The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1900-12-27

In huge barn away out on Western
| row, which seemed to have been built
to fit it. y good big room was purtl-
toned off for me in one front corner
The cages were ranged along the side
walls. with Il runway behind them. and
In box stalls across the farther end
were the zebra. the elephant. the cam
cl and the sacred COW. A monster red
hot stove stood in the middle OF the
central space, with Il large bunch light
over it, Altogether it was 0s warm,
bright, clean and CHEEKY IL place us
you'd want To see, rs everybody said
who saw 1t, and we had good many
visitors.
Gagged animals become restless IL left
alone. and never went out more than
an hour or two at time, but even at
that ] took good many long walks
for exercise and to sec the city, lcavlr@
black Sammy helpcr-and the I,
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
over before. a hopclcssly lonesome,
homeless total stranger
The stores were brighter and gaycr
than ! had ever noticed their being
before; the streets full OF happy fnccu
people carrying bundles or Christmas
PRESENTS; the windows OF homes adorn
ed with evergreen festoons and Christ
mas wreaths; the shopmen's wagon
busy delivering good things for Christ
mas dinners and Christmas trees
The Lord knows | didn't begrudg
anybody's happiness. but 1t all mad
me feel unuttcrably sad. In all tb
world | knew OF no one whose eye
would brighten or lips smile WELDON
for my coming. AS for sharing in Il
general JOY OF the Christmas season,
might as we'll have been that orna,
camel-thc mcancSt dispOsltioncd bca
alive, to my thinking-aS Il man wi
a heart to feel his loneliness. Eve
other man had friends, even Door q
black Sam.
And what made it harder to bc
was that home and love belonged
my past ana | could not forget thcr
When came back to New York art,
a winter engagement with "Benticy
Aggregation" In the West Indies aI
Lizzie had been run down by n Bro.
way stage and killed. And what
become OF my sweet little baby
Jennie. only years old. nobody cu
tell me. That was a dozen years bac
but never since have | felt any |,
heartSick and lonely than when I
grief was fresh, and in the wint
along about Christmas, ] always fec
most.
The animals, as sat brooding by t
stove, seemed to know | was In tr,
bic and feel sorry for me. They wol
stand still a long time looking at u
and the elephant, Pm sure tried to a.
by his little squeals, what was the M
ter Only that mean camel screw
up his nose scornfullike, as If he did
care cuss who felt bad, which he G,
tainly didn't.
Friday morning, the third day befc
Christmas, Jack Henderson, you
reporter, dropped in. as he often {
and happened to remark: ut sec
hard to be imprisoned for life wit
an occasional happy day to var
monotony. Gagged animals ou
have holidays"
Ihht set me thinking after
gone, and made up my mind
agerie under my charge sh
once anyway, have Christ
sidered what every bird
the lot liked best and
| got, and all those thI;...
| should have o2 Christina
afternoon I went out buying
ed to myself when thoug'
tually purchasing Christmas
for lot OF folks who would
appreciate them.
| got for the birds all sorts OF
fruits, nice seeds, ants eggs,
worms, and so on, according tc
several tastes, and for the me
more ane fruit, ag paste, cand