Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1890-08-15
IN THE ARENA At MINES.
Sport That Pleases the Populace Nearly
las Much as Bull Batting.

Sport That Pleases the Populace Nearly
las Much as Bull Batting.
Wearied out that Sunday morning with
wandering through in%tcrlninablc corridors
and clambering over the broken ranges of
seats, we descended end asked to be let
out. The wife of the guardian was for the
time being in charge. Waving her fat
hand with true southern dignity toward
the nearest archway, through which a
struggling line of miscellaneous mankind
was passing to the interior, Ladies'" said
she, II counsel you not to leave. This Of
%ternoon, as doubtless you know, there will
be a serious affair in the arena, with tri-
dents and cockades, but just ut present
the youth is going to exercise and amuse
itself with a cow-a small cow-left over
from the last course"
We were impressed by her manner and
began meekly to retrace our steps. Hav-
ing found and established ourselves in q
shady spot we turned toward the arena
and perceived for the first time that the
central space was encircled by a low wooden
paling closed at one extremity by u pair of
red painted doors which might have been
Dotted from a north New England barn.
Inside the paling in convenient proximity
VS. these doors were grouped some forty of
u. jeunesse de Mines, of age varying from
Is to so. There were soldiers and police
men off duty, clerks from town shops and
"hands" from the neighboring farms, boys
with dogs and boys without, all swayed by
the same passion for the classic diversions
of the arena.
A cry is raised of "Elle vient!" and n tu-
multuOus movement arises among the
youth, followed by a series of loud thuds,
as eighty heels smite the wooden paling
and eighty legs are adroitly swung over to
the side of safety. The alarm proving
false, they cautiously return to the post of
danger, and not until this escapade has
been several times repeated do the barn
doors actually turn upon their creaking
hinges and admit to the arena Il lean and
wistful looking heifer. She let her eye
drop languidly, first on the jeunessc astride
the fence, and then with a shade more of
interest upon ourselves. Even thus, be-
holding her full face, we could but own
that she was a small creature. A little tri-
angular black head, with moody mouth,
sleepy eyes and widely branching horns,
two short, thin legs and a waving tail
were all that we could discern. After q
few moments of suspense n of the more
adventurous youths stole forward on tip
OOO, "AoOpCu Ill OAC du1Aud > Cdl dllu UuCu
dashed back to the fence amid loud ap-
plause.
Moolly turned her head half around and
con"temptuously switched her tail. The
experiment was repeated from the other
side of the oval space, and she started on q
calm trot for the red doors, only to find
them closed. Her movement had quite sui
feed, however, to clear the arena of human
combatants, with the exception of one
plump sergeant, who missed his leap over
the paling and lay biting the dust. We
waited impatiently for the next act of the
drama, but nothing ensued, and the con.
viction slowly forced itself upon us that
the fun was all over. 1T was very interest.
ing, wasn't it, ladies?" said the guardians
wife, as she accepted her fee and ceremoni'
ously bowed us out.-Harriet w. Preston
in Century.