are other animals of whose lives I can tell you, and the next book in this series is going to be called “Tum Tum, the Jolly Elephant:  His Many Adventures.”

“Weren’t you afraid when you climbed up that rain-water pipe to get the baby?” asked Don the dog of Mappo, one day.

“I wasn’t afraid of climbing, but I was a little afraid of the fire,” said the monkey.

“I wish I were as brave as you,” said Tabby, the cat.  “Come on, let’s have a game of tag.”

And the three animal friends played a game very much like our tag; and now we will say good-by to them.

THE END

GOOD STORIES FOR CHILDREN

(From four to nine years old)

THE KNEETIME ANIMAL STORIES

By Richard Barnum

[Illustration]

In all nursery literature animals have played a conspicuous part; and the reason is obvious, for nothing entertains a child more than the antics of an animal.  These stories abound in amusing incidents such as children adore, and the characters are so full of life, so appealing to a child’s imagination, that none will be satisfied until they have met all of their favorites—­Squinty, Slicko, Mappo, and the rest.

   1 Squinty, the Comical Pig.
   2 Slicko, the Jumping Squirrel.
   3 Mappo, the Merry Monkey.
   4 Tum Tum, the Jolly Elephant.
   5 Don, a Runaway Dog.
   6 Dido, the Dancing Bear.
   7 Blackie, a Lost Cat.
   8 Flop Ear, the Funny Rabbit.
   9 Tinkle, the Trick Pony.
  10 Lightfoot, the Leaping Goat.
  11 Chunky, the Happy Hippo.
  12 Sharp Eyes, the Silver Fox.
  13 Nero, the Circus Lion.
  14 Tamba, the Tame Tiger.
  15 Toto, the Rustling Beaver.
  16 Shaggo, the Mighty Buffalo.