The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1884-05-31
ragE ZION KING.

life Life! This isn't life /; its y living
death. For twelve months I've been |
lying a MANNED hideotls, useless thing,I
most always in pain, and earning Just
enough to keep my miserable body
from being put docently under, the
churchyard mould And little more
than year ago was a strong, pand-
some, hearty fellow, theNpride- 81 our
trayding company the Lion King.
How the spectators used to tremble |
and SILVER when / uubarred, the door
and walked into the li6n'seage! And
how the great beasts would crouch |
and look at me like dogs that knew
their master! And how some of the
women 'ud squeak with fright! God |
there's not mouse 30 faint-hearted as
to be afraid OF me now | haven't the
nerve to put my head down on n cat
as once | used to ON those lions, and |
could force open their jaws and hold
my hand between them without my
pulses going one beat the faster. We
were u tolcrably good company, taking
lis all round, suppose thcre'll never
be anything more done in the way OF
horsemanship than there has been in
these years past. There's bound to be
the jumping over banners and through
paper hoops, and the cleyorest equos-
trienc can't make her trained steed
dance on less than two legs. Well,
our women were active and cookbook
ing, and our clowns funny, and We
were mostly young and enjoyed our
strolling life and enjoyment of ones
business goes far to making the on
lockers enjoy it too. 1t seems to me
now as il it must be some other chap
I'm talking about; as if it couldn't
ever have been me that cared for so
many things--tho smell of the saw
dust, the cheers Of the people, Il drink
with jolly companion, a kiss from a
pretty woman. OF course people will
say brought my fate on myself that
I'd no right to try to control those
savage beasts and think | could be
their master "Hell do it once too
often," folk said, as folk do say. stupid
things a thousand times, and if they
are wrong 900 times and right once,
they think how clever they are. But
they were wrong about me, although
Pm MANNED, SCARED, wretched Grip
pie now. | knew my work. / could
master the lions. 1t wasn't my fault
and it wasn'tthe beasts fault tlflt lost
my power over them once it was the
fault of u woman-God bless her-the
sweetest and tenderest creature thai
ever breathed God bless her wherev
or she is! and grant she may never
know what's happened to me through
her.
1t was Just year ago that we wer'
down in s., n town after our own
hearts, where we were always welcome
and always sure of good houses. On,
morning, we had made the circuit o
the town in grand style, and were re
turning up the country road to wher
our tent was pitched, when our caval
cade was met by young girl, who, nj
ter just one glance at us, cast her eye
on the ground and raised them IL
more. We were SO used to admiration
and interest that this struck us all c
a heap, and, as tho girl was very .prot
ty5 each of us as we passed addresse
her with some joke, more or less witt,
mostly loss, and even q little broat
but she took no notice.
The incident amused us at the tim'
but we had almost forgotten it, whe
the next night, as we were havin
glasses round before turning in, on
of the women broke outwith an oath
do YOU remember that inealy-face
girl WHO wouldn't notice us us we pas
ed yesterday? She had the, imp
denCe to. speak to me in the street t.
day, leetured me, found fault with m
way Of lie, and begged me to reforl
and seek God before it was too lat
Me! What do you think Of tina
mates?" And the speaker, a boil
black-cycd woman, known on the pc
tiers as Madame Barbara, and among
us as Bah, smote her breast with HI
open hand and laughed noisily.
From that day each had q simil
experience to relate. Each had be,
addressed by the gentle-faced Meth
dist, and exhorted with good wore
Some were angry; some treated Il
affair as a good joke, and, pretendii
to be much impressed, sang psah
through their noses and ribald sol
tunes with serious words. When n
own turn came didn't laugh or sec
The girl WAS 50 young, 50 pretty,
earnest IN her wish to do good that
listened with hearty respect. She tc
me she was only in s. on a Wis
that her people lived in a quiet villa
in Kent, and she did not like the n
sy town Of SIR, withits drinking a
smoking, its Sabbath-breaking' Il