The Mt. Sterling advocate. (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) 1890-current, 1894-09-25

lorna nc6 as muCn as the audience
did, for they never had to be told
what to do and seemed only too
eager for their turn tn come. The
best of it all was that they were
quite unconscious of the audience
and appeared to do their tricks for
the sake of the tricks themselves and
not for tho applause which followed
them. And then, after the usual pro-
gramme of wicker cylinders, hoops
and balls was over they all rushed
off amid a furious scrattling of paws
and filliping of tails and heels.
While this was going on we had
been hearing from time to time a
great sound, half whine, half rum
bling, cultural cough, that came from
somewhere behind the exit from the
cage. 1t was repeated at rapidly de-
creasing intervals and grew lower
in pitch until it ended in a short bass
grunt. 1t sounded cruel and menac-
ing, and when at its full volume the
wood of the benches under us thrill
ed and vibrated.
There was little pause in the
programme while the arena was
cleared and new and much larger
and heavier paraphernalia were set
about, and gentleman with well
groomed hair and very shiny hat
entered and announced ''the worlds
greatest lion tanner" Then he went
away, and the tanner came in and
stood expectantly by the side of the
entrance; there was another short
wait, and the band struck long mi
nor chord.
And then they came in, one after
the other, with long, crouching, lurch-
ing strides, not at all good humored-
ly, like the dogs or the elephant or
even the bear, but with low hanging
heads, surly, watchful, their eyes
cleaning with the rage and hate that
burned in their hearts and that they
dared not vent. Their loose yellow
hides rolled and rippled over the
great muscles as they moved, and the
breath coming from their hot, half
open mouths turned to steam as it
struck the air.
A huge blue painted seesaw was
dragged out to the center, and the
tanner made sharp sound of COM
mand Slowly and with twitching
tails two of them obeyed, and clam
bering upon the balancing board
swung up and down while the music
played a seesaw waltz. And all the
while their great eyes famed with
the detestation Of the thing, and their
black upper lips curled away from
their long fangs in protest of this
hourly renewed humiliation and deg
radiation.
And one of the others, while wait
ing his turn to be whipped and bull
lied, sat up on his launches and faced
us and looked far away beyond us
over the heads of the audience-over
the continent and ocean, as it were
as though he saw something in that
quarter that made him forget his
present surroundings.
"You grand old BRUTE" muttered
Toppan. And then hesaid: do you
know what you would see if you
were to look into his eyes MOVIE You
would see Africa and unnamed noun
tains, and great stony stretches of
desert, with hot blue shadows and
plains of salt, and lairs in the Jungle
grass, and lurking places near the
paths the steinbok make when they
go down to water. But now he's
hampered and caged7-is there any
thing worse than Gagged lion2-and
kept from the life he loves and was
made for"-just here the tanner spoke
sharply to him, and his eyes and crest
dropped" and ruled over, conclud-
ed Toppan, "by some one who is not
so great as he, who has spoiled what
was best in him and has turned his
powers to trivial, resultless uses.
some one weaker than he, yet strong
er. All, well, old brute, it was yours
once, we will remember that"
They wheeled out clumsy veloci-
pede built expressly for him, and
while the lash whistled and snapped |
about him the conquered king heav-
ed himself on it and went around and
around the ring, while the band
played a quickstep, the audience
broke into applause, and the tanner
smirked and bobbed his well oiled
head 1 thought of Samson perform
ing for the Philistines and Thusnelda
at the triumph of Germanicus. The
great beasts, grand though conquer
ed, seemed to be the only dignified |
ones in the whole business. / hated
the audience who saw their shame
from behind iron bars, / hated my
self for being one of them, and /
hated the SNUG, staggering tanner.
This latter had been drawing out
various stools and ladders and now
the lions upon them so they
should form pyramid, with himself
Oh top.
Then he swung himself up among
them, with his heels upon their necks,
,NI 20 1ri,,c. hn11 80 +ln lon, |