The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-09-19

order to see II Mile. Ostrich was equalsto
the couchee-couchee. but Keeper Snyder
objected to this on moral gEounSs. He Is
a great moralist, is Keeper SNYDER. and
has Q. wholesome respect for DR.. Parkhurst
and the rest Of the reformers.
,,es Let Us 80 and ser en-, the bears sug
sic, and they know how TO behave them
selves" This last was delivered with a
look of reproach toward Mile. Ostrich. who
was strutting about in all the consciousness
of a newly developed accomplishment
THE BEAR COMEDIANS.
The polar bear has evidently become ac-
climated to New York temperature. He
was stretched out in the sunshine. and
seemed rather to enjoy it. AS an appropri-
ate selection, Professor Greim struck up
From Greenland's Icy Mountains. but the
good old Methodist hymn was received with
utter unconcern by his bearship "Oh. I
Don't Know! You're Not so Warm" was
tried with no more interesting results. But
the two grizzly bears proved TO be less blase.
If you have ever seen a genuine darby cake
walk you may form some idea of how the
music affected the grizzlies.
Naturalists claim that the bear Is q born
comedian, that beneath his forhidding and
somewhat surly exterior there turks a vein
of spontaneous comedy. This theory was
borne out, at least in part, when the pro-
lessor played medley of negro melodies.
Over the faces of both the bears came an
expression of beatific delight Their coun-
tenanceS fairly beamed as they pressed
against the bars in their eagerness to get
as close as possible to the source of their
pleasure.
Then began an old fashioned walk
around" The eccentric gait of the old ne
gro nanny. half waddle and half swagger,
was assumed with inimitable effect by
these two shaggy comedians. And they kept
it up, walking upright upon their hind legs.
until the professor stopped playing to tune
his string. which had gone fiat. With the
cessation of the music the bears alnDleQ I'D
to the bars of their cage. with low proteSta-
tons of disapproval, and passed their paws
between the bars.
''They want the fiddle" said the keeper
''They can't have it, said the professor.
See what they would do with 1t" urged
the keeper.
They wouldn't do thing to it," replied
the professor. And he Rugged his precious
instrument to his breast and hurried away
to the monkey house.
If those monkeys could have escaped from
their cages and the professor could have
been induced to march down Fifth avenue.
playing as he Went. he would have made
history. The Pied Piper of Hamelin would
then be lost to memory. Monkeys of all
sizes and varieties listened intently to the
professor playing, seated upon their perches
and quite forgetting in their absorbed in
terest to chatter.
the air was flied with perfect Bedlam OF
screeches. And at the conclusion of the
concert there was such scampering and
seen at the Zoo Unt4l the figure of the pro-
fessor was lost to view they watched him
with eager little eyes, as though loath to
believe that a new sensation and one so
pleasurable could be so short lived.
At o'clock the grounds We're thrown
open to the public. and the persons who
had been made aware of the musicale lost
no time in ascertaining the after effect OF
so powerful musical stinulant. The lions
were still roaring, the monkeys were chat
tering, Mile. Ostrich was rehearsing a new
dance and the prairie dogs were barking in
the sun. But above all sounded the "Hee-
haw! Hee-haw! Hee-haw-haw-hawi" OF
the descendants of Balaam's steed.