The Red Cloud chief., 1889-02-15
ALTERED INTENTIONS.
How the COWBOYS Came to Ex-
hibit the Circus Elephant.

How tho COWBOYS Came to Ex-
hibit the Circus Elephant.
Ever since sunset the prairie breeze
bad famed q fever-flushed 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 wearincss. he had
slept lightly. and had often awakened
at the sound Of a faint moan. or the
touch Of the night wind as it softly
stirred the erect and unruly wisps OF
his mop OF tangled hair, and often
seemed to him. half waking. like the
soft carcssing touch OF childish
fingers. Every time he woke with an
anxious start he say that the fever
bright eyes of the sick child were fixed
longing upon the pictured handful up
on the wall. as il luttcred in the gentle
night wind. And. each. time when the
man had cooled the parched lips with
water or pattcd the scanty pillow, the
child had piped:
Toll me more bout the ole elephant.
pappy!"
And the man had told again Of the
old clephant-hOw he was almost as
big as the ''shOck." and was dirt-col-
ored. and had long. white tusks and
great big flappy ears. and had a trunk
that no swung from side to side AS he
walked.
AN he likes little boys-don't hep
Likes 'cm f~irst-ratc.!' the man
would answer Thinks a heap of
'em!'
And the fcvcr-bright eyes of the
child would be bent more eagerly up
on tho long bill that fluttcrcd on the
wall, and, in spite of his loving anxi.
ETY., the mar would nod. his head
would slowly sink forward on his breast,
and he would be asleep from sheer
WEAKNESS.
Presently. as the candle burned al
most out. the east grew gray. then
lighter. A turtle-dove. that had
winged her way through tho misty
half darkness to a resting-place upon
tho tOpmOst strand of the settlers
piece OF ~barbed-wire fence. greeted tho
coming morning with her soft, solemn
''coO-wOO!"
II they had looked from the window
Of the /" shack" and the gray of the
morning had turned IL little more to
gold, the settler and the sick child
might have scen a novel procession
passing along the scctiOn-road. a quar-
ter of a mile away. There were queer,
csnvas-wrapped vehicles and qucerer
blanketed animals that looked strange
enough in the coming light. but which,
denuded of their wrappings in the
glare of the sunlight and on the main
street Of Range City. would blossom
out into the more or less
chariots, cages and curiosities OF a
circus-parade.
This last crawling end of the process
mon was dimlv discerned by a little
squad OF brOad-hatted, janglc-spurred
horsemen. whose galloping cayuse
ponies had carried them swiftly across
the prairie in the direction in which
tho circus was slowly taking its way.
Thar" cried one of the cowboys,
q they reached the forks where the
iittlo-worn by-road that passed tho
settlers cabin left the section-road.
THAR they air! Come on"
The squad seemed on the point of
dashing along the section-road in the
wake Of the circus.
"Hold on thar. .Scotty!:" cried the
Oldest man Of the group. We've
got"
but thar's . elephant. Slade." in.
eerrupted the first speaker. with an al
most bcyish enthusiasm. '.Ketched a
glimpse Nv him among the wagons.
list a."
':Never mind the elephant" broke
IN old Sladc. We've got other busi-
nOs on hand jest now. Got to ketch
. glimpse Nv a granger. stead of an
elephant an sorto-"
''Sorto start q granger processionr'
cried another o. the brOad-hatted
ones
"Ye." growled Scotty. "itTl be q
procession that'll start QUICK and 60 q.
tlsin,.. Hain't got no time to proRic
uoW!'
"You bet! Specially when thar's
. elephant ~ ,big's . house movin'
down the road away from u.s. said
aaOther.
.""Twon't take but little bit" said
ola Sade. I'VE kin"
"But -s'posen DO shows 6shtp
Reckon he1l cut up rusty. or"
"Let him cut all he durn' p~leases!''
beoha. in Scotty. savageiy. LET him
emit! We're able fer him. all the same
Gmheers is grsngen"
Nkangers were grangers. and there
- entitled to little but indignitics at
- Aands of the cowboys and ''cassie
line&~ Though, legally. grangsrs.
Il ~ cnttlc-men ~scornfullS deno0ki
G6ssiuseeiS' AsA hSn1ena@