The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1885-09-13
THE LIONS ASLEEP.
THE MerAGERiE ANIMALS AT REST
AFTER THE DAYS TORMENT.
Tho L:"n and His Mate-A Tiger SnOr-
inG-t Fear in His Overcoat-The
Villain Who Iauchs-AU
Serene
iEcN York World. |


At sunset every evening, Mr. Crowley.
the chimranZee, gravely shakes hands with
Superintendent Conkln, of the Central
park m.nagerie. AMI marches off to bed
like COOL little hoy, without ever begging
for ave to sit up just five minutes longer"
1t j. eltinie then for all tho other animals,
too add Hooper Potts goes around and
locks all the doors. Tho wicked smalI-boy
ceases from lrnddmg and the weary CHINA
mon Eenr is at rest for fourteen good, long
hour Not soul dsturbs the tomb-liKe
quiet 4 the big house devoted to the lions,
tigers anil bears. Big Lincoln, the veteran
lion n" likes to eat fat little boys, poses
maje tically in the gathering darkness, as
motionless As il he were carved out of
bronze, and if it were not for the wicked
glean ia his eye you would take him for n
statue. " hat happy reflection il it that
makes his yellow eyes shine in the darkness
like twin topaz: Big Tom Donahoe knows.
He say that I.ncoln'5 sole occupati) IN by
night j planning practical jokes to be played
ON un-u>I.ectinc countrymen next day.
IL midnight, now, and nearly all the
animals i'll THO big brown house are asleep.
Now is tho time to see the terrible fesh-eat-
ers off dress Iarade. They don't lock at all
bloodt thirsty they lie stretched at length
on their cage floors. Lincoln's mate, Jen-
ME, reclines in careless ease beside him.
with ponderous paw thrown lovingly across
his taW.ly neck. Tom DOUanOe Buru3GS MS
arm between the bars AMI strokes her head.
She likes it hugely, and lick, his hand with
her great, rasping tongue. SOS gentle as
a cow" says DoDahce. Il keep solid with
all of thenl, but she's my pet"
In n thick barred cage across the room is
a long pilo of black and yellow fur, out of
which four long thck-stripped legs stick
up detiantly in the air. That is Adonis, the
handsomest tiger in the United States, and
no Slapnt n If Ia IOipO If SanrV
Who is that rasping on the G string of
contra base? The deep, low murmur fills
the room and is as full of poetry as the
sound of distant surf, until you find out
that it is Adonis-snoring for dear life.
The dirty-Iooking brown Himalayan bear
doesn't say much, but no is full of business.
Donahoe says he is going to enter him for the
belt at the next six-days' walk, Rasp! raspl
raSp his sharp claws keep up a continuous
CHATTER all night he PAGES his close barred
CELL training for the big walk. Tom says.
The thick coat he wears must bother him
much these hot nights, especially when the
doors are all closed and the cooling breezes
can not lay any possibility blow through his
briStles.
"There's the demonstrating cuss l ever
saw remarks DoBahoe, pointing at a lank,
ragged coated prairie wolf, that sinks into
corner and glances furtively and sus-
picionsly at his visitors. His dull, yellow
ayes, AWAY, dowrfcast, give him the look
of a man who robs graves for a living,
and his keen, pointed nose is always
on the scent for some pioco of ras-
cality. As the visitors approach tho
big cage in the upper southwest corner
there is scampering and rattling of sharp
claw oyer the Pine flooring as the hyena
scurries round and round looking for some
darker place To run to. "Oh but you're the
fine viIlninl' Is Toms pleasant greeting to
him. AT ) O'clock every morning that fell
low sits MP in his corner and laughs and
laughs and laughs | know well what the
wretch is laughing at, but | wouldn't tell
for anything. It's terrible secret Two
new iaguars with sleek, black-spotted coats
try to keep up reputation for fierceaess by
lying awake all night, crouched for a
pring, and snarlns and swapping whom
ever any one passed the building. They arc
the wicke lest fellows in the house, and they
are fully mp to the dime novel mans ideal
"ong ii~some. blood-Seeking fiendS.' They
are only new arrivals, and Tom says they
won't i,s half So fresh after a few months in
tho show business.
A, the visitors pass out the house is quiet
any dormitory. The only sounds that
break the stiffness are Adonis tireless snor-
ing AMI the sleepy grunting of tho CHINA
mon bear. Then comes a short, quick yelp,
followed by long-drawn howl. Prestol
change. Here is wonderful transforma-
ton There is a shufiling and rafting of
claws as all the sleepers wake up and run
around their Cages. Then what u chorus.
From the deep gur-r-r-r of old Lincoln to
the tniest squeak of the guinea pig every
throat is busy. The noise shakes the walls.
For full five minutes the racket keep up,
and then by degrees subsidies.
At = O'clock all is serene again and once
mora Adonis SHORES sweetly, peacefully,
dreamle~sly.
Nineteen Distinct WY Faces
t'Uncle BiIl's'' New York Letterl
Tho wrecking of certain Mikado com
pany was n serious disaster TO most Of the
memler They had calculated on that
bliss SO rare to actors. the reception OF