Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-01-01

in the open door as she peered with
shaded eyes into the gathering gloom
for lettering husband or son sent long
enough ago to the store for quarter OF
a pound of tea.
The wagon was driven into the stable
yard, and left standing with its load I'M
removed, Ben's cage and all, while the
horses were taken off and put into the
stable Ben was given his supper OF
danties he had never tasted before, and
left for the night
In the morning he excited considers
bic curiosity among the loungers when
his cage was taken down and placed up
on the ground. Els master wanted TO
| dispose Of him, and would Go obliged to
remain st the post several days at any
rate, and it was proposed to the land
| lord. and acoeded TO, that Ben,
being perfectly tame and harmless,
| should have 4 chain and collar, and be
given greater liberty i'll one corner OF
the yard, where es post was planted, to
| which he was fastened.
| Here Ben received his motley visitors,
who led him on all sorts Of choice things
candies, cakes, raisins, etc-wbich
/ ticllled his inexperienced palate, while
his vanity was gratihed by his being the
; object Of SO much attention. Poor, vain
! Ben He was scarcely ever alone dur
ing the day, but constantly in the pres
| ence CT d greater or less number OF per-
! sons. Ben WAS delighted with the new
order OF things, and, being natural
wag, and kept IN good humor by graft
fed appetite and vanity, he grew to be
very popular. The landlord, seeing
| what an attraction he was, bargained
for him with the boy, and Ben, TO his
| entire satisfaction, was fixed in his new
quarters, and, without a sigh, allowed
his old master to return to his forest
home.
IN his new situation Ben was as indif-
ferent to the feelings Of his recent mas
ter as he had been before to those Of his
poor mother and little cub brother.
Sweet cake and such things instead Of
his former plain fare-corn dodgers and
the like-with plenty Of good fellows to
feed them to him and laugh at his antics,
were ample reconlpense for the loss Of
his young masters tender care. Like
most pleasures, however, an over or IN
wise indulgence brought its penalty fcr
the bear. The rich food he noY en-
joyed, though pleasant 10 the taste, was
not conducive to health, as was mani
fest in his altered disposition. He soon
became cross, Morose, freally, or, as his
enemies would have It, treach erous. He
lost much IN popularity in consequence,
Of which he @as aware, and that made
him al the more irritable.
ABOUT this time the kostler, very
decent, well-meaning fellow, whose duty
it was to take care of Ben, was prornot-
ed to the box-in other words, made a
stage driver-and another found to fill
his place, who proved to be quite dill
terent character, much more disposed to
attend to that which did not concern
him than to perform faithfully his legiti-
mate duties, one of which was to look
after the bear. attend to his wants, ETC.,
though not to teach him tricks to render
lliln still worse than he had already
power to be. At first he took no par
ticular interest in his charge, and fed
him regularly enough; but, after few
days acquaintance. seeing Ben in his
better moods, he discovered his true
character, and told the stable-boys and
loungers that there was fun in the brute
and he was going to get it OFT of him.
Accordingly, when his duties were
done, he procured some molasses in
which he poured quantity of whisky,
and set it before the unsJlspecting Ben,
who, innocently enough, Tapped it up
with great delight. This was only for
the sweet, however, for as yet his civil
ization was not SO complete as it after
ward became The result Of the exper-
iment was just as great, Notwithstanding,
and Ben, to use vulgar bat most APP
propriate expression, "got as drunk Us
fool"
OF course Ben was not this time re-
sponsible for his condition, or mary
ridiculous capera he cut; nor could it be
justly said that he was ever responsible,
for what did the poor. ignorant bear
know Of the world outside of the stable
yard or of it's morality !? His teachers
and examples were human. Gould a
mere brute ask any higher authority
Ben was but beast without human in
telligence to guide him or human in
centives to sobriety, SO he allowed him
self to be led on to the daily degradation
even of his brute nature.
As Ben's example seemed popular,
and was pretty generally followed by the
men, the landlord permitted this to GO
on, if he did not abet it, seeing, of
course. that all the liquor was purchased
at his bar, including that for Ben, WHO
meanwhile was rapidly perfecting him
self in the art of drinking whisky. He
could already dispense with the swee:
Induceraent, and take it clear, solely for
the "fuddle." Even the brilliant young
man, with his superior education, who
had now become Ben's frequent COM
panion, could do no more, when whisky
was furnished both, "iust for the fun OF
seeing them together"
Let me here digress moment to re-
peat the old story briefly. But eight
years back this young man had come-to
the post, fresh from an Eastern law
school, in the bright morning of his lie,
SO full of promise, he had twice ably rep
resented the Territory in Congress.
where, to gain political friends, he had
too often yielded to political temptation.
Now, like Ben, he needed no persuasion.
The once proud, ambitious aspi1ant for
political honors was not above playing
his part with dissolute bear for free
whisky. He WOuld seat himself l1DOn