Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1888-06-21
AN ELEPHANTS TRACK.
An Account Of the Pinson Fam
ily's Trip to the Circus.

An Account Of the Pinson Fam
ily's Trip TO the Circus.
Il kin be done. Nance, an I'm a-goin' to
do it ef it busts me-" Newt Pinson brought
the forelegs of his raw-hide- bottOmed chair
down on the puncheon floor with thump,
and slapped his knees eInphatically with his
hairy hands
"Five dollars air a mighty heap to spen'
fer sech foolishness. Newt" replied his
wife. turning the squalling baby over on its
stomach and pounding it vigorously on the
back. '.MO'over," she added, after pause,
- don't see ez ye be got the five dollars, no.
how"
Mr.. Pinson stretched out one long leg and
thrust a hand into his trousers pocket.
''Ye're mighty right, Nance, l 'ain't," he
admitted, blowing the loose tobacco from the
handful of coin fetched up from the honest
homemade depths; ave got jes three dol
lars and a half lef' outn what Sam Leggett
paid me fer the yearliD.' But me an the
children hev been a-talkin' of it over, an
they hev commissioned to th'ow in Their aigg
money; Dan To- bits. an Pete fo'; Joe an
Jed heZ two bits betwiX' EN-, an Polly
M'riar say ez how she hev fifteen cents. I'm
lackin' of dime, but reckin kin scratch
tibet up somewhere
Theirs my two bits up van in the clock, >
Mrs. Pinson remarked, with pretended in
difference; ',ye kin take that ef ye air SEGA
plumb fool ez TO pike the whole passed. OF
us inter town TO see the circus"
''Shucks, Nance he returned, indig-
nantly: Il amt a-gOin' to jcch yo' two bits"
Nevertheless he got up and fumb!ed about
in the clock case on the high nantel shelf
until he found it. "Anyhow," he added, as
he reseated himself, II kin pay it back
whence ye git ready fer ye' mex bottle O.
snuff
Twill they be eTphant!~ demanded one
OF the frecsle-faccd urchins gathered round
the heads of the family, listening, breath
less, to the discussion.
"a dollar fer Nance, an dollar for me, =
Mr. Pinson counted, gravely, taking no no.
tice of the interruption, IAN TO bits apiece
fer Beck an Dan an Pete an Polly Mriar
an Joe an Jed. Children half price'-he
glanced casually at the flaming circus poster
tackled against the chinIzed wall in the chin
ney corner-"not countin' of the baby. An
fifteen cents left by iing"'
''Do We reclzin 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 half inches in her
hare feet, might have been meant as a bit of
covert sarcasm. had not the eager voice be-
lea any such intention. Her fathers eyes
travelled slowly up from the hem of her
homespun frocl1, as she stood leaning against
the chimney jamb, TO her pretty round face
framed in its shock of frizzly red hair
'sWaai. be dinged, Becki'' he exclaimed.
in dismay, Il keep fergittin' eZ how We air
growed up His face clouded, and he looked
ruefully at the pile of dimes and half-dimes
lying in his large palm.
AN Sam Leggett's gone to Kansas on
cattle drive murmured the twelye-year-
old Dan, with a meaning leer at Becky \
vivid blush overspread her face: she dropped
her eyelids and squirmed her shapely toes,
But Mr.. P;uSon was absorbed in n mute re
calculation. which ended presently in Il beat
out whistle and mournful shake of the
head.
Mrs. Pinson. with the colicky baby laid
over her shoulder. was jolting her rocker
less chair 10 and fro, and singing. in sweet
drawing undertone:
''Far-ye-well. Oh far-ye-well:
When sc git to hey-ven We will pa-art moo
moo
She interrupted herself to observe. quietly:
aye kin tote the baby. Beck: an kin tote
git inside the tent. They ain { no Charge for
children IN arms. 1t says So
Lord. Nancer' exclaimed her husband.
in an ecstacy of admiration I'VE air the
beatenes' white woman on Rastler's Creek,
That settles it oncet mo-! Fetch me coal
ter my pipe, Polly Mriar."
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
''Win they be a el'phunt." persisted Jed,
the tow-headed boy next to the baby. al
ready in long trousers, which were hitched
up to his shoulders with single white cot
ton ''gallus."
''Of co'se. They is al'uz el'phunt with
circus" replied his father.
Al 'aint nuver seen no circus,'' said Mrs.
Pinson, in jerks between the long-drawn
sweils of her mournful lullaby.
'Nuther hev l." admitted Newt, but I
les natchly know that ever circus has GOT
to hev elphunt an clown"
'Didn' tell ye or cried Dan. triumph
sntly, following with dirty forefinger the
headlines Of the poster. ''Ain't the ell,
phunts right here, a dancin' an a stan'in on
they heads, an a-rollin' o. barrils! An ez
fer clossnsl they is four mirth-pro-yo-lSinp
clowns in this here show. 1t SAYS so. AM
five beautiful and accomplished lady
bareback riders" and he continued to spell
out laboriously the manifold and unrivaled
attractions of Riddler's Mammoth Circus
and Menagerie, billed-for one performance
only-in Johnsburg ut two O'Clock p. m,
Monday, the 18th of October. Come One.
Come All.
Becky, struck by a sudden thought, stared
at him, shifting the brush uneasily from
one corner of her mouth to the other Like
ez not,n she broke out, abruptly, Brother
Skaggs II preach agin it mex Sunday Sho's
yo' bawn, Brother Skaggs air a-goin' ter
preach agin it."
Mrs Pinson stopped singing; Polly Ma
ria and the boys turned stricken faces upon
their father.
His eyes twinklet under their bushy red
brows, but bus voice was decorously sober
as he drawied: Brother Skaggs hev gone
to Confunce, an he won't be back twel
Sst,dsy week. We MIN, Nance" he con,
tiRued, sit air thirty-one mile to town. an
Of re lay to git thor in time fer the show