The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1871-11-11
Gales, skettbes, AnftNOtts, &t.
MAKING HI EVEN.

am an animal painter. l have stud>
led my art IN nearly every menagerie in
the country, and SO have come in contact
with strange people, and have seen un>
common sights and thus it was that, in
order to draw at my leisure some newly
arrived creatures with the wildness of the
desert and jungle still within them, Joined
travelling company for the summer, and
so beheld the thrilling scene here record.
The owner of the show was a good
hearted soul of the rolling stone sort, who
never gathered as much moss as he de-
served, and yet allowed no fungus of
funds TO interfere with social fellowship
or a kindly action. Consequently the
people about him worked with a friendly
will, and except during the necessary jour-
neying and labor there were generally
jolly times among the employees of the
Grand Unrivaled Cosmopolitan Menage-
re. There was only one man, who never
larked and never sang, never joked and
never grumbled who. always silent wilh>
out being surly, took his share of things
10 do, and seemed to set himself apart
from his comrades in sheer loneliness of
spirit that shirked no toll and yielded no
confidence Gradually it fell upon him,
as from his own choice, 10 attend the
cages, and to perform all the jobs that
the boldest sometimes shrink from as dans
gerous, though he showed no signs of
fear, and evinced no distaste of his excep-
tional employment. l watched him often
as he busted himself about the beasts, and
had to admire in this common looking and
uncullivatcd man the unconscious GOODNESS
and courage, with which he accomplished
his elfappropriated tasks. At length
my curiosity concerning him was sufli>
GENTLY excited TO cause me to ask Mr..
Kingsley, the proprietor of the menagerie,
if he knew anything more of him than
what appeared on his everyday surface.
Mr. Kingsley hesitated moment be-
fore he answered, and then slowly said ::
81 am rather sorry you questioned me
about Quiet Bill-that's what The men
call him, you know-for no one else has
cared 10 guess that there may be more
connected with him than just the business
he seems to belong to and of all the folks
in this caravansary he and / are the only
ones that know, what he was before he
came here ; and if tell you, it is just be-
cause you see the mans a man for "a that,
and because know you IL keep the secret.
don't suppose you remember, as the
papers are so full of murders now a. days,
Gne that was committed FIVE years ago in
the little country town of c.. Not a
cold-blooded atrocity, though, but the re-
suit of jealousy, provocation and liquor,
and not altogether unjustifiabie, either
Bill was the chap that did it, and only
escaped hanging through having a smar;
lawyer, and got off in about the same way
| that not proven sets man free after a
Scotch trial. But the people where he
| lived would have nothing TO do with himi
and he staid among them like an outlaw,
for he had neither the money nor chance
to go away, and could scarcely get q
stroke of work that would earn his daily
bread. l was head of small circus then
not such stunning concern as this on
hand now and when we put up the tent
for single day at c. this Bill watch
ed an opportunity to get hold of me alone,
when no ono else could notice him, and
told me his whole story, begging me to
give him something TO do to keep him
from starving and suicide. He had such
a hunted-down and woe begone look tina!
1 couldn't help plying the poor fellow /;
and though wasn't very able to take on
another soul just then, l gave him what
change could spare, and bade him slip
off to the next place and join US there, so
that the rest of my men shouldn't know
anything about his history, and chaf him
about his past-for they are rough lot
sometimes, and not over particular about
hurting feeling in sport or spite. And SO
he has been along with me ever since. l
have had hold of several ventures besides
that and this, but make or fail, pay or