The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1889-03-15
ALTERED INTENTIONS.
How the Cowbows Came to Ex-
hibit the Circus Elephant.

Ever since sunset the prairie breeze
had famed fever-fushed little face.
Bolt upright in a splint-bottomed chair
BY the bedside, a man had fallen asleep
again and again, in spite of his de-
termination to remain awake. But,
notwithstanding his weariness, he had
slept lightly, and had often awakened
ut the sound of faint moan. or the
touch Of the night wind as il softly
stirred the erect and unruly wisps OF
his mop of tangled hair, and often
seemed to him, half waking, like the
soft, caressing touch of childish
fingers Every time he woke with an
anxious start he saw that the fever
bright eyes of the sick child were fixed
longing upon the pictured handful up
on the wall, as it fluttered in the gentle
night wind. And, each, time when the
man had cooled the parched lips with
water or patted the scanty pillow, the
child had piped:
Tell memore bout the ole elephant.
pappyr'
And the man had told again OF the
old elephant-how he was almost as
big as the shock" and was dirt-col-
ored, and had long, white tusks and
great big fappy ears. and had a trunk
that he swung from side to side as he
walked.
AN he likes little boys-don't hep
Likes EN- frst-rater' the man
would answer. Thinks heap of
emf
And the fever-bright eyes of the
child would be bent more eagerly up
on the long bill that fluttered on the
wall, and, in spite of his loving anxi-
ETY., the man would nod, his head
would slowly sink forward on his breast,
and he would be asleep from sheer
weariness.
Presently, as the candle burned al
most out, the east grew gray, then
lighter. A turtle-dove, that had
winged her way through the misty
half darkness TO resting-place upon
the topmost strand of the settlers
piece OF barbed-wire fence, greeted the
coming morning with her soft. solemn
''coo-wOor'
IL they had looked from the window
of the a. shack" and the gray of the
morning had turned a little more to
gold, the settler and the sick child
might have seen u novel procession
passing along the sectiOn-road, IA quar-
ter OF a mile away. There were queer,
canvas-wrapped vehicles and queerer
blanketed animals that looked strange
enough in the coming light, but which,
denuded of their wrappings in the
Care of The sunlight and on the main
street of Range City, would blossom
out into the more or less gorgeous
chariots, cages and curiosities of
circus-parade.
This last crawling end OF the process
sion was dimlY discerned by little
squad Of broad-hatted, jangle-spurred
horsemen, whose galloping cayuse
ponies had carried them swiftly across
the prairie in the direction in which
the circus was slowly taking its way.
Thar cried one OF the COWBOYS.
rs they reached the forks where the
Httlc-worn by-road that passed the
settlers cabin left the section-road.
Thar they air! Come onr'
The squad seemed on the point OF
dnshing along the seetion-road in the
wake OF the circus.
ho4d on thar, Scotty!' cried the
Oldest man OF the group We've
got"
But thar's a elephant. Slader' in
terrupted the first speaker, with an al
most boyish enthusiasm ..Ketched a
glimpse Nv him among the wagons,
st as"
-.Never mind the elephant" broke
in old Slade. We've got other busi-
ness on hand jest now. Got to ketch
n glimpse Nv a granger. stead of an
elephant. an sorto-"
80 rto start n granger processionr'
cried another Of the broad-hatted
ones
.Yes.''I growled Scotty. it'll be
procession that'll start quick and go a.
iearin'. Faint got no time to progic
You bett Specially when thar,s
/ elephant az big's a house movin'
down the road away from US. said
another.
"'Twon't ia ke but little Bit" said
old Slade. Eve kin"
but s'posen he shows fight?
Reckon he'll cut up rusty, or"
Let him cut all he durn pleasesr'
broke in scotty, sayagely. LET him
cut! Wore able fer him, all the same.
Grangers is grangersr' -