Sharp County record., 1881-04-14

horror, and turned aShy with fright. he
could feel the heated steam arisingtrom
the creatures moist sides-those mon
strous hanks which would sweep him
fromwhere he clung, like ahy from wall;
The great ears tapped at and famed
him-the small, twinkling eyes were
turned upon him. A shout or cry OF
warning and horror went up from the
crowd. 1t was answered by careless
grunt from the elephant, and in an IN
slant his proboscis was thrown into the
air. Jube gave himself up for lost. lie
found himself enfolded as by the coils
of serpent, and Immediately there
followed sensation as of flying Anoth-
er shout assembled from the crowd, but
this time it was shout of derisive
laughter at poor Jube's expense, for the
beast had lifted him quickly down from
his perch, and dropped him, not too
gently, into the middle OF the dusty
street. His majesty and retinue swept
on, leaving poor Jube to whimper and
rub his shins, as he crept into an alley
way close by. He was not much hurt
he found, after an examination OF his
Joints and bones, but he did have reg
ular ague-chill from the fright, and SO
felt reVengeful enough as he crouched
in the shelter of a garden wall to re-
cover his strength and spirits.
1.-The ole tough-hided, ole stump
footed ole critter! I'll be even wi i'm
yit; eff don't wish er may die" he
muttered, nursing his wrath.
Nevertheless, he was quite ready to
enjoy the night-exhibitiOn under the
canvas, and when the performance was
over he took his last look at the actors,
horses, wild beasts and elephant, regret
ting heartily that such days could not
last forever. -.
"Only," he thought, siding past the
modern mammoth reposing in state
upon his bed of straw, 81 should like
to Git a twist at one O. them tails OF
his nike | twists ole Brindle's, some,
times, when he wont git outen the pas
ter quick. l wonder, now, eff I'd jist
stick pin into dat foremos' one, an
run fer it, eff he'd think It would pay
i'm to chase me-"
Fortunately, however, discretion OF
cowardice decided Jube not to encoun'
ter the risk, so he started home in
safety from the village with q party Of
men and boys going in his direction.
Reaching the cabin about midnight, he
crept up the outside ladder to his bed
in the loft, and was soon rivaling Han
nah and Israel in their duet of snores
below.
From the overeating or over-excite'
ment of the day, his sleep was not Of
long duration. He was aroused, an
hour or two before dawn, by the sounc
of wheels passing along the turnpike
In an instant he was wide awake anc
on the alert.
"Goodnessr' he exclaimed, in 6
culver of excitement. "Ef 'taint Gle
surcuss and 'nagerie on its travels
Wish-er-may-die, if 1 don't get one
more blink at the elerphunt."
In q trice he had slipped from his
bed, and was at the hole in the gable
end which did service for him as door
and window. The moonlight was
flooding the pike, and, as far as he
could see along it, there was passing 9
ghostly procession OF men, horses, vehl,
cles, etc. 1t was the circus on its move
to the neighboring town. Without
more ado, Jube, in his airy costume,
slipped down the rickety ladder to the
ground. He found, near the tumble
down gate, an excellent covert and
outlook. Crouching in the clump OF
Aunt Hannah's privet and lilac bushes,
he watched with the utmost zest until
every wagon OF the numbering train had
rolled past and disappeared, in shadowy
outline, far up the road.
Then his heart sank, heavy as lead.
He had not seen the elephant. 1t must
have gone by, ahead of the train. He
waited five minutes longer to see il
there were anything more to come. Ex,
cepting that whip-poor-will, dreaming
in the big oak.tree upholding Israel S
drying tobacco crop, now. and then
sounded its plaintive cry, not a sound
disturbed the moon-hooded stiffness Of
his watch. Heaving profund sigh Of
disappointment, he took one more look
up and down the turnpike, and was in
the act of turning about to 60 back into
the cabin, when an object some dis
tance down the road caught his atten.
ton. He crouched again and waited
Whatever the object was, it drew slow
ly nearer, momentarily increasing in
proportions, until 1t loomed up pom.
derous mass, clearly defined within the
range of his enchanted vision.
1t was the elephant, moving drowsily
along. His keeper, riding alongside,
seemed half asleep, too, as also did the
pony he rode. 1t was evidently som,
namhulistic trio, jogging leisurely along
in the wake of the show. But Jube
was wide awake and there was spirit
of mischief awake within him, besides.
a sed I'd be even wi the tough
hided, stump-footed ole thing" he
chuckled, squaring himself for action.
HE skeered me to-day, but I'll gin
him sich skeer, now, as never was. "
On came the somnolent three. Di
rectly, they were abreast of the gate
behind which crouched the waiting
Jube. Suddenly this gate flung wide
on its hinges and the boy leaped into
the road with a screech and yell, fling
ing his arms about and tapping his very
scanty drapery, almost in the face OF
the beast ! Ou may believe his Indian