The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1897-12-30
BILL ARP AND THE CIRCUS TRAIN.
The Georgia Philosopher Gives His
Experience of Nights Ride With
the Animals.
fAtlapta Constitution }

tldVtl, UelleFS. iiFic dc o'iS'
calculations | might utter, tor Of late
there has been trouble in the old man S
mind. You see, | was invited over
here to talk To these people IN hu-
morous aud phliosophlc way and my
wife said as the lardtr WAS getting low
and the girls needed some more winter
clothes, and the tax man VS. toJbirg
around and the grandchildren would
be expecting something for Christmas,
she thought ! had better 90. s. she
packed my vallse with my best clio hes,
fortified me with little drug store OF
camphorated oil and flannel and liver
medicine and paIegoriC and cough
drop and dunine and Headache pow
derS and SO forth and So on. We
kissed goodbye all around and | de
parted feeling that | vas being driven
off from home by sad necessity. | took
the Sraboard Air Line at Atan,a
bound for Charlotte, via Monroe, but
our engine broke down at Greensboro
about dark and delayed Us three long,
dreary hours, and when we rea Ched
Monroe II was away after midnigh t and
the Charlotte train had gone. There
were three nice ladies aboard and sew
erai gentlemen, who were greatly dis
appointed, but the CDEd or WIS KIT d
and sympathetic and said there was a
circus tram near by that va, going 10
Charlotte right away and if we didn'l
| mind riding thirty miles in a cab he
would get Us thc prlvl eye. Tn: ladies'
said yes, and We did too, and We
climbed in. 1t was as dark as Erebus
| We felt our way to find seats bur there
| was nothing but some long tool boxes
whose Ids were hard and cold. There
was no fire and The wind blew through
a broken glass on the back of my head
The ladies chatiei away merrl!y for
they were going home, but | WASH
and couldn't chat TO save nay Ifs,
for was very tired and thought OF
that good soft bed at home. Dy and
| by the conductor came in with Ian
tern and took up our tickets and left
US in the dark again. About that time
the animals go. restless and the lion
gave an unearthly howl. Yol see this
| was menagarle tram.
1.-The animals went IN two by two,
The elephant and the kangaroo"
and every time The Cars Careened and
swung around a curve we could heal
some develish noise ahead or US. "Oh
mercy said the youngest girl, ''sup
pose they break out" "They Will eat
the sweetest and tenderest first" said
"Llons always do" | pulled my goa,
up over the back of my head and ru
minated. For two long hours we
logged along for the train was running
slow to suit the wild beasts and we
were OF no consequence. 1t was neal
three O'Clock when We got to the sub
cribs and stopped. Nobody was look
ing for us-nobody rushed forward t
meet us, no haCkman, no omnibus q
street cars, n - even a wagon or OK
cart or darkey. The moon had hid
| '
but we seized our grips and wraps arc
satchels and made dash for the cleo
trio lights. My companions soon sep
arated from Inc and marched in sin
gle file with my big vallse fall o
clothes and the drug store and strug
gled for three quarters Of mile III
the long and hard sidewalk. an
not used to arc lights and the flicker
ing shadow of every tree and tele
graph pole looked like a man in am
bush who was fixing TO hold me up.
had forgotten where the hotels wtr
and unConsCiously passed them for t.
dOors we've all closed, and there va
no sign. BY and by met a police
man and he conducted me back to
hotel, and | was as thankful as
was tired aud humble. My pitifu
tone of voice secured me kind atten
ton and bed When a man is ia
away from home his warmest welcom
is an inn But | did not rest well. I
10 o'clock supper on fried sausage an,
scrambled eggs and stale oysters dis
turbed my cor1orosity and | dreamed
that the tiger got loose and cam
prowl ng and bowling around the ca
and somehow | got hatchet out q
the TOOL box and lifted the young lad
through the port hole upon the root
and volunteered 10 defend her wit
l. %,
made desperate leaps to get up there
but every time ne got a paw on TIT
eve, cut it off and let him fell bac
, again. don't know what became c
r the other ladies, but think that othe
, wild beasts got IN and ate them ur
The men had all fed prematurely
but | saved The pretty girl, the sweet
est and tenderest, before | woke VI
, Who wouldn't, in a dream? What CT
rlous things are dreams anyhow! I'll
next trouble on the old mans mine
came over him at Salisbury. l wa
billed to lecture that night. On III
|, arrival found that august body, tn
Presbyterian Synod in session. Preach
ers and elders innumerable were sea,
tered among the good people all owe
town. They were holding night Sc:
: slons and wouldn't have adjourned 70
Mckinley or Grover Cleveland or tn
yellow fever or a fire. But this wa
not all. The Episcopal Bishop was
lecture on the Holy Land, where
; had been recently, and | knew that
: would fall between and get smothereG
/ MIR. Marsh seemed to feel very bad
! and apologized by saying that whe
= he booked me he did not know the>
meetings. sWell," said |, .the sain,
will all go to these meetings but yo
}. have sinners IN this town" He ad
mltted that there were some and SO
went ahead and lectured and was su,
prISed to see before me a select an