The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1891-11-12

i y ~
: THE BABY HIPPoPoTAMUs.
/ / had great deal Of fun with this
little machine, on the dial of which you
could find anything from the morning
paper to pair of horses. Yesterday
met Mr.. Herzog, looking as well rs he
did before my attack on him, and was
surprised to find at my hotel and in
many other hotels since, the little ma
chine which ! used several years ago in
busting off the streets.
This shows, as say, the power of the
press, and how a fearless writer with a
good command of language may often
..ccomplish great good by attacking a
meritor. .,.ns thing.
Whenever / CINE to New York, even
for q few weeks, l like % fall into the
hands Of an old New Yorker who knows
|. the ropes, for it gives me feeling OF
comfort and confidence which nothing
else can. Day before yesterday started
to 60 up town with an old resident OF
the city, and as we went up the elevated
railroad stairs I told him how glad !
was to be as often as possible in the
hands of an old citizen Of the place, for
then did not have to worry over de-
tails.
eyes," he said, lit must be good
deal of a comfort to one who has not al
ways lived in the city to be with one
who is perfectly familiar with New
York, as nothing but time and years can
make one. Now, for instance, the man
from the west or from the country may
fatter himself that he is entirely at
home here after a week or two, and be-
gin to take it easy. That is the time he
corks himself, and the first thing he does
when he experiences this feeling of false
security is to climb the elevated stairs
humming "Comrades" softly to himself,
only to find when he gets here to the
ticket Office as we are that he has cSna
up those tedious iron stairs on hot day
only to know after he has his ticket that
he is on the down town side when he
wants to go up. or rice rersa. 1t is
mighty humiliating and makes him look
pretty foolish, think. And so-by
thunderl that's just what we hass done
nowl If you'll agree not to say anything
about this I will pay for the lunch"
So I will not say anything about it.
Last evening l visited Central park for
q stroll along its quiet walks in Sader to
rehearse a spontaneous after dinnes
speech for the Lambs club and also to
commune with nature and the child
wonder, the baby hippopotamus. / am
very fond Of wild beasts born in captiv-
ity, and often spend hours in front af
their cages contemplating their singular
habits.
The baby hippopotamus is. ! may safe.
ly say, as plain as Senator PETER. OF
Kansas, the hirsute wonder of the bound
less plains. She has q loosely fitting
habit and chubby legs, and is now about
half the size of her mother and one-third
rs large, perhaps, as her proud father.
She eats great quantities of hay and
then goes into the water. Her life il
not an exciting one. After being in the
water for . time she may be seer by
the observing student coming out again.
This constitutes her life work. Instead
of having q purpose in life, she does nc
more for her race or for history than q
young lady at q summer resort.
The giraffe always strikes me as sort
of Redfern brute, somehow, while the
hippopotamus child and baby elephant
hayo the air Of getting their clothes
Eaade al home, Look for one moment
at this elephant. Yh9 seat Of his trousers
has sag to it which takes .on4 bach t
the first experiment made b. ones pqol
mother in draping narrow and bouy
boy. have passed through that myself.
I went away to the academy wearing a
pair of trousers like that, and can still
fe4eNber how popular l was with the
town ;soys who hadn't had anything to
tickle them fQr 4 good while.
Icame to thsn like = tsy # sunshine
on the storm tossed ocean Il tIe.
landed among them like large, juicy
tenderlpin steak in q crowded den of n.y.
enas-hyenas suffering with tapeworm.
Oh, how joyfuliy they hailed me, with
nay fresh and tanzy scented atmosphere
How thsy took hold of me and wanted
to know vino made my detected trousers
with the deep seated melancholy!
| The elephant is much like country
boy, it seems to me. He has an air OF
outward stupidity which is often mis-
/ indged, for the elephant has gentle and
tender syots in his nature by which you
may reach hi14 without running hot
pitchfork into him. H. also has way
Of expressing himself at the proper t,ms
In such 8 manner as to win respect ane
esteem after he has ssood about enough
funny business. At such times he man
ages to make those who have revaasd hin
before beg to know the name OF ta
trouser maker 80 that they can get fl
like his.
Central park is a very valuable ant
beautiful strip of woods, but it does 40
touch the parks of Chicago, except tina
| 1. has the rugged beauty of rocks am
hills Which the Chicago parks do not
Few Eastern people realize that chicag