Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1878-10-23
FARMER SWIFT AND THE ELEPHANT.


were playing " -four old cat" as he
drove into his own doorvard, late one
hot September afternoon, fifty years
ago.
The bows dropped bat and ball, and
gathered about the CHEEKY, good-natur-
ed man, as he dismounted from his
chaise and went on with his animated
talk
I've driven straight from Brattleboro
The great New York caravan IS on eX-
hibition there this afternoon and even
ing. / should have gone In and looked
at the animals, only it didn't seem as If
it would be just the right thing for a
family man to 90 to q show without his
wife and children. So thought [ would
wait and take you all with me to Green
field tomorrow and see 1t there.
Il walked around and looked at the
big tent so that ] could tell you all
about it, and asked a large strapplng
fellow, in a red shirt and shiny belt, who
stood outside. for pictured bill to bring
home to show the folks. But he was
one of those big-feeling, important fell
lows, and he and a lot of the other
showmen made fun of me, called me
Jonathan 'Greeny,' 4ank,' and so
forth. and said [ had better run home
to my mother and save my quarter. |
told him that same quarter was what
he was after, but he wouldn't get 1t out
of me or any of my neighbors. and that
we would all see the show too, without
going out of our town for it. They all
laughed, and the head one said: Il
guess not Jonathan. But [ calculate to
be as good as my word.
$50, George, you jump on to the bay
colt and ride up to Frizzle Hill and on
TO Saunders Mountain. Horace, you
take the white FLY and cut down to
Tiffany's Ferry and Prindle's Crossroads,
and both of you stop at every house on
the way, and tell all the boys and girls
that the big New York caravan, on its
way from Bristleboro' to Greenfield, will
come along here some time in the night,
and that / will stop the whole thing, so
that all who shall get here before sun
rise tomorrow morning, can see the
elephant and camels, sure, and perhaps
get a sight of the other animals.
"JOseph, you may tackle the brlndle
steers into the OK wagon, and go down
to Moose Plain and bring up a good big
load of those rip sugar pumpkins.
Jane you and Esther run out into gar
den, and pick and husk a basket of sweet
corn and bring it here to the door yard
fence Wife, now I've got this business
off my mind for the present, | guess I'll
have q bit of supper"
These various instructions were all
obeyed with alacrity and carried out to
the letter, and at the usual early hour
for retiring, quiet settled down over the
old farm house.
81 shan't go to bed" said the farmer,
" for fear of sleeping SO sound that the
caravan will steal march Oh me after
all. Come, Major" and the stout:
healthy, pleasant-faced man, and the
large brown house-dog stretched them
selves out upon buffalo robe, on the
floor Of the broad. open stoop, both pre-
pared to sleep with one eye open.
Between three and four o. clock of that
clear, dewy, September morning there
came a steady tramp and smothered
rumble from far up the dusty road.
Major pricked up his ears and gave a
quick, sharp bark at the unusual sound
Farmer Swift sprang to his feet, and
going to the chamber door called out:
Fun ahead. fun alive! Up, up all
Of youp' The old chanticleer, reused
by the extraordinary hustle, sounded
out clarion call from his roost, which
woke every " cock O the walk in the
neighborhood, and simultaneously sent
back cock-a-doodle-doo, which went
ringing off across the hills and woods
and meadows, being taken up in turn
at the farm yards on the Brattleboro'
road, and sent onward across the long
plain, until by the time the great, tramp
ing, Tumbling caravan reached Jason |
oWift's red farmhouse, every family
from Saunders Mountain to Tiffany's |
Ferry were awake and tumbling out of
bed, and starting off for a run across the
'dew-wet fields to the old red house.
Farmer Swift bent his tall, sinewy
form down behind the high board fence, |
and as the huge, long black column
came hurrying down the hard, white
road, big yellow pumpkin rolled |
noiselessly down the green slope, di-
rectly under the feet of the monster
elephant. The lusty, hungry fellow
was not SLOW to recognize it as luscious
morsel. He had a special fondness for
sweet pumpkins. Farmer Swift had
heard one of Ajax's keepers say so the
day before. 1t was a long time since
he had had pumpkins for breakfast, and
he now caught up this one, that lay so
in his path, by def twist
of his trunk when in a twinkling, thump
went the bright golden sphere down
upon the trodden track, and lay in
crisp, inviting fragments at his maiesty's
feet. Giving long, low gurgling notes of
JOY, always SO touching when elephants
utter it when they are pleased, he
wheeled about ana fell to eating with a
keen relish.
OF course Ajax Immediately became
an impossible obstacle in the way of |
the long line of animals on foot and in |
the heavy. gaudily painted, wheeled /
cages that were behind him. The t
weary, hungry creatures that were
nearest Ajax, and on foot, hearing him
his food, set up each his
lI,. l r.