The Springdale news., 1889-11-01
A STROKE OF GENIUS.
How Little Johnny Brought the Circus
 to Kentucky Jln's.


 to Kentucky Jlm's. The whole country south of ken- tucky Jim's mining camp was abiaze with circus posters. Every bis of fence. every tunlble-down, deserted miners cabin between Sligo and Wild Cat which could by any possibility be made to hold scrap Of paper, became bill board. Johnny Hunter had feastcd on them alI with eager eyes a5 he rode about=the country with his father.
 There were pictures of biz, spotted African eiratTes, eating leaves from the topmost boughs of tall trees; elephants, with feet like door-stones and great swinging trunks; big and little ponies in brilliant trappinEs, standing on two legs, making ladders Of themselves, sitting at table, and performing the most amusing tricks. There were fe- rocious tigers. and white bears on big blocks of ice. and wolves and lions. and I man sitting right in the den with them. And there WAS biz cage of chattering monkeys and parrots with ! red, green and yellow feathers. Best Of all were the wonderful ring perform anees, whore man was flying through a trapeze. and six others making an obelis1 of themselves, and q man in red and green being fired out of q big can non.
 Then there was procession of gold chariots and ladies in beautiful clothes - vii q ,fg Shetland ponies and q brass band, and man playing on steam piano
 Johnny, who had nevee been twenty miles from Kentucky Jim 5. and who i had never seen travelling show of any kind, much less q gorgeous circus like this, hugged himself with eestacy.
 Not many bills were posted very near to Kentucky Jim's for the circus was to exhibit at town forty miles away. and it was hardly probable that many could go that distance. In par ticuIar, Johnny knew very we'll that IL was not going. Mr Hunter was su- perintendent of three mining camps, and as busy as man could well be- from morning to night Johnny would never be permitted to go so far alone though lie would willingly have walked from Kentucky Jim $ to San Francisco to see these wonderful sights, had his father consented
 Johnny thought it all over very care- fully as he rode along by his fathers side over tke smooth beautiful moun- --in road. Tall pines lowered above them. Smooth parked manzanita gleamed from thicket5 by the wayside and sweet odors of mountain pinks waited their fragrance to the passor-by
 Mir. Hunter had business with one of the oYerseers ut the mine, and Johnny, catching the word "circus. listened with all his might.
 They thought, sir" the man was saying, ''if we drew up petition you might see fit to let Us off for one day. And the men have been kept over hours since we turned the water on tho Big Lead. Here is the petition sir"
 Johnny looked on with eager eyes. He had never heard Of petition be- fore, but if it was anything that would help boy to the circus, he meant to have one.
 The man handed Mir. Huntington long sheet of paper, at the head of which was written, in bold letters, something beginning, We, the under signed respectfully request that We be allowed. etc, etc. Then followed d long list of names.
 Mr. Hunter shook his head regret fully.
 If it wero not so far away, Math- thews, We might arrange it. But the men would hardly be able to get back to wora before noon of the next day, and We must be ready to clear up by Thursday Tell them 1 am sorry, but l. can't be helped this time" And Mir. Hunter hastened off down the hill where q heavy stream of water from an eight inch pipe was playing. with tremen- deus force, on the opposite sand bank and washing the rich gold soil down the tunnel.
 Johnny seated himself on smooth gray rock and began to whittfe off clean, beautiful pipe-clay shavings, all the time thinking very hard on q grand scheme.
 Presently he jumped up. sIll do it." he shouted. And away down tho hill he ran to his father.
 The result of the conference was that Johnny went over to the oyerscers lit-