Brookings weekly register. (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1898-1903, 1900-08-09
MALBY'S MENAGERIE.
By HENRY GALLUP PAINE.
A Humorous
Circus Tale Of Daniella de Arcy and
-Four Fierce Lions.

Malby came to him with his tale of
woe. "We'n call In DR.. Irving. He's
the county physician, and he's bound
ter Gose 'em fer nothin."
The medical man expressed consider
able doubt as to whether his contract
could be construed to cover the cases
| Of lions In duress; but at last he con-
sented to look at them when he had
made 1t understood that he did so as a
favor.
"Mr. Malby," he said when he had
made his visit, "I've never made q
speciality Of diseases Of lions. but IL
any Of my patients should show sim
liar symptoms / should say they need
ed exercise"
There! You heard thatw Malby
turned to Dixon when DIR. Irving had
gone. Those lions have got to be ex-
ercised. You haven't accorded them the
privileges that would be given to the
meanest pickpocket.
"All right. all right" assented the
sheriff. Exercise 'em. I don't keer as
long as don't have ter do it. Yer still
special depitty. Exercise 'em all ye
want"
1t was a large contract, but the case
was desperate. If Malby could not
afford to buy them food, still less could
he afford to let them die. The wall of
the jailyard was high, and. going into
the jailer's Office, he turned the levers
that opened the cells, and the lions
went tearing out into the sunlight. All
day they gamboled about in the yard,
rending the air with their roars, which
sent passing children by on the dead
run.
The question now was how to get
them back into their cells. Malby's
original device required to his mind,
and, procuring four chunks Of raw
meat, he sneaked into the corridor
when the lions weren't looking and put
piece liz each cell. To get back to the
Office he had to cross the jailyard
again. The exercise had evidently
done the lions a great deal Of good. but
It had also whetted their appetites.
They smelt the fresh meat on Malby
and jumped for him instead of going
to their cells. Maiby saw them coming
and In his nervousness tried to open
the office door the wrong way. The
delay was fatal. The ittlest lion reach
ed him before he could get through
and bowled him over like tenpin-.
The other three were not far behind.
and as John Malby felt their breaths
on his face he gave himself up for lost.
At that instant q woman darted
through the door into the yard and
with a few sharp words drove the
beasts away and had them locked up
in their respective cells in jiffy.
Maiby, half paralyzed with fright,
looked up and saw his wife. Hannah.
standing before him. She reached down,
took him by the hand and helped him
to rise.
John" she said. 'if there's any lion
training to be done in this family. I'll
do it hereafter. Now, come. | want
10 talk to you" She led the way into
the office, and John, divided between
gratitude to hes for having saved his
life and indignation at the way she
had treated him before, followed her.
John" she said when they were
seated. 81 have been a fool, and so
have, you. You've made mistakes, and
so have /. You made your first mistake
In thinking yon wanted TO be farm.
er, and made a big mistake In letting
you try to be one. You made another
mistake In not allowing me to have
any diversion and objecting to my go
ing to the circus. l made mistake In
going so often. You did wrong not to
come for me that last night, and did
wrong to leave you and go with De
Arcy. But never cared rap for the
man nor he for me- | had come to
know him and his wife while they
were showing here, and when Mime.
de Arcy was injured offered to take