The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-07-03
BRUINS LITTLE REVOLT.
an EPISODE BEFORE THE DAMON
IN A BEER GARDEN.

Keeper ana NaeIne0 u DO tn0 OouohH0A
Couchee-The Spirit OF the jungle ana the,
spirit or the CnEe-Ena or the RsbslIlsn.
II was a warm night and the beer garden
was crowded. Bicyclists in pairs sat 81 the
little tables, tho knlckcrbockers Of the men
and the short skirts of tho women giving them
tho look Of grown.up children. Some Of the
skirts were prettily trimmed and neatly ems
bellishod with rows Of stitching, while othera
made of crash hung Imply with a crushed and
behraguled look. Accompanying them every
variety of footwear appeared, from high leather
boots.meeting the HON Of the skirt to golf Btook-
ings and simple low-cut shoes.
Tho crowd slipping Its beer, which since the
war tax had been mostly foam, watched the
performance on the stage with slack Interest,"
awaiting the appearance of tho bear in his won-
derful couchee.couchoe dance. A juggler in-
erectuallv balanced half n dozen cigar boxen.
He lot them fall TO the floor moro than once,
wheroupon there were a few groans from re-
mote corners. The spectators turned die.
Rustedly away from tho stage and watched the
walters who moved briskly among them. CRY.
ing Remember the Maine, but don't forget the
waiter" A negro succeeded the inexperienced.
juggler. He sang very well in the musical tonOa'
common to his race.
what is he singlngH' asked a-glrl in ansun,
usually abbreviated bicycle skirt Of u stranger
opposite her.
II love you still the same,". he answered.,
gazing tenderly into her eyes. +
Tho girl gigRled. blew the foam from hoA
glass, and turned her attention to the stage.
Meanwhile the bear, stretched at full length
in the little room back of the stage, was dream-i
Ing strange dreams, dreams Of jungles dense
with mammoth trees. These trees were tanA
glod with wild vines until not a single glimpse
OF the blue sky beyond could be seen. He was
not alone. Noble animals after his own pRts
tern crouched about in the long grass, keenly
alert, on tho lookout for human prey, beings
they might crush with their mighty strength
and then devour piocemeal at their leisure.
1t was strange that the bear should dream OF q
jungle. He had never seen one. Neither had
his father nor his grandfather. However wild
and untamed his more remote ancestors might
have been, he was Immediately descended from
tame bears born in cages and trained to dance to
tho lash of the trainers whip from their youth
up. He had never in all his life tasted of human
flesh. Yum yuml His great jaws moved hum
grly in his sleep at tho moro thought. If only
he could have one good bite'out of that trainer.
The trainer reused him with a kick. u
"Come, get upl' he said. :
Tho bear. usually submissive, growled as he
raised himself on his launches. To dream Of
tho wild freedom of jungles and then be reused
from such dreams by the kick of a dog of q
trainerl 1t was too muchl His very soul
Wv ANbAi bAAt IVA UaNo' nv "So hAAAAAOoe ?
helpless! His only resource was to follow the
trainer onto the stage and stand there, the OBJ
served Of all observers.
He looked across the footlights at the swarm
of people drinking beer, their faces all turned
toward him, waiting for him to begin that mis- !
cradle dance of his, the, couchec-couchee. II
suddenly, since his beautiful dream OF a wild
free life IN in. the jungle fa among magnificent speci.
felt the lash of the whip, the mere thought of
dancing the couchee'couchee drove the blood
blushed. The idea Of his being obliged night!
after night to go through with a dance that !
even at Coney Island it was not always danced
ty the Nautch girls. 1t was sometimes inno-
here he, a decent. well. behaved bear. must
dance it every night OF his life, and before q
shame of It. He made up his mind not TO dance
danced it. he said to himself. for the last time.
1t was too much to ask even OF a tamo bear. He
wondered the authorities had not investigated
the matter long ago, anyway, and put Il stop to
it. Where was parkhnrst5 II was a sin and
The trainer cracked his whip, and the bear.
standing on his hind legs. walked about the
on a chair, turned his broad face to the audi
ence, and smiled through his muzzlc. There
heart. He knew what he had made up his
mind to do when 1t came time to dance that
and, still be a Villain The fact was he intended
to hug his trainer to death in the wrestling
g @%tSn w losP o %;w'E ise P PoosfiFSts the Into 'G fRs c SS.
dience, and escape, muzzlc or no muzzle.
~ AnH }thSr chair was placed upon the first one:
on this second chair. Then he sat on a third
until his head was on 1t level with, the roof,
turned his face to the audience and broadened
his mild and, infantilc, smile. The audience
cheered; He bowed and, climbing down again.
wrestled with the trainer according to tho
original programme. ~ItememberinG his dream,
he began TO long for the taste OF human flesh.
| IIn ThrnNy hia frniDnr IN thn floor with IA fnr,n
which shook the frail stage to its foundation.
and gave him a bear hug he never forgot.
in their chairs. The walters forgot and gave
the correct change in their excitement, They
the bears embrace. Finally n member OF tho
orchestra lGaped upon, the stage. snatched the
dashed the bear into some sort of submission.
] He growlcd and reluctantly released the trainer.
badly frightened. bnt determined, nevertheless.
TO subdue the bear, 1t was the first time in his
tempt at resistance. lie wondered what in the
world had come over him; for of course he knew
had never seemed to object to dancing tho
couchee,couchee; On the contrary, he,had ap-
smiling benignly ms he went webbing about.
lie dashed him again and again, ~,
II was time for the couchee'couchee The
spectators we're still standing on chairs, though
the walters went rrantically about among them
the bear was all right, he would dance in a few
minutes. a vSryfcw minutes; TO al OF which they
paid not she ~slightO5t attention.. Chlldrens
clinging to their mothers SIX rts, lifted up their
voices and wept. The mothers comforted them,
but kept their eyes Tiveted upon the stage to
sco what tho bear was going to do next. 4
few OF the men in the audience made bets as to
which would win. the bear or his trainer. Most
OF them bet on the bear. 4 few were anxious
to scc him devour the trainer on the spot. 10
would vary the mOnOtcny and make up for the
failure Of tho juGglcr to balance the cigar boxes.
Crack! went tho whip. The bear WINGED. but
he remained stubbornly on all fours. The whiu
whizzed in the air and fcll keenly, painfully
upon the hears helpless TANKS. He writhed
and gave n Groan. Again The whip fell. Again
and Hgaini
Meanwhile the orchestra began the slow
rythn,ical music Of: the couchee-cOuchee The
lasn descended more and more cruelty.
The spirit of his remote jungls-inhabitinR an.
CestOrs. which for a few brief moments had ami !
mated the bears sluggish soul, departed never
TO return. The more recent spirits OF his father
and grandfather. who had danced to the
whiStling Of whips. returned In full force. After
| III MIN nm L rod Il nLnIIr thn nnaLnhna-nnaI- 3