The Topeka state journal., 1900-11-17

pay for it," and with that he gave him
! the last nickel
The man smiled but he understood
the lads independence, and accepted the
com; ana having reached the outskirts
| OF the city, he turned east, after setting
| oliver down at the entrance to the cir
| Gus The tents lay white and dazzling
| IN the morning sun. and Oliver felt that
MS fortune lay within thNTn.
IL We're inexpedient to tell of all the
dellghts that fell to the boy. Penniless
tnough ne was, he was as happy as a
k1ng-WOuld like to be: and he roamed
around, looking at the wild beasts fond
ing the elephants trunk and wishing
fun.
When he came to the lions cage he
noticed a great crowd around it, and the
lion was growing and roaring in a
manner to scare the stoutest hearts.
Oliver pushed his way through the
crowd, and found that the keeper Of the
non had become angry over some slight
from the owner of the show and left
town that morning, taking with him the
Key OF the cage. He had also given the
lion something that had aroused all his
savage instincts The beast leaped from
end to end of his cage, roaring in a blood
curdllng way and trying to break his
bars
I'D give a thousand dollars if I
could get lion tanner this minutep'
The trouble with a great many per-
sons who are looking for success is that
they don't recognize it when they meet
it, but Oliver was not that kind of per-
son. That is why he Immediately said
to the proprietor:
'Ill go in and tame your old lion if
you'll pay me good round sum when
get inside the cage"
The man smiled in very much the
same way that Goliath did when David
stepped up to him, but he said:
I'm a man of my word Tame that
lion, and I'll give you a thousand dollars
and plot of ground in Bridgeport near
the winter quarters of our show
Oliver shook hands with the man;
then he took from his pocket the old
key that the scissors grinder had given
him and opened the cage door. The lion
gave a mighty bound. and would have
leaped through the door, but Oliver held
the piece of root to his nose, and in a
minute the beast was lying on his back
with his paws in the air, in a delirium of
JOY. 1t was some kind of catnip-prob-
ably Honnip-for the king of beasts let
Oliver caress him and pat him. and
finally sat down in the corner of his
cage with the brave boy astride of his
back. And purr! You'd have thought
all the cats in New York city were hav-
ing purring convention.
The manager was better than his
word. He gave Oliver $1,000 and a. deed
for city lot in Bridgeport, and invited
him home to dine with him.
The show was billed to stay in Water
bury a week, and during that time
Oliver gave daily performances in the
cage, always taking care to keep hold
Of the root.
Saturday night, after the show was
over, Oliver took the last train up the
Naugatuck valley to ThOmaston. His
mother had gone to bed, but she rose
and let him in
why, my boy! I didn't exepct you"
said she. You'll have to kill chicken,
for wasn't going to have anything but
a cup of tea for my Sunday dinner"
You should have had as much conf
dence in my as I had in myself, mother
DEAR said Oliver. Then he told her that
he had been engaged at a princely salary
to be a lion tamer-in- ex ira ordinary to
the circus.
Then he showed her the deed and the
81. 600. For the land sakes!1 said she,
and fell weeping on his neck.