The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1871-11-16

For every thing has changed 10 much
Since twenty years ago.
hlA1INd r. EVEN.
] am an animal painter. I have
studied my art in nearly every ma.
nagerie 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 crea.
lures with the wildness of the desert
and jungle still within them, l joined
a travelling company for the summer,
and SO beheld the thrilling scene
here record.
The owner of the show was . good
hearted soul Of the rolling.stone sort,
who never gathered ..as much moss
as he deserved, 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 were generally
jolly times among ths employees Of
the Grand Unrivaled Cosmopolitan
Managerie. There was only one
man who never larked and never
sang, never joked and never grum-
bled who, always silent without be-
ing surly, took his share Of things to
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, asfrom his own choice,
to attend the cages, and to perform
all the jobs that the boldest some
times shrank from as dangerous,
though he showed no signs of fear,
and evinced no distaste Of his excep,
tional employment. l watched him
often as he busted himself aboHt the
beasts, and had to admire in this
communicating and uncultivated
man the unconscious coolness and
courage with which he accomplished
his selfappropriated tasks At
length my curiosity concerning him
was sufficiently excited to cause me
to ask Mr.. Kingsley, the proprietor
Of the managerie, if he knew any
thing more OF his everyday surface.
Mr.. Kingsley hesitated moment
before he answered, and then slowly
said: 81 am rather sorry you ques-
lion me about Quiet Bili-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, aud all of the folks in
this caravansary he and are the
only ones that knows what he was
before he came hero; and if l tell
you, it isjust because you see mans
man for a. that, and because l
know you'll keep the secret. | don't
suppose you remember, as the papers
are so full of murder now a-days,
one was committed FIVE years ago in
the little county town OF c.. Not
a cold blooded atrocity, though, but
the result of jealousy, provocation
and liquor, and not altogether unjus.
tifiable, either. Bill was the chap
that did it, and only escaped hanging
through having smart lawyer, and
got off in about the same way that
mot proven sets . man free after q
Scotch trial. But the people where
he lived would have nothing to dc
with him, and hs staid among them
like an outlaw, for he had neither the
money nor chance to go away, and
could scarcely get stroke of work
that would earn his daily bread. ]
was head of o small circus then-not
such stunning concern as this on
hand now and when we put up the
tent for q single day at c., this
Bill watched an opportunity to ge,
hold Of mo alone, when no one else
would notice him, and told me bis
whole story, begging me to give him
nething to do to keep him from
starving and suicide; and he haG
such hunted down and woe begone
look that couldn't help plying the
poor fellow and though / wasn'l
very able to take on another sou
just then, | gave him what change
could spare and babe him slip of tt
the next place and join us there, st
that the rest of my men shouldn'
know anything about his history, aut
chaf him about the past-tor they
are u rough lot sometime, and no
over particular about hurting feel
ings either in sport or spite. And 81
he has been along with me ever since
l have had hold of several venture
besides that and this, but make O.
fail, pay or put of, Bill has stuck b.
me through all. There is real gri
as we'll rs use in him, and hav
seen it sharply tried more than once
and have never been sorry | CAV
him helping hand in his timo Q
, need. But it often seems to me-
, though he never speaks OF it, tina
he always thinks he is serving ou
his time for that old affair by takin
/ up the hardest things he can do 70
! l do believe he has on his mind som
! rude idea of personal atonement 70
/ the blood he shed. And now yo
! know all l have to tell. Do you nc
8 let it speak out Of your eyes to hin
even though your tongue amt likel
! to let it slip
. have no occasion to guard m,
!, self thus, for, now ! knew his stor,
: it was plain to me from his face tbl
Q Quiet Bill had suffered and | q
: ways held the doctrine that whore
sin is thoroughly repcnted Of, mi