News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1889-01-24

connOltre. The cayuses were withdraw
to one side, almost out of range of the
little window of the shack where the
night-wind had drifted in, tanning the
sick child's feverish face. Soon shag
gy head was lifted cautiously above the
window-sill, but when the sick child's
eyes opened they rested ON the bill thai
tiuttered gently upon the wall. Then,
as the cradle-fame, as if wearied with
its spluttering struggle, expired, the
child tossed uneasily, painting in feeble
gasps, and the man in the splint- bottom
ed chair awoke with an anxious start.
He did not see the old cowboys shaggy
pate, for it had been quickly jerked be
low the sill.
"The ole elephant likes little boys,
don't he, pappyl' the child's voice
piped.
To the anxious father the weak voice
seemed weaker still, and it was with q
face gravely apprehensive, and tones
a-tremble, that he told of the old ele-
phant, in obedience to the piping.
"Iell me more bout the ole elephant,
pappy."
Presently the sound of the granger's s
voice had ceased, and after several mo-
raised his head.
Upon the opposite side of the poor
bed the granger was kneeling, with his
bearded face buried in the quilt beside
the sick child, and his frame shaking
/ with soundIess sobs, almost in unison
with the child's gasping.
/ Then, impatient and wondering at old
Shades de,ay, the rest of the cowboys,
with the exception of one who held the
cayuses, hurried, and then crept for
ward till they were all squatted beneath
the window. At first their hands were
on the butts of their huge revolvers, but
as the granger spoke in trembling tones
every hand was withdrawn from its
weapon. Then, one by one, they peered
cautiously in.
''Prayin' !" Scotty whispered softly to
his neighbor.
Then the child's feeble voice inter
ruptod the prayer.
"Pappy," it moaned, half reproach-
fully, II never saw a ole elephant" !"
'I'm afeared he never will, old Slade
whispered softly.
The prayer grow more supplicating as
the grangers trembling tones pleaded
for bis child's life.
Perhaps none of the cowboys squat /
ting beneath the window were maryels
of acumen, but as the ePrnyer-vehement,
almost acknowledgement on, they under
stood most of the story of the struggles
1f the despised granger.
All night long the child hal been
growing worse. anu as the prayer went
m he gave no need TO it. Once he turned
us almost lnsenuent eyes from the fl1t- =
.ering handbill on the wall to the win
low, yet the burning orbs, frightened
but almost blinded 10y delirium, saw
nothing strange IN the quick ducking of
old Shades shaggy head.
The prayer ceased presently, but the
granger still knelt with his head bowed,
and the cowboys heard sounds that /
made Scotty whisper huskily to his
neighbor.
"Cryin'!"
Then the one thought that was always
uppermost in the child's delirium as
serted itself again.
.'Pappy," the little voice piped, gasp
ingly, ''tell me moro about the ole ele-
phant. I never seed him y
The prayer began again, more fervent-
", despairingly, than before.
80 God !" the granger prayed,
"spare him. Let him live to see the
ole el-phantl" AS he went on, the
PRAYER grew more rambling. "Let him
live! Think of the pore little feller;
never seed the ole elephant Fer days
ever since that bill was dropped out
thar-hc's looked an longed fer to-
day, that he might see the ole elephant.
An now" He broke down for an
instant, and the men squatting outside
stirred uneasily. "Never seed the ole
elephantl" the prayer went on, half in
coherently. "Pore little feller An
when his nav died l promised to be
both father an mother to him. An
what have / donel Nuth'n'! nuth'n'
No pleasures !" he went on. &c But,
what could do, way out yere on claim,
with no money to buy noth'n' withF
An now, when l managed to scrape
spare money enough together SOS to
Wal, he's a-gittin' worse-an' oh,
he'll never see the ole elephant, I'm
afeard."
There was stir among the cowboys,
and rs old Slade looked cautiously In at
the window, the first rays OF the rising
sun sent the shadow of his shaggy head
half way across the room.
Very soon after, the bright rays shone
full in the faces of the group of COW
BOYS, as the cayuses bounded across the
prairie towards the point where the sec
tion-road wound into the strip of timber
that fringed Buzzard Creek. No one
had suggested the movement, but oil
hal started as if moved by common
impulse, though, to be exact, Scotty, the
| impatient, was little ahead OF his COM
rades OF "running out" the granger
nothing was said.
"Prayed for him to live to see the ole
elephant - muttered Scotty.
oval" said old Slade, earnestly, "lf
he lives half an hour an we have luck,
blamed if he don't see"
That's what !" broke in some one.
"Mebby we kain't--" began an
other.
"Mebby we hin" interrupted Slade,
firmly.
"But elephants is mighty"
"No difference. We're able fer him,
[ reckon, an'-an' the sick boy never
seed a elephant
Neither had several of the cowboys,
except the glimpse they had caught of
! a broad back in the far-Off procession.
! But if the Munchausen tales they had
heard of the huge beasts strength and
ferocity caused them to feel any appre-
hension, they gave no sign of such mis-
giving, as the cayuses continued to kick
| the distance behind their flying feet.
The advance of the circus toward the
cattle country had not all been attended
by good fortune, but as the armed COW
boys dashed up, the manager feared that
he was about to sustain his crowning
misfortune. The tales he had heard OF
their reckless disregard for the persons
and property of rangers were fnlly y as
Munchausenlike as those the cowboys
had heard of the elephant. The weapons
drawn, as the manager felt sure, to
slaughter any opposers, were but as pro
tective measures against the anticipated
charge of the elephant. The managers
fears seemed realized as there was a
nervous rush upon the part of the cow
boys which hurried the elephant, driver
and all out of the procession. Perhaps
if he had beheld the bank bill that found
its way into the ready hand of the ele-
phant driver, he would not have won
dered at the very slight resistance of the
latter.
, When he had recovered from the as
tonishment into which ho had been
thrown by the summary proceedings, the
few words spoken and the bank bills