The weekly Oskaloosa herald. [volume] (Oskaloosa, Iowa) 1855-1885, 1872-09-19
UNFORTUNATE SECURITY.


Ny dear said Mr.. Blake 10 Ia
wife. one morning, IS he arose tron
the breakfast table 10 go ont 10 tn
barn, I'm in some difficulty with tia
man Snyder.
I'm not surprised, John said hl
vile. Il told yoa II would be 50
Whist could you expect from dealin.
with a keeper of Wild beasts Hos
mach viii you lose ::
20, nothing. | nope. said Mr.. B.
looking = little ashamed. 'bas yol
see he's had his animals winlerei il
the neighborhood since November
and Of course he expected the farm
ers to furnish him with hay and grain
Where else could be get ~
4 don't kue that Snyder and tht
beasts have any clain On You.
Well lsus hing, 'one don't w&nt
to be unneighboriy, even 10 snake:
and panthers. Bal there's 10 use il
talking now of the right or wrong Of
it. lei him have the hay and graiE
too
AID he hiss nos paid yoa =
We'll, no.
How much is the debt 2
Five hundred dollars, or there's
bouts
why, John Blske And We dc
not much more than make the end:
of the year meet in the best of times
How do you intend to get it:'
Il don't know, really
Mr.. Blake stood in the doorway, ii
the pleasant morning sunshine, shift
ing his heavy body uLeasily from one
foot 10 the other. He was rudy
faced, good na;ured man, who 'could
not bear to be hard on dog and the
thought of pressing the keeper of the
menagerie for his money vexed hin
exceedingly.
But there was no denying the fac
that Snyder had acted very much
ike rogue with most Of the farmer:
in The neighborhood. Aud then
mis- own family. He glanced at the
children seated about the table. He
hsd no right TO deprive them OF MANY
OF the necessaries Of life 10 enrich
Snyder. 1t was equivalent 10 that Il
let him leave town without paying
his debt
If | knew how, I'd force him Il
pay up, cr;ed he, pulling on his IA
angrily.
II is very easily done, said hi.
wife. Seize some OF his property
until he pays
Il was thinking of that. But wha
can | take The wagons are old
Stacking concerns, worth nothing "a
me, and which he would never re
deem
The horses 2
80, miserable old crow bats = cried
Steve, who, with the other children
had forgotten to finish th,i r meal ii
their eagerness TO listen.
Mr.. Blake shook his head. sTh,
horses he has are of no value
The animals, then 2
Mother " shouted Steve and Phil
That's just the thing, father. TAKE
a lion
'Or that Rocky Mountain grizzly,
said Sue.
OR the big Bengal tiger added
Phil.
Nonsense /. Bengal tiger, indeed,
grcwled Mr.. Blake. The money
must 60, | suppose. No use in bring
ing suit. These menagerie men q
shifting sill over the country. There:
no such thing as laying your fuge
on them anywhere.
'Of course, ii is folly 10 talk oflion
or bears, ssid his wife. cslmly. .Bu
| see nothing to prevent yoar aiiach
ing one of the inoffensive amin ais
My ward for ii, Snyder would soul
pay your money TO redeem it. or. i
be dli not, there Is Siariey's menag
erie coming TO Belville before long
aud You could sell il 10 him.
There's a good deal of sense il
that, said Mr.. Bake. I'll go righ
into town and consult White a5ou
il.
White was the village lawyer, anl
3 sharp fellow. Mrs. Blake knew h,
would push the matter as far as pos
sible against Snyder.
Do she said, go to White di
recily.'
Can We go, father 2 cried sill tn,
boys.
No; certainly not. Can | never
take step without lot OF riffratf o
children at my heels 2
However, when he went in for hi
Sunday nat, the boys brought theirs
and gave their faces a hasty scrub a
the pump. When he came back, h,
called out 3:
are those youngsters ?
thought they were going with me
They're always under ones fee
when they're not wanted
And they all set offtogether. Mrs
Blake called out,
Remember, an inoffensive animal.
Itwas late in the evening when sh,
heard, far up the road, an uproar, in
creasing with every moment, ant
running out to the porch she saw
black mass moving towards her, sur
rounded by shouting crowd ofmel
and boys. Mr.. Blake rode up hasti
ly, his face glowing with delight.
SWELL, mother, we've gained tn
day. Brought off the baby elephan
as he's called. But he's more thai
half grown anyway He's worth
thousand dollars if he's worth pen
n.y.
'Where will We keep it p erie,
Mrs. Blake in dismay.
20, in the barn or woodshed. Any
where, almost. It's not so enormous
ly large, after all-and SO intelligent
A trick elephant, you see. 1t vii
give the boys and their companion
some amusement and instruction
too, in natural history. They don
study the habits of animals sufficient
ly. I've no doubt Sn, der will b
down for it in few days
But what crowd is this?'
well, well Just few neighbor
and boys. Never saw an elephant
poor lads. Wen not grudge any
body a sight of him. We're no
showmen, thank heaven
Mrs. Blake stood in the doorwa,
Watching the progress otthe elephan
towards the barn. Her heart mis-
gave her, Now and then she hear,
a shrill trumpet of defiance, which t
her ears was something inhuman an.
terrible. The boys, too, making
short cut to the barn, rushed through
her fiower-garden.
Ell Oh