The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1898-10-22
"DRIFTER."
BY GEORGE e. WALSH.
hDoOR little fellow! Let me Sc

much! Drlfter VIII try TO make II
better. He'll tie this bandage around
it, an tomorrow the pain will be all
gone"
Drifter 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 dismal moan.
"Ycs, 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 crash
of music disturbed him in his soothing
process.
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,
and surly-looking tiger with chain
attached to its 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 its prey,
and the tiger with the chain snapped
savagely at a donkey that trotted too
u
less and majestic, neither turning to
the right nor left.
Drifter faced this approaching cav
alcade of wild beasts unflinchingly,
and as the head of the troop reached
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,
IAN you, Bruno. go on to yours" .r>
stop that fighting, Sly" and he
made as if he would strike the snarl-
ing leopard. which was threatening a
tall, formidable-looking Dane hound.
In a moment he was right in the
midst Of the medley of trained an
imals, 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
blanket and went to sleep on a pile of
tent covering and bagging. The an
finals 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
by the noise.
In the short, restful sleep that fol-
lowed. Drifter dreamed that he was
no longer mere boy-of-all-work
among the circus animals, but full.
fledged and successful trainer and
performer.
This had been Drifter's ambition
ever since Mr.. Tempster had taken
pity on him in the streets, when he
was homeless and hungry, and had
given him position. The trainer was
not always an easy master; he was
more often harsh and overbearing than
gentle; but Drifter felt that he owed
him much,
As the days and weeks and months
passed, the boy learned the ways of
the trainer, and grew less and less
afraid of the wild animals. 1t was an
eventful day for him when he first
dared to enter the cage of the lion and
stroke his shaggy name.
At first Mr.. Tempster did not like
this intimacy between his animals and
his chore-boy: but, in time. he saw
that it made Drifter more useful to
him. and he said nothing. He could
throw more and more of his work upon
Drifter.
But the ambition had entered the
boys mind TO become great trainer
of. wild animals, and on every occa-
sion Mr.. Tempster was away he de-
voted himself to the work Of coaxing
the animals to go through certain evo-
lutions. He never used harsh means
to accomplish this; his own tender
heart prevented him from striking or
prodding the creatures to do his bid
ding.
Thus for two years he had practiced
training the animals secretly, and
he was looking hopefully forward to
the day when he might obtain posi-
ton as trainer, which would give him
the absolute command of the circus
ring performers.
II was not Drifter's fault that Mr..
Tempster had failed to give entire sat
isfaction to the owners of the great
travelling circus. Either through
slothfulness or drink the trainer
had neglected his duties, and the an
finals were learning no new tricks
and only indifferently performing
their old ones.
One day he caught Drifter in the
act of putting his favorite fox-now
wounded by an accident-through a
performance, and instead of repri-
manding the boy, he said calmly: