The Benton weekly record. [volume] (Benton, Mont.) 1880-1885, 1882-03-02
Parting With the Family Pet.

was picking his teeth ia front Of the Russ
House, a tall, sun-burned, bald-headed
man, with pine burrs in bis clothes and q
stick Of sassafras In bis mouth, approach
ell and said:
'sBe you the wild animal man, mister?''
The proprietor Of the circus admitted
that such was the fact. s.
tThen,' proceeded the man from noun
tains, II think I'll get you to make me an
offer for large sized California lion I've
got.n
"Good specimen, eh?" asked the circus
man,
"Good! Well, should say SO. Meas
ures eleven feet from the tip Of his nose to
the tip of his tail. Caught him myself
when cub. Just four years old to-mor-
row. stta#
s'Hum-good appetite?''
appetite? Great tScott-apnetite! Well,
| should smile-that's just the reason why
I'm parting with JAY call him Jay
Gould because he takes everything in. #
it wasn't for his appetite, and the queer
little things it makes him do, wouldn't {
part with Gould for fortune" ~
Savage, eh?'
E'Well, no; / don't know as / should
call Jay savage, exactly --sorter niblish,
though, he may he. Has kinder habit
of gnawing up things, SO to speak. In
fact, the neighbors-L live in Bladder's
Peak-have got to beso fussy and particu-
orof late that can't as much as unchain
j. G. for a little fresh air without their
getting grumpy about it,
S'There's no pleasing some people, y
said the hippodromer.
II should say not. Now, for instance,
about three months after Jay got to lie as
big as boarding house sofa, came home
one day from q picnic and found he had
eaten up Aunt Maria, who had been left at
home to mind the house-leastwise she was
nowhere to be found; and as Jay Gould
seemed sorter bulgy-like, and kept cough
ing up hair-pins and false teeth for day
or two, we kinder suspicioned the whole
thiug.o
s'Maternal Aunt?'' inquired the show
man thoughtfulIy.
Exactly. My wife took on lreadfully
for day OF. two and wanted me 20 shoot
Jay right of. But as / told her that most
likely he'd catch rheumatism and things
~, i.,,I II
square,"
'.And did she ~
Well, she kf4ider gasreconcfied after a
while, especially as Jay seemed fond OF
playing with the children. One morning
soon after that, my Wfe's mother-wholp
family lived with me, you see-ditln't come
down to breakfast. All her false hair was
hanging over a chair back, and Gould
crauled out from under The bed, licking
his chops, and bis tongue a good deaI
coated mother-in-law was always taking
things tor the liver complaint-we saw al
once it was another visitation of provi-
dence, and that the heavy hand of atfiic-
tion was again upon u.s."
sLooked that way, didn't it 3'
swell, as you may suppose, the old la
dy-that's my wife-pranced around q
good deal then; and got down the breech-
loatler right away. But just then arrived
gold medal from the S. ?. G. a. society.
awarded on account OF my forbearance in
the Aunt Maria business, and SO got her
calmed down after WHILE"
'Pacified her, eh -
Eyes, ! managed to arrange a reprieve
for Jay somehow. You see was always
fond Of pets, and tender hearted, and all
that, you understand. I argued that the
poor animal didn't know that he was do
ing wrong-a merciful man is always mer-
ciful to his beasts, etc. That smoothed
things over for another month.
"What happened then?''
'sWel, one day / sent Johnnie, our
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 OF not, | don't know,
but he came home alone and soon we no.
ticed peculiar kind of bugle on his ribs,
about as big as Johnny, and we concluded
that the dread archer had marked another
Skidmore-m name is Skidmore-for his
own. The whole family took on like
mad, and Mrs. Skid, was about to shove
the powder-keg under Jay Gould and
touch it off herself when Ipointed out that
it wouIdn't do to desecrate our ofspring's
tomb in that way. So LUST had the burial
service read over the lion and tied Grape
around his neck for thirty days. How does
that strike you-2'
After that you kept the animal chain
ed?n
4 s.Well no. The fact is I SCI out to geta
chain several times. but one thing and an
other prevented, until one day last week !
aetually missed the old lady herself.
looked around for hera couple of days,
when somehow of a sudden sorler inten-
toned where she was. gave Gould hall
i pound Of eme1fc right away but ali we
could get out Of him was 4 pair Of high
heeled shoes anda chest protector. II was
too late, too late. We put the shoes and
thugs iii thecoffin and had Jay led behind
The hearse 10 the cemetery. Wanted to have
as. much of the corpse present Is possible
don't you see22's'9 We had the animal de-
cofated with f1owerszanSi things. as fine as