The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1900-12-19

n . hinge barn away out on Western
,ow. which seemed to have been built
~ ft # A good big room was parti-
.onad off for me in one front corner.
Tho cages were ranged along the side
vaIls with a runway behind them, and
!, hox stalls across the farther end
vere the zebra. the elephant. the cam
Al and the sacred COW. A monster red
hot stoye stood in the middle of the
central space with large bunch light
aver il. Altogether it was as warm,
hr;oht clean and CHEEKY a place as
von'd want to see, as everybody said
who saw it, and we had good many
visitors.
Gagged animals become restless If left
sIone and never went out more than
an hour or two at a time. but even at
that | took a good many long walks
for exercise and to see the city, leaving
black Sammy helper-and the two
cage cleaners for the animals to look
At But as time ran along to near
Christmas | seemed to lose heart for
going out much. Something in the
air made me feel myself. more than
ever before hopelessly lonesome,
homeless total stranger.
The stores were brighter and gayer
than | had ever noticed their being
before: the streets full of happy faced
people carrying bundles of Christmas
presents; the windows of homes adorn-
u icf
mas wreaths;s the shopmen's wagons
busy delivering good things for Christ
mas dinners and Christmas trees.
The Lord knows | didn't begrudge
anybody's happiness. but it all made
me feel unutterably sad. In all the
world knew of no one whose eyes
would brighten or lips smile a welcome
for my coming AS for sharing In the
general JOY of the Christmas season.
might as well have been that ornary
camel-the meanest dispositioned beast
alive. to my thinking-as n man with
. heart TO feel his loneliness. Every
other man had friends, even poor old
black Sam.
was that home and love belonged in
my past and could not forget them.
When came back to New York after
Einter engagement with "Bentley's
Aggregation" in the West Indies and
South America, | found my dear wife
Lizzie had been run down by a Broad
way stage and killed And what had
become of my sweet little baby girl
i Jennie. only years old. nobody could
eil me- That was a dozen years back
i Dut never since have | felt any less
4 neartsick and lonely than when my
grief was fresh. and in the winter
uobg about Christmas, always feel II
most.
Inc animals, as sat brooding by the
hese, seemed to know l was in trou
ple and feel sorry for me. They would
Aand still long time looking at me
sua the elephant, I'm sure, tried to ask
W nis little squeals, what was the mat
YET. Only that mean camel, screwed
up bis nose scornfullike, as If he didnn
care cuss who felt bad, which he Ger
--.s'iS uluu I.
frody morning, the third day before
Vafistmas. Jack Henderson, a younI
reporter. dropped in. as he often did
saa happened to remark: 1T SEEM
lafe to be imprisoned for life withou
~ occasional happy day to vary th'
,poaotony. Gagged animals ought t,
haye holidays"
1lat set me thinking after he wa
gene, and made up my mind the men
asefie under my charge should, 70
eaee anyway, have a Christmas. / con
s.uefed what every bird and beast II
'ue lot liked best and mostly neve
eVe and all those things | meant the,
suouid have on Christmas day. Tha
a'eFhoon went out buying and laugh
= myself when thought l was &C
uaiy purchasing Christmas present
W lot OF folks who would be sure
appreciate them.
got FOR the birds all sorts Of choic
Auits' nice seeds, ants eggs, mea
Olins, and so on, according to thei
ss'eral tastes. and for the monkey
4'Ofe me fruit, fig paste, candy an