Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1871-10-05

But, whether ASs power had gone or not,
hers remained; and he cared not fig for
their laughing, for he was happy in the
beautiful spell of affection which she
threw over him, th'' bound him as a
chain of flowers.
The attempt to close her eyes was never
repeated, for he was too glad to see them
open to wish to lose sight of them. Life
with Speed sped we'll, and Martin be-
came father in time He never re-
gretted the expedient he adopted to get
his wife, though he meyer could make out
exactly whether she humbugged him or
not.
MAKING 1T EVEN.
IAN an animal painter. have studied
my art in nearly every menagerie in the
country, and so have come in contact with
strange people, and have seen uncommon
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 q good
oearted soul of the rolling-stone sort, who
never gathered as much moss as he deserv-
I'd, and yet allowed no fungus of funds to
interfere with social fellowship or kindly
action; and consequently the people
about him worked with friendly will,
and except during the necessary journey
ing and labor there we're generally jolly
times among the employees of the Grand
Unrivaled Cosmopolitan Menagerie
There was only one man who never larked
and never sang, never j ked and never
grumbled who, always sill mt without be.
ing surly, took his share of things to do,
and seemed to set himself apart ron his
comrades In sheer loneliness of spirit that
shirked no toll and yielded no conf ience.
Gradually it fell upon him, as from his own
choice, to attend the cages, and to per-
form all the jobs that the boldest some
times shrank from as dangerous, though
he showed no sign of fear, and evinced no
distaste of his exceptional emplOyme Mt.
l watched him often as he busted himself
about the beasts, and had to admire in
this common looking and uncultivated
man the unconscious GOODNESS and courage
with which he accomplished his selfap-
propriated tasks. At length my curiosity
concerning him was sufficiently excite1 to
cause me to ask Mr.. Kingsley, the pro-
prietor of the menagerie. if he knew any
thing more of him than what appeared on
his everyday surface.
Mr.. Kingsley hesitated moment before
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 to
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 l are the only ones
that know what he was before be came
here; and if tell you, it is just because
you see the mans man for a
that, and because I know you'll keep
the secret. I don't suppose you remem-
Der, IS the papers are so full of murders
nowadays, one that was Committed five
years ago in the little country town Of
c.. Not cold bloodtd atrocity,
though, but the result of jealousy, p1 Ovo-
cation and liquor, and not altogether un
justifable, either. Bill was the chap that
did it, and only csc ,ped hanging through
having smart lawyer, and got off in
about the same way that mot proven sets
q man free alter q Scotch trial But The
people where he lived would have moth
ing to do with him; and he staid among
them like an outlaw for he had neither
the money nor chance to 60 away, and
could scarcely get stroke Of work that
would earn his daily bread. I was head
of small circus then-not such stun
ming concern as this on hand now; and
when we pvt up the tt Mt for single day
at c., this Bill watched an opp )rtunity
to get hold of me alone, when no one else
would notice him, and told me his whole
8 ory, begging me to give him something
t., do to keep HIM from starving and sui.
eide; ard he had such hunted down and
woe begone look that l couldn't help
plying the poor f, low; and though
wasn't very able to take on another soul
Just then, gave him what change could
spare, and bade him sip off to the next
place and join us there, so that the rest of
my men shouldn't know anything about
his history, and chaff him about his past -
tor they are a rough lot sometimes, and
not over particu ar about hurting feelings
either in sport or spite. And 20 he has
been along with me ever .ince. have
had hold of several ventures besides that
and this, but make or fail, pay or put of,
Bill has stuck by me trusty through al.
There il real grit as we'll as use in him,
and l have spen it sharply tried more than
once, and have never been sorry I gave
him helping hand in his need But 1t
often seems to me-thoush he never
speaks of it-that he always thinks he is
serving out his time for that old affair by
taking up the hardest things he c,n find
to d.; for do believe he has on his mind
some rude idea of personal aton ment for
the blood he shed. And now you know
all have to tell. Do not let it speak out
tongue aint like Y to let itslip'
I haA M n0aQ a,nn RI rr,1orH ynuco1f <h,,o
for, now knew his story, it was plain to
me from his face that Quiet Bill had suffer.
ed; and hav~ always held the doctrine
that where sin is thoroughly repen, led
0 men should allow to die out of remem-
brance that which the gond God forgives;
and so, after silent fashion, he and be-
came rather friendly: talked to him, aad
made him talk some also about the crea-
lures in his harge, and praised him a little
once or twice, and saw the dark blood
sweep up to his brow like girls blush
and after while, when he had leisure, he
would come and sit near me while was
SIX tching, and take curious but wordless
note of my work, and occasionally shyly
suggested to me slight points that caused
me to wonder at his close and quick Ob-
servation. Mr. Kingsley had always a
chccry something to say to him; and a, I
look back now am glad to think that
Bill seemed to take un, sual comfort, as
time went on, out of his distant compan-
ionship with US two.
The season had been extremely hot, and
August fairly blazed with the fierce, dry
heat of long drought; it was on one of
those scoEching, lectric kind of days t. at
make men feel listless, and beasts restless
and wicked to deal with, that we halted
in the suburbs of growing city, and
spread the canvas for an after uoon exhioi.
ton. The big Bengal tigress had been
unusually uneasy a the morning; when
lying prone on the floor of her
cage, she lashed her powerful tail, and
painted out low, ominous growls as if the
blood thirsty spirit of her lost liberty was
aDg lily astir; and she would start up with
a sudden bound tbat shook her p ison, and
impatiently pace its narrow limits, with
yellow eyes all afl me, and snarling lip
drawn up over the strong and hungry
looking teeth and once or twice she roll
Cd herself against the thick wires, a
caught them in her great claws as if she
loneed to tear the res sting bars from their
secured sockets Bill kept careful watch
on her antics, and heard him say to him
self, "There'll be trouble with that
vixen" But the rest of the collection
were fevcrish and fretful too, and between
furnishing them all with fresh drinks, and
throwing water on some to cool them off,
L i