Scruffy - A Diversion by Paul Gallico Read Free Book Online Page B

no more than raise his right hand to his forehead in the snappiest salute he had rendered in the last twenty years and reverently breathe the word, “sir!”
    But with the eventual giving out of the monkey-nuts and other fancy greens and silage, and Tim’s immediate failure to wangle more out of the authorities, began the intransigence of Scruffy.
    It was Scruffy who was the stumbling-block to Tim’s far-reaching and grandiose plans for the apes. Often when he had some little improvement in the set-up arranged for them, Scruffy would go on a raid and ruin the pitch, and there was even a time when Tim found himself fighting tooth and nail and lobbying day and night against the-ape-Scruffy-ought-to-be-shot movement which had powerful adherents in Army, Navy and Civil circles. Then surely it had only been precedent that had saved Scruffy. The shooting of an ape was something which had never been done before.

4

Felicity
    S o had run the thoughts and recollections of young Captain Bailey as he stood leaning on the rail and looking out over the town shimmering in the summer heat haze. He became aware of a slight movement next to him, turned and saw the object of his deliberations seated on a rock near by regarding him malevolently.
    “Oh, it’s you, you clot,” said Captain Bailey, for at that moment his thoughts had managed to put him out of sorts with the beast who was messing up his plans to create the best of all possible worlds for the worst of all possible monkeys. “Why the hell don’t you behave yourself? Don’t you realize you’re spoiling it for everyone? What I ought to do is catch you and give you a dam’ good hiding.”
    Scruffy said nothing, but kept regarding Tim balefully. And, as always when he became angry with this creature, Tim grew repentant. He said, “Sorry, old boy, I didn’t mean it. I oughtn’t to have said that. Had a trying session with the old Brig. Forget it, will you?”
    As always, the concentrated fury and hatred in Scruffy’s eyes moved Tim to do something to win him. He reached into a side pocket and produced a peanut, a small supply of which he always carried, held it up and said, “All right then, come over here and have one on me.”
    The animal lifted his head slightly to make sure what it was Tim was holding out to him, then rose and with deliberation he marched over to Tim on all fours, reached up with his left paw and took the peanut. With his right paw he seized hold of Tim’s wrist and quietly and firmly bit him in the hand. The blood spurted forth, Scruffy gave a tremendous leap which moved him ten yards away, where he turned his immediate attention to the monkey-nut. Tim let out a yell and a rich army curse which was topped by a feminine scream.
    “Oh! The nasty thing! I saw him do it.”
    Startled, Tim looked up and saw a small car drawn up by the concrete platform, with a stout girl at the wheel.
    She wasn’t really fat, Tim observed upon second glance, but only rather plump, as though the baby fat had not yet entirely been melted away. The tanned arms at the steering wheel had dimples at both the elbows and the wrists and there was somewhat too much flesh on the oval of her face. Tim’s thought was that if she were to thin down she might possibly be quite good-looking. Even so, he was struck by the clarity and brilliance of her eyes which were the colour of aquamarine, and were now filled with sympathy. The roundness of her face made her nose seem slightly too small, if delectable, but the mouth was firm and full of character. All this was surmounted by a twist of short-cut, unruly hair the colour of wild honey.
    “Oh,” said Tim, “I didn’t know—I do beg your pardon.”
    “That’s quite all right,” said the girl, and hers was a soft voice that fell pleasantly upon the ears. “I should have said worse myself. He did it deliberately. Why don’t you go and give him a kick?”
    It was almost automatic for Tim to spring to Scruffy’s defence. He said,