The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-08-14

grass. kcenll dirhts oh NiN ibnhOul LoE
human prey, beings they might crush
with their mighty strength and then
devour piecemeal at their leisure. IL
was strange that the bear should dream
of a Jungle. He had never seen one.
Neither had his father or his grand
father. However wild and untsmed his
more remote ancestors might have been.
he was Immediately descended from
tame bears born in cages and trained
to dance to the lash of the trainers
whip from their youth up. He had
never in all his life tasted OF human
flesh. Yum yumi His great jaws
moved hungrily in his sleep at the mere
thought II only he could have one good
bite out of that trainer.
The trainer reused him with a kick.
Come, get up!" he said.
The bear, usually submissive. growled
as he raised himself on his launches.
To dream of N wild freedom of jungles
and then be reused from such dreams
by the kick OF a dog OF a t~rainer! 1t
was too muchl His very sould revolted
within him, but alas. he was muzzled.
helplesel His only resource was TO fol-
low the trainer onto the stage and stand
there, the observed 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 miserable dance of
his, the couchee-couchee. 1t had al
ways disguised him, that dance. but
suddenly, since his beautiful dream of
a wild free life in the jungle among
the magnificent specimens Of his own
kind, bears which had never felt the
lash of a whip, the mere thought of
dancing the couchee-couchee drove the
blood from his great shaggy body to
his face, and he blushed. The idea of
his being obliged night after night to go
through tina was actually a disgrace
TO the country! Why, even at Coney
Island IL was not always danced by the
Nautch girls. 1t was sometimes n
Gently performed upon the MICROSCOPE.
And here he. a decent, well-behaved
bear, must dance ii every night of his
life, and before a mixed crowd at that,
or be whipped!
He CRASHED his teeth under his muz-
zle at the shame of IL. He made up his
mind not to lance the couchee-couchee
that night. He had danced it, he said
to himself, for the last time. 1t was too
much to ask even of a tame bear. He
wondered the authorities had not in
v~estigated the matter long ago, any
way, and put a stop to IL. Where was
Parkhurst? 1t was a sin and a shame
hat somebody didn't do something.
The trainer cracked his whip, and the
bear. standing on his hind legs, walk
ed about the stage in mild obedience to
his orders. He sat on a chair, turned
his face TO the audience, and smiled
through his muzzle. There were wick
ed thoughts in the bottom OF his heart.
He knew what he had made up his
mind to do when IL came time TO dance
hat couchee-couchee. but he could
smile and smile and still be a villain.
The fact was he intended to hug his
trainer to death in the wrestling match,
which always preceded the couchee-
couchee, leap over the footlights into
the audience. and escape, muzzle or no
muzle.
Another chair was placed upon the
first one. He climbed very nimbly up,
for a bear, and sat on this second chair.
Then he sat onto a third until his head
was level with the roof. turned his face
to the audience and broadened his mild
and infantile smile. The audience
cheered. He bowed, and, climbing
down again. wrestled with the trainer
according to the original programme.
Remembering his dream, he began TO
long for the taste of human flesh. He
threw his trainer TO the fioor with a
force which shook the frail stage to it's
foundation, and gave him a bear hug he
never forgot.
The people rose up with one accord
and stood in their chairs. The walters
forgot and CAV the correct change in
their excitement. They were all afraid.
the raine remained so long in the
bears embrace. Finally a member OF
the orchestra lea ped upon the stage.
snatched the trainers whip from his
nerveless fingers and dashed the bear
into some sort of submission. He
growled and reluctantly released the
trainer.
The man rose u~nsteadily to his feet.
He was badly frightened, but determ-
ined, nevertheless. to subdue the bear.
1t was the first time i'm his life hat the
animal a made the slightest attempt
at resistance. He wondered what in the
world had come over him, for, Of
course, he knew nothing at all of the
jungle dream, and the bear had never
seemed TO object to dancing the couch
~ee-couchee. ON the contrary he had APP
pesred often TO taxi the greatest de-
light in it, smiling benignly as he went
webbing about. He dashed him again
and again.
II was time for the couchee-cOuchee.
The spectators were still standing on
chairs, though the walters went fran-
tically about among them. insisting
that there was no danger, zone at all
the bear was all right, he would dance
in a few minutes a very few minutes
to all of which they paid not the slight,
est attention. Children, ~clinging to theil
mothers skirts. lifted up their voice:
and wept. The mothers comforted them
but kept their eyes riveted on the stag,
to see what the bear was going TO Ok
next. A few Of the men in the aud
ence made bets as to which would win
the bear or his trainer. Most of then
bet on the bear. A few were anxious
to see him devour the trainer on tn,
spot. IL would vary the monotony and
make up for the failure Of the juggleI
to balance the cigar boxes.
Crack. went the whip. The bea.
WINGED, but he remained ~stubbornly OF
all fours. The whip whizzed in the al
and fell keenly. painfully, upon tn
bears helpless tanks He writhed ant
gave a groan. Again the whip fell
Again and againi
Meanwhile the orchestra began TN.
slow. rythmical music of the couchee
couchee. The lash descended more ant
TunFa IP1aI1N