Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1888-06-15
AN ELEPHANTS TRACK,

AN ELEPHANTS TRACK.
at kin be done Nance, an Pm a
goin' to do it eff it busts me-" Newt
Pinson brought the tore legs of his
raw hide bottomed chair down on the
puncheon floor with thump, and
slapped his knees emphatically with
his hairy hands.
alive dollars air a mighty heap to
spen' fer sech foolishness, Newt" re-
piled his wife, turning the squalling
baby on it's stomach and pounding it
vigorously on the back. "Mo'over," "
she added, after pause, 81 don't see
ez We be got the five dollars, nobow ="
Mr.. Pinson stretched out one long
leg and thrust hand into his trous-
ers pocket. "Ye're mighty right,
Nance, / ain't," he admitted blowing
the loose tobacco from the handful of
coin fetched up from the honest home
made depths; "I've got jes three dol
lars and a half lef' outh what Sam
Leggett paid me fer the yearlin'. But
me an the Children hev been a-talkin
of it over, an they hev conclusioned
to th'ow in ther aigg money; Dan fo'
bits, an Pete fo'; Joe an Jed hez two
bits betwix 'em, an Polly M'riar say
ez bow she hev fifteen cents. Pm
lackin' of a dime, but l reckin | kin
scratch thet up somewhere"
"Ther's my two bits up yam in the
| clock" Mrs. Pinson remarked, with
pretended Indifference; ''ye kin take
that ef ye air seech plumb fool ez to
pike the whole passel of US inter
town to see the circus"
"Shucks, Nance!" he returned. in
dignantly; 81 amt a-goin' to tech yo'
two bits" Nevertheless be got up
and fumbled about in the clock case
on the high mantel shelf until he
found it Anyhow" he added, as
be reseated himself, II kin pay it back
whence ye get ready fer yo' mex bot
tie O. snuff"
"Will they be a el'phunt?" demand
ed one of the freckled faced urchins
gathered around the heads of the
family, listening, breathless, to the
discussion.
ga dollar fer Nance, an dollar
fer me-" Mr.. Pinson counted, gravely.
taking no notice of the interruption,
"an fo' bits apiece fer Beck an Dan
an Pete an Polly M'riar an Joe an
Jed. Children half price"-he glanced
casually at the flaming circus poster
tackled against the cbinked wall in the
chimney corner-'not countin' of the
baby. AM fifteen cents lef', by
jing!"
"Do ye reckiu l kin git in fer half
price, paw" This question, which
came from Becky. the oldest of the
Pinson brood, who stood five feet six
and a half inches in her bare feet,
might have been meant as bit of
covert sarcasm. had not the eager
voice belied any such intention. Her
fathers eyes travelled slowly up from
the hem of her homespun frock, as
she stood leaning against the chimney
jamb, to her pretty round face framed
in it's shock of frizzlv red hair.
"Waal, l be dinged, Beck" be ex-
claimed, in dismay, 81 keep fergittin'
ez how ye air growed up! His face
clouded. and be looked ruefully at the
pile of dimes and half dimes lying in
his large palm.
"An' Sam Leggett's gone to Kan
sas on cattle drive" murmured the
twelve year old Dan, with meaning
leer at Becky. A vivid blush over
spread her face; she dropped her eye
lids and squirmed her shapely toes.
But Mr.. Pinson was absorbed in
mute recalculation, which ended
presently in beat-out whistle and
mournful shake of the head.
Mrs. Pinson, with the colicky baby
laid over her shoulder, was jolting
her rockerless chair to and fro. and
singing, in a sweet drawling under
tone:
"Far-ye-well, oh, far-ye-well;
When ye git to hev-yen ye will pa-art moo
| moot"
She interrupted herself to observe,
quietly, aye kin tote the baby, Beck;
an l kin tote Joe; an yo' paw he kin
tote Jed, twel we git inside the tent.
They amt no charge fer Children in
arms 1t says So"
"Lord, Nance" exclaimed her hus-
band, 10 an ecstasy of admiration, eye
air the beatenes' white woman on
Rastler's Greek! Thet settles it oncet
mo-! Fetch me coal fer my pipe,
Polly M'riar"
Becky heaved deep sigh of relief,
and sank down on her heels, reaching
under her mothers chair at the same
time for the snuff bottle.
"Will they be el'phunt?" persist
ed Jed, the tow headed boy next to
the baby, already in long trousers,
which were hitched up to his shoul-
ders with single white cotton "gal-
lus."
"Of co'se. They is aluz elphunt
with circus" replied his father.
II amt nuver seen no circus" said
Mrs. Pinson, in jerks between the
long drawn swells of her mournful
lullaby.
"Nuther hev l." admitted Newt,
"but jes natchly know that ever
circus has got to hev epphunt an a
clown"
didn't 1 tell ye sol'' cried Dan,
triumphantly, folio wing with dirty
forefnger the head lines of the poster.
"Ain't the el'phunts right here, a
dancin' an stan'in' on they heads,
an a rollin' O. barrils? An ez fer
clowns! They is four mirth pro.vok
ing clowns in this here show. II
says so. AM five beau -ti-ful and &C
com-plish-ed lady bareback riders;
and be continued to spell out labor
iously the manifold and unrivalled
attractions of Riddler's Mammoth
Circus and Menagerie, billed-for one
performance only-in Johnsburg al
two o'clock PM, Monday, the 18th
October. Come One Come All.
Becky, struck by a sudden thought
stared at him, shifting the brush un
easily from one corner of her mouth
to the other. Like ez not" sh,
hroLa ont abruptIv uRrothar SkapU