Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1900-03-15

it meant death for both men. The
hunter gazed steadily through his
sights at that spot, and paid not the
slightest attention to Master Freddie,
who, in an agony Of apprehension,
screeched at the top of his voice:
Don't miss, uncle, or you'll hit mel"
Seventy yards, fifty yards, thirty
yards Uncle Fred fred. Flame and
smoke and roar and crash, and Freddie
found himself sitting on the grass
alone, and the wonderful Indian Jug
glers had both disappeared.
He picked himself up at once and
ran as fast as he could back to the
bungalow. 1t was past breakfast time.
and everybody was on the veranda.
Freddie's mother was tying up her
husbands arm in sling. Uncle
Fred was standing up and talking ex.
citedly. Freddie heard him as he ran
up.
'The closest shaver Uncle Fred
cried. "By Jove, Dick, though say
it myself, it was great shot, tool
Right on the vital spot, and he went
to his knees with crash! Halloa!"
Freddie!'' cried his mother.
"Where have you been? Without a
hat! oh! dear, oh! dear? You'll have
sunstroker
But Freddie leaped to his fathers
breast, sobbing.
'I'm so glad," he sobbed. 81
didn't know whether you killed the
elephant or the elephant killed you,
aud / was afraid uncle missed and
killed me, but I'm not killed, am /,
papa?"
All three grown-ups raised their
hands, and their faces were pictures
Of bewilderment.
'How do you know about the ele-
phant? Where were you?" his father
gasped.
''Didn't you see me?" Freddie asked
reproachfully. II was on the top of
the elephant, where the mahout rides,
you know. The old juggler let me
climb the rope. and I went to the
dockyard, and got on the Ra abs back,
and he went mad and ran away, and
I thought you were killed and"
'Freddie" cried his mother, 'you
have got sunstroke."
She picked the little boy up in her
arms and carried him into cool room,
where he was put to bed with ice on
his head, while the doctor was sent
for, in spite of his protests, but on the
veranda his father and uncle stared at
each other.
"Jugglers! Climbing up the rope?"
cried his father. 1.-The child must
have met a troupe of these travelling
conjurors!"
"But = but" said Uncle Fred
feebly, ''of course all Anglo-Indians
know the strange tricks these fellows
can perform, which no man--no white
man, at any rate has ever explained,
but-but-oh, bless my soul-there
was an elephant, and you did fall, and
there was no boy on the elephants
back, and therefore Freddie couldn't
be there, but-but-oh, confound it
all, how did he know what happened,
before anybody but our two selves and
your wife knew any elephant had been
shot at all?"
Freddie's father jumped up angrily
in spite OF his sore arm.
'Ive seen that rope trick done often
and the man climb into the clouds.
Everybody has seen it, and no one
ever explained it, save by hypnotism
of the audience. That's it.! But the
idea of practising their arts upon
little boyl It's too badi I'll send
out, and if they are caught, they will
have to hypnotic themselves out OF
Jail"
''Of course" said the uncle, still
with weak bewilderment, "but-but--
was Freddie on the elephant or was
he not? Don't you know? Oh, bless
my soul?"
So riders were sent out in all direc-
tions to catch the wonderful jugglers,
but it was no use-these had iuggled
themselves far away. But Freddie's
mother was very indignant at his father
and Uncle Fred for such suggestions
as hypnotism and jugglery.
''You two big sillies!' she said.
'"The boy went to sleep in the sun and
dreamed, and the rest is all coinci
dence. So, therep'
Still, however, men came from the
dockyard to trace the dead elephant,
and they told of his escape just as
Freddie did. So, there!-Sun.