Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1898-10-27
"rOOR little fellow! 1t

your paw. Does it hurt so
much? Drifter will. try to make it
sbetter. He'll tie this bandage around
it, an tomorrow the pain will be all
gone
A spectator would have enjoyed the
queer scene, but there was no one pres
ent to see the boy and the sick animal
in the great, gloomy, dimly lighted
tent. Most of the trained animals of
the other cages were away in the cir
Gus ring, exhibiting their skill to an
admiring audience, from where occa-
sionally shouts and strains of music
Aoated to the boys ears.
Drif1er was crouching down in the
corner of the cage occupied by large
red fox, holding one of the paws of
the animal in his hands, To his words
of sympathy the suffering fox re-
sponded with a dismal moan.
eyes, it's too bad-too bad! But we
all have to suffer sometimes"
He patted the animal on the head
and stroked the sleek body until the
moaning ceased. A sudden wild era sh
of music disturbed him in, his soothing
process. j.
There; I'll have to leave you now;
they're coming"
He rose from his position by the
fox's side and stepped outside of the
cage just as the head of a regiment
of wild animals came trooping into the
tent. There were elephants and bears,
dogs and cats, pigs and donkeys, birds,
rabbits, female leopard, a lordly lion,
land a surly-lool<ing tiger with chain
attached to it's hind foot.
AS the elephants reached the tent
they trumpeted loudly and swung
their heads from side to side. The
dogs barked and frisked about under
the legs of the big brutes. The leopard
:skulked slyly along the edge of the
tent, as if it would spring upon it's prey,
and the tiger with the chain snapped
savagely at donkey that trotted too
near it. The lion stalked along. voice
less and majestic, neither turning to
the right nor left.
Drifter faced this approaching cav
2alcade of wild beasts unf1inohin civ,
and as the head of the troop cached
the line Of cages, he shouted:
Hi, there, Tip and Tom! Where are
you going?"
He raised his hand to stop the two
elephants, and then turned them IN
their course as easily as if they had
been horses.
Here, Bill, jump into your cage!"
he cried to one of the black bears,
can you, Bruno, go on to yours"
stop that fighting, Sly" and he
made as if he would strike the snarl-
ing leopard, which was threatening a
tall. formid BILE looking Dane hound
: In a moment he was right in the,
midst of the medley of trained an
finals. directing this one. to its cage
and that>one to its stall. Mr.. Temp
ster, the trainer of the animals, came
hurrying up from the rear at this
juncture and assisted him in caging
the most unruly ones. When they
were all locked up securely for the
night it was nearly one o'clock
Drifter then rolled himself up in a
blanket and went to sleep on pile of
tent covering and bagging. The an
imals dropped off to sleep one after
another; but the suffering fox could
find no release from its pain in slum-
Der. All through the night it moaned
softly, but dismally. The other an
imals were too sleepy to be disturbed
10y the noise.
But twice Drifter. got up through
THE night and triedsto soothe and COM
tfort the fox. The. last time he was
.repaid for his trouhleby feeling the
warm tongue Of the animal drawn
softly across the back. Of his hand.
He knew then that the pain was sub
~siding. ssss
In the short, restful sleep that fol-
flowed, Drifter dreamed that he was
sno longer q mere y-of-all-Work