The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1886-10-28

~S~h~ W.
! settled, the attention of Eli was caught
by the lamentations of four kittens.
plteously meowing to accompany the
depart ny parents. The mother softly
! bewailed the unimatum of Noah, which
peremptorily declared that only two of
a kind should embark. Eli. who had
been cycling the line while Noah was
IT,, ing to escape from his predicament,
now quickly slid down from the stump
on which he had been sitting and APP
preaching the disconsolate family made
signs that he would assist them. A
pair of opossums were syn,pathizingly
gazing upon the meowiDg group, and
going up to them Eli made signs that
the kittens should be admitted into the
pouch of the female and be smuggled
aboard. The kittens had hardly been
placed in concealment when the long
procession of animals began m wing
once more. Noah and his sons having
concluded that all questions relating to
the sex of birds should be referred to
the eagle, and that arbitrator having
perchcd upon the gunwale, the en-
barkation proceeded.
! ''Twig the CANNES, Noah,' yelled
Eli. "Those dogs are full of fcas; bet.
ter pitch them overheard than save
such a lot of vermin."
"Great Scott! and l was only to take
two of a kind! Why didn't somebody
tell me about those Internal fleas before
it was too late. Now the whole human
race will be pestered by feas and l will
have to bear the blame. 1 wish 1 was
dead" Then, choking with choler, he
returned to his labor. 1.-TWO monkeys,
tally!
Hi" howled Eli, that amt fair;
you're making a family of it."
Noah, in a paroxysm, threw his style
at the head of his tormentor and shout
ed:
"Ham! Ham! Come here, quick!
You are the biggest of your brothers,
Go over there and thrash that knave,
Eli. Do anything to him; only get rid
of him.
'Father,' replied Ham. II dare do
anything reasonable, but remember Eli
is the bad man of his tribe. He'd only
enjoy sousing me in the river. But if
you desire it I'll argue with him from
the deck
"Argue nothing, Ham," moaned
Noah. Il can do the arguing for the
family. Take your brothers there and
drive him away. Pummel him soundly.
Go, Ham,"
''Nay,' answered the son; 1.-THE
wicked triumph ever in a fight which
the righteous know little about. He
would drown us all before the flood
and VI work would come to naught.
Reason with him, my sire"
Reason be blowed," groaned Noah;
''this is not a time to reason"
In desperation, Noah called his other
sons, and IL consultation was held. The
wicked people lining the shore, firing
of the cmbarkation, now began to
seek amusement by throwing stones
among the animals and creating con-
fusion by teasing and starting fights
among the larger and fiercer beasts.
A wanton man standing near a pair of
buffalo, who were quietly moving for
ward. proceeding a pair of hippo
potami, suddenly jabbed a stick into
the haunch OF the nearest buffalo, and,
turning quickly, gazed unconcernedly
down the river. Tie buffalo wheeled
briskly on receiving the thrust, but NO
one appeared to be the offender but the
tusk-bearing hippopotamus in the e
Hardly had the buffalo faced to the
front when the jab was repeated. This
time the animal bounced about in a
rage and glared ut the stolid hippopota-
mus. who TRANQUILITY gazed back. The
buffalo. swallowing his ire once more,
faced to the front, only to be severly
jabbed again. This was too much; the
incensed animal let both heels drive
| straight into the face of the tranquil
| hippopotamus. That animal emitted
one terrific below and drove right in
to the enemy. The charge of the huge
beast bowled over the whole line Of
animals. Pell nell they all went,
hustled. crammed and jammed against
the ark. up the gang-plank and owe
the deck of the vessel. The terrified
animals, e~ndeavoring to escape the aw-
full crush, carried Ham and Japhet
headlong orer the opposite side OF the
ark. Noah and Shem were lost amid
the confused mass OF struggl ng beasts.
The battered form Of each was finally
seen ~endeayoring to climb upon the
gunwale. Having straddled this posi-
sion, Noah called to Japlet, had crawl
ed up the bank, to reform the broken
line. Ham seized the dangling leg of
his ancestor. and, pulling himself into
the ark. he began expostulating:
Father, it is useless to go on in this
fashion. That last move of the wick
ed has driven almost all the animals
abroad. Why cannot we cut adrift
and sail9 We have a goodly number
abroad safe and sound, whereas if we
proceed we may lose what we have, and
our labors will have been for naught.
Again. if
"Oh, Noah, you haven't any mules.
What'll you do your ploughing WITH"
shouted Eli.
That's a fact" said Noah, and he
pumped down on the-deck in despair,
''Why didn't that double-skulled Shem
think of it! Say, Eli, won't you hunt
up a pair and bring them down here
right away-that' = good fellow"
''Ha, ha i" and Eli laughed till he
fell off the stump backward. 'Mules-
oh, Noah, what you don't know about
natural history would fill that dizzy old
ark iteslf. Mules Oh, hold me or
I'll die"
The patriarch stared for a moment.
and then his face grew scarlet. He