Minnie's sympathies were alive in an instant. She begged her father to get out, as possibly he might be of some use.
The driver stopped of his own accord, and inquired what had happened, and then they saw that it was a spaniel that was hurt. He had been in the road, and not getting out of the way quick enough, the wheel had gone over his body.
The young lady who was in the buggy was greatly distressed, from which Minnie argued that she was kind to animals, and that they should like her.
The owner of the dog held the poor creature in her arms, though it seemed to be in convulsions, and wept bitterly as she found it must die.
Mr. Lee, to please his little daughter, waited a few minutes; but he found her getting so much excited over the suffering animal, he gave John orders to proceed.
During the rest of the drive, she could talk of nothing else, wondering whether the spaniel was alive now, or whether the young man in the buggy paid for hurting it.
The next day, however, having made up her mind that the poor creature must be dead, and his sufferings ended, and having given Tiney many admonitions to keep out of the road when carriages were passing, her thoughts turned once more to the baboon.
Mr. Lee found in his library a book which gave a short account of the animal, which he read to her.
"The baboon is of the monkey tribe, notwithstanding its long, dog-like head, flat, compressed cheeks, and strong and projecting teeth. The form and position of the eyes, combined with the similarity of the arms and hands, give to these creatures a resemblance to humanity as striking as it is disgusting."
"Then follows an account," the gentleman went on, "of the peculiarities of different kinds of baboons, which you would not understand."
"But can't you tell me something about them yourself, father?"
"I know very little about the creatures, my dear; but I have read that they are exceedingly strong, and of a fiery, vicious temper.
"They can never be wholly tamed, and it is only while restraint of the severest kind is used, that they can be governed at all. If left to their own will, their savage nature resumes its sway, and their actions are cruel, destructive, and disgusting."
"I saw the man at the menagerie giving them apples," said Minnie; "but he did not give them any meat all the time I was there."