Louisiana capitolian. (Baton Rouge, La.) 1879-1881, 1881-07-16
AFAnILy PET.

the proprietor of the approaching circus
and menagerle of that name, was pick
inc his teeth on the steps of that excel
lent hotel, the Buss House, tall, sun
burned, bal-headed man, with pine
bnrs in bis clothes aud q stick OF sassa-
fras in his mouth, approached and said !;
"Be Won the wild animal man, mis-
ter"
The proprietor of the "Double Mann
moth Mestodon Aggregation admitted
that such was the fact
"Then," proceeded the party from the
mountains, II think I'll get you to make
me an offer FOR large-sized healthy Cal
iforny lion I've got"
Good specimen, eh !" asked the cir
Gus man.
Good Well, should say So Meas
ures eleven feet from the tip OF his nose
to tip of his tail. Caught him myself
when q cub, Just four years old to-mo-
row"
"Hum-good appetite :"
"Appetite .-Great scost-appetite !!
Well, | should smile-thats just the
point-that's just why Pm parting with
JAY call him Jay Gould because he
takes everything in. fit wasn't for his
appetite, and the queer little things it
makes him do, | wouldn't part with
Gould for fortune"
Savage, eh 7"
"Well, no; / don't know as should
call Jay savage, eXaetly-sorter nibblish
though, maybe. Has kinder habit Of
gnawing up things, so to speak. In
fact the neighbors-I live up at Blad-
der's Peak-have gotten to be so fussy
and particular of late that can't so
much as unchain J. g. for little fresh
air without their getting grumpy over
it,"
There's no pleasing some people,
said the hipPodromer.
II should say not. Now, f'rinstance,
about three months after Jay got to be
a. big as boarding house sofa, came
home one day from picnic and found
he had eaten up old Aunt Maria, who
had been left at home to mind the house
--leastwise she was nowhere to be found;
and 80 Jay Gould seemed sorter bulgy-
like, and kept coughing up hairpins and
false teeth for a day or two, we kinder
suspiconed the whole thing"
Maternal aunt I" inquired the show
man, thoughtfully.
Exactly. My wife took on dread
fully at first, and wanted me to shoot
Jay right off. But | told her that he
probably suffered a good deal as it was,
and that as most likely he'd catch rheu-
matsm and things from the remains
we'd better call it square"
''And did she ~
''Well, she kinder got reconciled after
awhile, especially as Jay seemed fond OF
playing with the children. One morn
ing soon after that my wife's mother
whole family lived with me, you see
didn't come down to breakfast. AS all
her false hair was hanging over chair
back, and Gould crawled ont from under
the bed licking his chops, and with his
tongue a good deal coated-mOther-in.
law was always taking things for the
liver complaint-we saw at once it was
another visitation of Providence, and
that the heavy hand of affection was
again upon u.s."
Looked that way, didn't it"
''Well, as you may suppose, the old
lady-that's my wiie-pranced around a
good deal then, and got down the breach
loader right away. But just then ar.
rived gold medal from the s. p. G. A
society, awarded on account of my for.
bearance in the Aunt Maria business, and
so got her Gained down after awhile
''Pacifed her. ell ~
eyes; managed to arrange a reprieve
for Jay, somehow. You see, was awfuI
fond of PETS and tender-hearted, and
all that, you understand. argued
that the poor animal didn't know that he
was doing wrong-merciful man is mer
ciful to his beast, etc, etc. That
suoethed things over for another
month"
What happened them ~
"Well, one day / sent Tommy, oul
youngest boy, down to the store for some
sugar, and he took Gould along for com
pany. Now, whether it was because Jay
was fond of sugar, or not, don't know
but he came home alone, and as soon az
we noticed a peculiar kind of bulge OF
his ribs, about as big as Johnny, We
concluded that the dread archer ha(
marked another SkidmOre-my name Is