Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1871-04-13
go on. Chips z.


and zebras, and painters (not artisis), q,
and the barns and taverns were all
covered with big sign-bills, on which
were pictures of these various anin.lls
as large rs life, anl every bit as lat
tural.
While was there the agent of ilie
circus drove up, and | can tell YOU he
was as much oi a curiosity as MS show,
and about as important a man as cter
YOU see. stood reading the show.
bills, and my head was half Dustin
with all the descriptions of calnlel.
leppards. ami tigers, aud 80 on, whch
were told there. You see. had n,.er
seen anything on nigh so big q scale
before. and II made a great impression
on me. All of a sudding AN Iucc
struck me. and got a-talkln' with the
agent, although he rally did seem 10
me 10 be Almost too great - man fer
me 10 hinder or interrupt in his bus-
ness. | thought he was wonderful
condcsccnd.n' 10 speak to me at all.
says tu hIIn:
p FH VIZ tHt SliPN-Uaii- ttiAl tet
/ lion is the hins OF beasts
'Ot course tce 10, says he; every
I body admits That
We'll. SAYS |. Il make YOU . bet Of
litty dollar, that can bring critter
thatll hex Your lion
'Noncscnsc = says he.
Nv ell. says |, All YOU have 10 do. if
you don't believe 1t. i la take my bet.
otherwise YOU back out
This rather covered him: for. of
course, you see, he couldn't help aettin.
with me. without risking the success OF
his show 80 he pulled ont big wallet
stuffed full Of money. took ont illty-
dollar note. and handed it to the lani.
lord whom he chose for stakeholder.
FIFTY dollars want much 10 him,
but II seemed = heap OF money 10 me:
and told him he must wait a little,
tils could Stdre up my part of the
stakes. went away, and | don't
think he expected TO see mc again. nj.
though | told him | would he back in
about half an hour. had little
money IN the bank for | was naturally OF
ea'tn turn, but il want more than
hail enough, 50 | went 10 gentleman
IN the place, for whom | had worked
occasionally. and who had alters been
friendly with me. and asked him 10
lend Inc the balance. and agree t.
work 1t out or pay him within the year
| saV" HIM my note, the iirst l ever
writ, and when signed IL / actilIy
felt A. II | bad coinmitssd state-pri-
son offence. Then drew lthis word
Chips pronounced dree-ew. although
he had to a great extent laid aside hls
Orlentnl ldIom) out nv money from
ia" bank, and this, with what bor-
rowed from the gentleman, made ont
the lifty dollars. | went to the tarycrn
and handed over my money without
saying much, Tor felt little solemn:
and then. having got the mare shoi.
rode over home.
That night dream: of all kind, OF
things vou ever did see-agents with
lions heads, who roared at me monk
eys who rode on nv back and grinned
IA my face, and then arrested me for
stealth fifty dollars. Ii rally did
seem as If half a dozen menaueric,
had broAc loose in my room. When
inoi'.in came | realized what had
done, and was almost shakv in my
resolution but there 1t was. | thought
my idee was u good one, and 50 con
cluded 10 20 ahead
Meantime the story get round that
Bildad Bunker was goln TO have some
kind of lion-fisht. and a lion-light IN
Bethel was not by any means com
mon occurrence. | found myself rs
notorious as Il fighter trainin', and was
the town tax. Some people laughed
at me. some thought that at all events
| knew what l was about, and some
took sides with IN. or with the agent.
according 10 circumstances.
''ln few days the menaggery arove
III a grand procession, with brass hands
and calico horses, and cages on wa
| CONS, and the big tents were pitched,
and everything prepared for the show.
At last the day for the exhibition came.
or course. everybody knew by this
time about the fight. for IN a place like
Bethel such thing rs "A secret was
never heerd on. and public affair like
1 this brought folks from far and near
| ALI through the country. There was
Almost AN enormous crowd. | can tell
YOU.
''lnside the tent they had an enclo-
sure built for the fight and there were
seats for the umpircs, and everything
was in first-rate style. Invent to the
back Of my house where DIy critters
were kept, and, putting one 10 each
pocket of par of saddle bags. slung
them over the mare 5 back, and started.
Il am usually strickly punctooal but
this day was jest little belated, and
when / got to the tent | found that the
boys was a-talkin' and wonderin' WHY
didn't come, or whether | would come
at all. l hitched the mare, took the
saddle-bags under my arm, and started
for the tent-dosr. Strang. to say, the
doorKeeper didn't happen to know me.
and stopped Inc as | was going in.
Ticket. sir, says he.
"Says /: Il am the man (for
thought l was many who has got a
critter to fight the lion
"Oh pass in, SIR says he; pass in.
And here Chips bent his body and
waved his hand, to show the marked
consideration with which he was us
hered into the tent.
''ln l went, and found the place just
packed full of people; and YOU may
believe that their faces were all blurred
together, so that couldn't see one on
'em, for l rally felt onpleasantly con-
spicuous.
There was q kind of hummin' all
round the tent, and my head was a
hummin, too but l was in for it, and
cheerin' and laughin' as when l undid